Odoru Daisousasen TV Specials [Bayside Shakedown] (1997-2012) [Drama Review]

     In order to never lose sight of myself... I fervently adhered to rules. I thought that was the right thing to do. But... I guess there are many ways of doing things. After all, we're different, you and me.

     No. You're wrong. We're both police officers.

If you have no idea what Odoru Daisousasen is, then please head over to my drama review here.

 

Following the success of eleven kickass episodes, Odoru’s creative team, consisting of Katsuyuki Motohiro (director), Ryoichi Kimizuka (screenwriter), and Chihiro Kameyama (producer) decided to carry on with the show and devised in 1997/1998 three TV specials following the adventures of our favourite Wangan Station officers. Nevertheless, due to Bayside Shakedown becoming such a smash hit in Japan, more (big and small) specials were made after 1998. Below, I have made an attempt to create a chronological list of all the special episodes with broadcast dates, original and English titles, as well as descriptions along with my short comments.

• 1997 December: Year-End Special Alert (Saimatsu Tokubetsu Keikai SP 踊る大捜査線　歳末特別警戒スペシャル)- Aoshima’s back... or so it would seem as he is still an ordinary street officer. Muroi notices that and arranges for an immediate transfer of Aoshima back to Wangan. The chiefs are not all too happy to see Aoshima so they assign him to the Traffic Section. There, driven by his reluctance, he ends up helping a school teacher find a vandal who destroyed a school project. Aoshima is unaware that the vandal is actually a drug-addicted killer. By complete coincidence, the killer gets hold of a gun and takes everybody hostage at the Criminal Section. Thrilling and entertaining episode with a big reference to Die Hard.

• 1998 June: Wangan Police Station Female Police Officers' Story (Shoka no Koutsuu Anzen SP 踊る大捜査線番外編　湾岸署婦警物語)- Contrary to the previous one, this special episode features main Odoru characters only in cameos, whereas the real heroine of the story is a newcomer Natsumi (Yuki Uchida) who is beginning her career at WPS as the traffic officer. Under close supervision of officer Kuwano (great Eri Watanabe from Shall We Dance? movie), we see Natsuki trying to learn the police job. Yet, her defiance of Kuwano’s strict conduct leads to a conflict between them. Some at the station even compare her to Aoshima. Still, Natsuki gets an opportunity to show her true value as she attempts to apprehend a dangerous criminal. Very entertaining episode and my personal favourite.

• 1998 October: Autumn Campaign for Crime Eradication (Aki no Hanzai Bokumetsu SP 踊る大捜査線　秋の犯罪撲滅スペシャル)- Aoshima, Sumire, and Mashita are ordered to escort a woman who paid to kill her boyfriend. However, the woman manages to escape and Sumire is suspected of harbouring her. A sick game of suspicion begins as Muroi orders Mashita and Yukino to follow Aoshima who follows Sumire. How will Aoshima prove Sumire’s innocence? More importantly, who is the fugitive: a criminal or a victim? Engaging story with a twist towards the end. It perfectly develops the Aoshima/Sumire relationship and builds upon Muroi’s ambiguity.

• 1998 October: Late Night at Bayside: The Worst Three Police Officers* (Shinya mo Odoru Daisousasen SP 深夜も踊る大捜査線 湾岸署史上最悪の3人!)- This is basically a mini-series of five 10-minute episodes about the follies of the WPS chiefs. These were aired for five nights before the premiere of Bayside Shakedown: The Movie. They are available at PandoraTV but without any subtitles.

• [Chronology] 1998 October: Bayside Shakedown: The Movie

• 2001 September: Big Dance in Seoul* (踊る大ソウル線)- I stumbled upon this one by complete accident. Any English site about Odoru does not mention it at all! Only at odoru.org I found a short description that it’s a quasi-special episode, but in reality, it is an advertisement of Seoul for prospective tourists. We follow Sumire, Mashita, Waku, and the chiefs on their journey around the capital of South Korea. No English translation exists. Treat this only as a trivia.

• 2003 July: Late Night at Bayside 2* (Shinya mo Odoru Daisousasen 2 SP 深夜も踊る大捜査線2)- The same thing as the previous Shinya, but made for the promotion of Bayside Shakedown: The Movie 2. I couldn’t track down these episodes at all.

• [Chronology] 2003 July: Bayside Shakedown: The Movie 2

• 2003 August: Thats! Three Amigos: A Stage Play* (舞台も踊る大捜査線 ザッツ!!スリーアミーゴス)- As the title says, Odoru franchise even hit the theatre. It was played from August 15th to August 17th, 2003 with five performances in total. In terms of the storyline, it is a follow-up to the events from the second movie as the WPS chiefs have their salaries reduced. After the performance-segment, there was a small talk-show section with a different guest each time. Ultimately, live recording of the play was released on dvd. No English translation available online.

• 2005 December: Odoru Legend – The Fugitive, Kijima Jouichirou (Odoru Legend ~ Toubousha Kijima Jouichirou 踊るレジェンドドラマスペシャル逃亡者 木島丈一郎)- A TV movie focusing on the character of Detective Kijima Jouichirou from the spin-off film Negotiator: Mashita Masayoshi (2005). In The Fugitive, Kijima rescues a boy from a kidnapper. However, the boy is reluctant to be returned to his parents, thus Kijima escapes with him. No English fan-subs are available. Nevertheless, it is always awesome to see the great Susumu Terajima in action.

• 2006 October: The Lawyer, Haijima Hideki (Bengoshi Haijima Hideki 踊るレジェンドドラマスペシャル弁護士 灰島秀樹)- Another TV movie, this time made about the character from the spin-off film The Suspect: Muroi Shinji (2005). To me, there was nothing absolutely interesting about it. We get 95 minutes about some prick lawyer without even cameos from the Odoru cast. It might as well have not been part of the franchise.

• 2010 June: Late Night at Bayside 3* (Shinya mo Odoru Daisousasen 3 SP 深夜も踊る大捜査線3)- Another mini-series with the chiefs, made to promote Bayside Shakedown: The Movie 3. I managed to find only two episodes. No English subs, but the episodes look interesting as they are limited to the office space only.

• [Chronology] 2010 July: Bayside Shakedown 3: Set the Guys Loose

• 2012 September: Midnight Odoru Daisousasen: The Final (深夜も踊る大捜査線 THE FINAL)- For the promotion of the fourth and final theatrical movie, Shinya mini-series was not made. Instead, four episodes following Detective Kijima Jouichirou were aired each midnight. Again, no English translation, yet still, it’s quite intense to watch as Kijima and his team defuse a bomb hidden in a huge teddy bear.

• 2012 September: The Last TV (踊る大捜査線 THE LAST TV サラリーマン刑事と最後の難事件)- It is best to watch this episode after seeing the third movie as lot of things have changed at the Wangan Station. Aoshima is now a Section Chief, whereas Mashita, Uozumi and Hakamada head the station. Aoshima. along with his investigative team. is on the lead of a Korean woman who cheats men out of their money. Little do detectives know that the woman is allegedly engaged to officer Wang (a member of Aoshima’s team). In collaboration with HQ, a huge set up is organised in the form of a lavish wedding ceremony. Great stuff to watch and the original cast is at their best.

• [Chronology] 2012 September: Bayside Shakedown 4: The FINAL

All things considered, one can see from the list above how much has Odoru gone through the years. Even though it came to an end back in 2012, it is still a wonderful experience to sit through and watch the drama along with all of these specials. I don’t regret a single minute spent with these brilliant characters. Is there a possibility for a new special or a new movie? Probably not, but still, great franchises are known for comebacks.