Naniwa Shounen Tanteidan review

I complete this drama series based on a novel written by Higashino Keigo. Anything written by him is a must watch for me!

 

I do not know why I have never thought of this before, but I was able to download the episodes of this drama and put them on my ipod touch. Then, I was able to watch the episode during my long bus ride, making it more enjoyable! However, I had to choose a drama series that was not too funny, so I don't laugh out loud, and not too interesting because my bus ride is not long enough for a whole episode.  This drama was perfect for this! I am sure going to miss watching Naniwa Shounen Tanteidan during my bus rides..

Synopsis

Shinobu Takeuchi (Mikako Tabe) becomes a homeroom teacher at Ooji Elemntary School in Osaka, Japan. Shinobu loves mystery novels and can't stand things when it doesn't turn out right. Shinobu with three of her students then attempts to solve a difficult cases that even detectives can't solve.

Cast

• Tabe Mikako as Takeuchi Shinobu
• Koike Teppei as Shindo Shuhei
• Yamamoto Koji as Honma Yoshihiko
• Kimura Fumino as Haruna Mika
• Kohinata Fumiyo as Nakata Yukio
• Matsuzaka Keiko as Takenouchi Taeko
• Hamada Tatsuomi as Tanaka Teppei

My impressions

Story

This drama series is based on a novel written by Higashino Keigo, a famous author of mystery novels. His stories are always good and the ending often unexpected. Many of his novel were made into dramas (like Galileo and Ryuusei no Kizuna).

Of course, this drama was a must watch for me. I have to say that I was disappointed with the story, considering this is Higashino Keigo. But, I realized I was disappointed because I just had the wrong expectation. 

The story is about an elementary school teacher, solving crimes with the help of her students.  The story can be divided in 2 parts: the mystery to be solve each episode, and the general story throughout the drama. The crimes were simple, sometimes borderline not interesting and the mystery could be easily predicted or sometimes a bit far-fetched. There was rarely a plot twist like the usual Higashino Keigo. This drama is only not aimed for adults. It is made to be enjoyable for children. When I realized this, it made a lot more sense and I started to enjoy it a lot more. While the mysteries to be solved each episode were so-so, I thought that the story of the general drama was good. There is something charming about the general story and its characters. It does not really go deep, it is not complex and it is slow paced, but it is cute and funny. The chemistry between the characters was just great. I started to love each characters and I am going to miss watching Naniwa Shounen Tanteidan during my bus rides.

Acting

There is nothing wrong to say about the acting. I thought the characters were the strong aspect of this drama. 

Some people might think the main character, played by Tabe Mikako, had an annoying personality. The series is taking place in Naniwa, which is a neighborhood of Osaka. Osaka is a city where it's population are known to be funny but also with a strong and "loud" personality. I feel the main character was a bit the stereotype of Osaka. I like energetic and strong female lead characters, so she was not annoying for me. Tabe Mikako will always be "Shinobu sensei" when I will see her in other dramas.

The main male lead, played by Koike Teppei, offered a good contrast with the strong personality of the lead female character. 

Overall, the acting was not extraordinary, but it was fun and kept me interested in watching.

Music

I enjoyed the music in the drama a lot. It was often stuck in my head! It is energetic and the melodies are catchy. The music was better than most dramas.

Recommendations

If you liked Naniwa Shounen Tanteidan, what would I recommend you to watch? This is really hard to answer. I thought Naniwa Shounen Tanteidan was unique in itself, even if it is a typical detective drama.