What
you see may not be reality. What is real and what is fake? Did
Beethoven really go deaf? Did Oswald really assassinate Kennedy? Did the
Apollo mission really land on the moon? Welcome to the world of
confidence men! From the crew that brought you Legal High (2012-2014) and
Iryu: Team Medical Dragon (2006-2014) comes a crazy awesome drama about a group
of cheats who trick someone by gaining their trust and persuading them
to believe in something that is not true. The Confidence Man JP is a
10-episode production from FujiTV which, apart from impressive
viewership stats, has high quality stories and features a stellar
cast of the main leads as well as guest stars.
Language: JapaneseOriginal Title: コンフィデンスマンJP No. of eps.: 10 + SP
Synopsis Dako
(Masami Nagasawa), Boku (Masahiro Higashide), and Richard (Fumiyo
Kohinata) are a team of skilled con men. They frequently target wealthy
(but shady) people, such as gangsters or corporate businessmen to take
advantage of their limitless greed and viciousness. However, not
everything is always black and white. The team almost always has to face
numerous obstacles which stand in their way to get the money. Sometimes,
they have to change hearts of villains as well as their victims in
order to make a difference.
Hustlers and Baddies The drama was directed by Ryo Tanaka and written by Ryota
Kosawa. If you are familiar with their style from the previous works,
then you already know that you are in for an exciting ride with The
Confidence Man JP.
From the very first scene, the drama pays homage
to the best motion picture ever about confidence men, George Roy Hill’s
The Sting (1973). However, intertextual connections do not begin and end
just here. Almost every episode references some important movie or
drama (High and Low (1963), A Taxing Woman (1987), Doctor X (2012-2019), Zatoichi (1962), The Inheritance (1962), you name it!). It is a pleasure to catch these little winks
at the audience as Dako, Boku-chan, and Richard proceed to carry out
their ingenious and convoluted plans with Errol Flynn-like enthusiasm.
The
only thing to expect in each episode is to be prepared for the
unexpected. Just as when the viewers are certain that the main
characters are in deep distress, Dako always comes up with a trump card
(trick within trick) that saves the day. It is so exhilarating to see
these nearly-impossible-in-reality schemes set into motion!
One more
thing for which the drama has to be praised is the lavish production
design. From the team’s Gondorff hotel suite through casinos to airplane
showdown, all the sets look absolutely gorgeous! In addition, the music score by Fox Capture Plan group is super catchy. I can’t get enough
of Obvious Lie track!
With regard to performances, Masami Nagasawa,
Masahiro Higashide, and Fumiyo Kohinata are just wonderful as the leads.
They have a wonderful onscreen chemistry which greatly translates into
comedic situations. Shinya Kote as Igarashi also has to be mentioned,
the go-to helper who always aids the team in difficult situations. In
terms of guest stars, I enjoyed seeing Michiko Kichise, Ken Ishiguro,
Shiro Sano, Masaru Nagai, and Naho Toda.
My favourite stories are
definitely episodes 4 & 5. There’s so much parodying of the movie
business and Doctor X! The episode that did not really click with me was
number 6, but I believe this was mostly due to the archeology theme.
The drama was followed in 2019 by a SP feature called “The Fortune”.
It’s also extremely entertaining and sees the appearance of Kazuki
Kitamura, Miho Nakayama, and Ryoko Hirouse as the villains.
Recommendations If
you look for a light-hearted, funny, and fast-paced drama, then The
Confidence Man JP is the choice for you. I will definitely make sure to
check the theatrical movies as well. The series is undoubtedly a love
letter to the romantic image of maverick men (and women) of confidence.
Overall score: 8/10
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