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DVD Box
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| Synopsis |
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| This series revolves around a group of peculiar detectives in a new division created to fight against an increase in atrocious crimes. Osawa Eriko is a beautiful career woman who has just returned from training in the U.S. and is appointed as the "boss" of this division. But despite her intelligence and capabilities, she can never understand a man's heart, so she remains unable to find a husband. In fact, her assignment in the U.S. was really a demotion after she ruined her career track over a man. So why was she chosen as the boss of the new division? Even though the detectives are talented, they all have some kind of issue or flaw, and they are considered to be the "problem children" of the police force. In the end, the division's true purpose is just to isolate these problematic detectives. | | Tokyograph |
| Soundtrack and Theme Songs (2) |
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| 1. | Best of My Life [superfly] | | | 2. | Alright!! [superfly] | |
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| Drama Reviews (10) |
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!!WARNING!!
The review section may contain spoilers! Please understand
that you may find out about this drama's endings and plots!
| | 1. | Pedestrian Police Drama - Good, Not Great [Rating: 5/10]
[Note: Possible spoilers below! Beware!]
I was expecting this to be much better than it turned out to be. That's not to say it was bad or that there was anything wrong with it, just that there was nothing particularly special or engaging about it. The acting was excellent by everybody involved and there were some nice (albeit predictable) twists, particularly in the series climax. But the screenwriting was a lot like that of a standard American television cop show - very journalistic, as in "This happened, then this, then this... The End."
Takenouchi Yutaka has been a favorite actor since his magnificent, larger-than-life role as the composer HaTa-san in the 1998 dorama "With Love," but his talent was largely wasted in "Boss." His acting was fine of course, but the Nodate character - like everybody else in this dorama - was superficial and mostly forgettable. It was actually hard to recognize him as the same actor who played Hasegawa Takashi-san - the characters in "Boss" are so shallowly written they could've been played by any competent actors and there'd have been no difference to the overall balance of the show.
The best of "Boss" was the two-part story in Episodes 4 and 5, in which Kimoto-chan (Toda Erika) is kidnapped by a serial murderer. Yet even that one is undercut by implausible suspensions-of-disbelief and internal contradictions written into the script. In the climactic scene Kimoto, who'd been freed by the team, steps out onto a rooftop, unarmed, to confront her abductor while the rest of the Countermeasures Team waits - something no police unit leader would have allowed - and talks him into giving up. So a guy who had been convincingly presented up to that point as a cold-blooded, fanatical murderer, utterly sociopathic, remorseless and merciless, is suddenly just melted by his former hostage's heartfelt words? Iye.
In addition to more cohesive internal logic and plausibility, better crime doramas - like "Joshi Deka," "Galileo" and the outstanding "Voice" - all have larger, overarching moral lessons written into them, often a new one in each episode, that touch on timeless issues: Integrity vs. pragmatism; reason vs. emotion; ethics vs. "looking the other way" from the crimes of friends/family; science vs. mysticism and irrationality; independence vs. conformity; perseverence through horrific ordeals and obstacles.
This one was only light entertainment, and that's fine, but given the quality level of most J-doramas, the lack of deeper themes was noticeable. It left me feeling a little bored and impatient with what often felt like pedestrian television that wasn't really time well spent. I found myself looking forward to finishing up this series not once or twice, but often, especially in the later episodes.
The series needed better writing - in terms of thematic depth, character development, humor (only a mild chuckle here and there despite some setups that could've been transformed into hilarious comic relief scenes.)
So...entertaining, not enlightening. If you have a lot of spare time to kill, if you've already seen all of the better police doramas and just want some light drama, go for it. Otherwise, IMO your time would be better spent on any of the better police doramas out there. | | Reviewed by Sakebitosan on 25 July 2010 | | 2. | A Shocking Ending [Rating: 10/10]
Boss is a very magnificent dorama, every episode is packaged with unexpected ending. Boss (Eriko Osawa) was asked by Nodate-san (Takeuchi Yutaka) to come back to Japan as a head of countermeasure unit. The current post that she�fs holding now is as FBI agent in New York. At the age of 40 years old, she�fs not married yet but she has a long time friend which they are �gin the relationship�h for 5 years.
Team member of countermeasure unit was Yamamura who has problem with ageing balding, Kimoto - the nerd girl who is good in voice and visual analyzing, Iwai - who has personality disorder, he likes guy, Hanagata and Katagiri - who I say they are the most normal compared with others. At first Eriko-san complained to Nodate about her subordinates who will be working with her, but Nodate has no choice as to explain her that only these people that each department doesn�ft want them anymore.
The first case was about using people as a target bomb. The suspect is Negaki-san who works in the factory, he wants to take a revenge to people who makes his factory goes bankrupt. The negotiation done by Eriko was perfect and she did a correct profiling too. In the end, her team manages to identify the whereabouts of last victim and neutralized the bomb.
Negaki-san becomes the key person in last episode as Eriko has to negotiate with him for neutralized the bomb installed by black moon members led by Takakura Ryouhei (Takashi Sorimachi). Nodate-san was one of the persons who were captured by black moon organization and from here the story became interesting. Become the police is to protect the public and not taking for granted the position. The last 2 episodes were the best and I really shock with the ending. Happy watching! You guys also will enjoy the act by Takeuchi Yutaka, he�fs so cute there. | | Reviewed by sevilla.aishiya on 28 August 2009 | | 3. | Great entertainment [Rating: 9/10]
One of these good comedies.
I compare it a little to Mr.BRAIN, as a typical jdorama-ization of an American concept, in this case the CSI series. Just like Mr. BRAIN, under Japanese hands, the concept becomes more of a comedy, but structured also around cases that the heroes have to solve.
The cases make sense, the comedy is good, the cast perfect (kudos to Amami Yuki for her comedic talent), the character development well done, the pace is fast and keeps you hungry for more, and most episodes will feature an interesting twist toward the end, adding some spice to it. Even the filming is modern and interesting.
All in all, a very good time to spend in front of the TV! Can't wait for Season 2! | | Reviewed by Jackykero on 24 April 2010 | | 4. | not perfect but [Rating: 10/10]
it's the most fun I've had watching a Japanese police drama, not to say I don't like them, but this one was fun. Everyone was very good to great especially Yutaka Takenouchi, it's a shame he didn't get more screen time, and Yuki Amami, I had never seen her before but now I'm a big fan. I agree the last two episodes were the best were Yutaka was made out to the vilan was surprising because it didn't make sence if he was the bad guy and he thought she was incapable when he picked her to lead the unit wouldn't he have disposed of her when he found out she was very capable? | | Reviewed by Sajen16 on 12 October 2010 | | 5. | Enjoyable [Rating: 7/10]
Having watched them almost one after the other, I can't help comparing this dorama to "Unfair" (particularly since they're both cop-shows with a female lead) and imho "Boss" wins hands down: not only the main character is much better (somebody with brains instead of a female "Dirty Harry"), but also the supporting cast is quite good, the plots are much better and the constant humour makes it much more enjoyable (all this imho of course).
I didn't have many expectations but I ended up unexpectedly liking it. | | Reviewed by pash on 12 August 2011 | | 6. | Pretty decent [Rating: 8/10]
A cut above most of the crap these days that pose as dramas. I was surprised with some decent character development and Amami Yuki really pulls the rest of the cast through this very well. Some things still don't make sense and that's mainly what prevents me from giving this a 9/10 but it certainly has some commendable points. Would not mind seeing another drama like this! | | Reviewed by Shindou on 5 November 2009 | | 7. | One of e best so far!!!!!! [Rating: 8/10]
I'm very very new to watchin jdorama(less than a month) n tis is recommended by 3 friends. Well, its worth e praise. Boss makes me fall in love with Yuki Amami. N dun forget e stellar cast. The best jdorama yet. | | Reviewed by acit on 19 February 2010 | | 8. | Great story! [Rating: ?/10]
A product of great thinking. Interesting criminal cases. Genuine! The casts are great especially Amami Yuki as the BOSS. I heard there's BOSS part 2 coming up. I do hope so. | | Reviewed by japanmylove on 3 April 2010 | | 9. | my fav drama [Rating: 9/10]
i like the ending so much.. | | Reviewed by harni on 30 May 2010 | | 10. | Good [Rating: 8/10]
Good dorama | | Reviewed by ester_grace on 13 November 2010 |
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| Comments From Users (79) |
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!!WARNING!!
This section may contain spoilers! Do not proceed if you
do not want to read about this drama's endings and plots!
| | 1. | Comments by pinkokoro [Rating: 8/10]
love the veterans. I've always been impressed with Amami Yuki. And Yutaka has been one of my favourite actors. I need a break from the young'ins' dramas and enjoy those stars who shines back then in the 'pevious generation'. The earlier episodes however wer not up to my expectation since I expected lots from the combination between Amami Yuki and Yutaka but was given with few lame episodes which forced audiences to believe in the superiority of Eriko's (Yuki) character when I was not convinced for a bit. They are not really 'WOW' afterall. But then I somehow fairly enjoy the injected comedy, and was amused by Nodate's (yutaka) weird character. And what have been making me rate this an 8 has lots to do with ep7/8 onward because it was even funnier because of the characters and interaction of the crime-sumthing-section's members. And the case has also gotten pretty interesting towards the end. it's not an overall good story, but the few last episodes make it up for me. oh yes the shooting style, cinematography is very interesting. caught my attention really. | | 2. | Comments by Sorata [Rating: 7/10]
This was an ok dorama, nothing outstanding but nothing really bad at the same time.
The acting was average and the same to the plot; some episodes were better than others, specially 9 and 4-5, those 3 were really great.
Episodes 4-5 were so intense and Yamada Takayuki really brought his A game for the episode 5, the guy just rocks; episode 9 was good too, the plot was a lot like Fight Club but still good.
The female main characters, Eriko(Amami Yuki) and Kimoto(Toda Erika), were really annoying, i love both actress�Ls but i really can�Lt stand their characters in this, they were never funny and when they tried to be serious they failed big time(specialy Kimoto).
I�Lm a guy but i have to say that i enjoyed the male characters much more, all of them even Hanagata(Mizobata Junpei). Yamamura(Nukumizu Youichi), the gay one(can�Lt remember his name and Nodate(Takenouchi Yutaka) allways cracked me up, really funny characters, they made Boss much more enjoyable.
I rate this a 7 because i was entertained, but episodes 4, 5 and 9 deserve more than 7. | | 3. | Comments by dira [Rating: 10/10]
I saw BOSS dvd with 50% off during my visit to my favourite japanese dvd shop. I read the synopsis and the casting, hmmm...I bought it and give it a try. Never heard about this dorama from my friends who love jdorama, but after watching it for 2 episodes, I totally love this dorama and spread the news to my fellow jdorama friends..Amami Yuki looks so charismatic and kakkoi here and she is the BOSS of the weird detective team. At first, the team is falling apart but the BOSS try to build their relationship from one episodes to another! The crime scenes and cases they have to solve is ery compicated and keep me guessing uneasy..As a thriller jdorama fan, I really enjoyed this dorama so much and BOSS is my favourite dorama of the year, 2009! The storyline is great, suspense and sometimes funny while the casting is superb. | | 4. | Comments by Jeanxi [Rating: 7/10]
Old theme with a new twist. I like the cast and shooting style more than the story, though I applaud the story for having a mix of suspense and humor to keep things somewhat interesting but still lighthearted. The storyline kept on getting more and more cliche and cheesy, but episode 10 brought a new twist that really came out of no where and took me by surprise. I thought it was going to have a dramatic ending based on what happened in episode 10, but the ending turned out to be hilarious, which I think goes along better with the rhythm and flow of the entire dorama. So the surprising ending plus the appearance of Sorimachi Takeshi in episodes 10 and 11 made it semi-worthwhile to watch the entire show for me. Love the Beach Boys reunion!!! ^^ | | 5. | Comments by NaomiMaeda [Rating: 10/10]
Since I'm fond of detective dramas this one was a piece of cake for me. Yup, really good. I liked absolutely everything here. Plot was really interesting: it had awesome cases and great funny scenes. Actors were good too. Amami Yuki and Takenouchi Yutaka had good chemistry and I always loved when they fighted. I also liked Amami and Kichise's fights. These ones were mentally cruel. Of course, Toda Erika was awesome as Kimoto. Without mentioning that she was way too cute, she always fits in detective roles perfectly. And also, Tamayama and Mizobata. Two candies of the drama. I'm not that type of girl who faints watching dramas with good looking guys but these two are really something. | | 6. | Comments by aiscess [Rating: 9/10]
The highlight of the series for me was the interrogation scenes and their play-acting, that scene on episode 1 triggered my interest and curiosity for the next episodes. The idea of having different types of people work together is nothing new but having a boss like Osawa Eriko who is an excellent detective to command them and has many tricks up on her sleeves really stole the show not to mention Takenouchi Yutaka�fs weird character. The many twists and turn of events makes this series fun and at the same time hilarious, and I must say that the ending really did surprised me though I was hoping that it would eventually turn out that way because I don't want to hate *that character*. | | 7. | Comments by Jackykero [Rating: 9/10]
One of these good comedies.
I compare it a little to Mr.BRAIN, as a typical jdorama-ization of an American concept, in this case the CSI series. Just like Mr. BRAIN, under Japanese hands, the concept becomes more of a comedy, but structured also around cases that the heroes have to solve.
The cases make sense, the comedy is good, the cast perfect (kudos to Amami Yuki for her comedic talent), the character development well done, the pace is fast and keeps you hungry for more. Even the filming is modern and interesting.
All in all, a very good time to spend in front of the TV! Can't wait for Season 2! | | 8. | Comments by Susan [Rating: 7/10]
This was overall a fun series with a great cast. The episodes were fairly suspenseful with a good amount of comedy, though the series lacked firm character development as a whole. Even the great group of actors in this series weren't able to do much with characters that didn't seem "finished." The ending was too melodramatic (and painfully unrealistic at times) for my tastes. As a matter of fact, the entire series had a "cops and robbers" feel to it. The series has definite entertainment value, but it doesn't go much beyond that. | | 9. | Comments by dreamer10231 [Rating: 9/10]
i'm not into detective and etc but this looks nice esp that amami is in it and also tamayama...the story is nice esp. the humor is great...in fact, i've been laughing out loud on some parts of this...i would've given this a ten but there are episodes that i thought should've been presented in a different way to increase the curiosity....but the last episode, it's really funny...i kinda expected it that way like the sign but at the same time i like the way it was presented...would've love a to have a season 2 for this drama... | | 10. | Comments by pash [Rating: 7/10]
Having watched them almost one after the other, I couldn't help comparing this dorama to "Unfair" (particularly since they're both cop-shows with a female lead) and imho "Boss" wins hands down: not only is the main character much better (somebody with brains instead of a female "Dirty Harry"), but also the supporting cast is quite good, the plots make some sense and the constant humor makes it much more enjoyable (all this imho of course). I didn't have many expectations but I ended up unexpectedly liking it. | | 11. | Comments by EstherM [Rating: 4/10]
Star power (in a good way not in a Smap dude way) + mystery + style = excellent drama??? Wrong! What a wasted opportunity - somebody shoot the scriptwriter and the people who greenlighted this. It probably deserves a 6 but I am particularly harsh as most of the actors have quite good to excellent dramas under their belt so the disappointment is double. Triple if you think of how successful this bland police drama was. This season's Rinjo is not flawless, but much better! | | 12. | Comments by outlaws0025 [Rating: 7/10]
Nice dorama with lots of good acting and many famous cameos. The story was pretty average tho, and to me it doesn't beat "Tokyo Dogs" and "Mr. Brain" when it comes to best crime/detective dorama of the year.
Even with the not so extremely renewing story it still manage to capture me with a funny dialog and, as I said before, some great cameos! For example Takeda Tetsuya, Yamada Takayuki and my personal favorite actor Sorimachi Takashi! | | 13. | Comments by temmahkrik [Rating: 8/10]
I enjoyed this drama much more than I expected to. I only ordered it because I really liked Yuki Amami in Around 40. Police dramas aren't normally my thing, but I'm glad I watched this one. I especially enjoyed the fact that the last episode brought in elements from the first. That's pretty rare in a lot of the drama I've watched. I do recommend this. It's a good mix of funny and serious, and Amami-san is wonderful, as always. | | 14. | Comments by sasukekun6 [Rating: 9/10]
Really addicting and awesome drama. I'm looking forward to the next season. I'm obviously late in getting there (just finished this April 2013) so at least I don't have as much of a wait as everyone else who watched as it was airing. I really liked the main cast and the episode characters were also really really incredibly good. So many amazing cameos. And also, this role was pretty much perfect for Takenouchi Yutaka. | | 15. | Comments by SayaOtonashi [Rating: 9/10]
I just loved watching this series! Cases are great and with really good twists. True, there's not much character development, but this dorama focuses on Boss' work and the cases. Character development is only suitable for a longer series. Loved the production, how scenes where recorded and the photo thing at the beginning of each episode. Last episode was too predictable, but I'm looking forward watching BOSS 2! | | 16. | Comments by Shindou [Rating: 8/10]
Amami Yuki really pulls this drama and the cast together. While there are a number of things that don't really make sense in this drama, the episodes go by and you get rather entertained by the stories. Probably could have developed a bit more both with the character development and with the plots but certainly not a bad job. | | 17. | Comments by docalion [Rating: 10/10]
Unexpectedly great! After losing hope of finding worth watching jdoramas, I stumble upon this one and tried seeing it. And i can't believe this is really great! Amami Yuki is surely superb! She's really the Queen not only in the classroom but also in Police Force!! Try this one!! Superrrrrrrrr Recommmmmmmended! | | 18. | Comments by Nermal [Rating: 9/10]
My favorite of the Spring season this year. Turned out to be a very fun yet suspenseful drama. The cast was brilliant, the cases were intriguing, the guests were excellent (Yamada Takayuki for 2 whole episodes?! Weehee!) and seriously overall the making of it is also very well rounded. 2 thumbs up! | | 19. | Comments by donna8157 [Rating: 9/10]
I really enjoyed this series. The entire group of people in the Crime Unit work great together and have great on screen chemistry. They're funny and quirky and everything else. It's worth watching and I think it's one of the best detective drama series this year (and there have been a lot.) | | 20. | Comments by nadrika [Rating: ?/10]
DVD is already available in Malaysia!!! That's FAST!!! Making me VERY IMPATIENT to get my copy....[13 July 2009]
DVD is already available in Singapore!!! But i'm NOT going to buy it here. JB here i come!!! ...soon...VERY SOON [25 July 2009]
BOUGHT DVD SET!!! [15 Aug 2009] | | 21. | Comments by d0npian0 [Rating: 8/10]
At times I thought everyone was trying too hard to make it look cool, so at times I found it hard to take serious. I did love the cast and the characters' funnier moments though and I have a soft spot for detective dramas in general, so it's still an 8 for me. | | 22. | Comments by zenith777 [Rating: 8/10]
Crime story, the flow is similar with puzzle there will be one smart onna that solve every cases... Shida Mirai acts pretty good although just for one episode... I didn't expect the ending like that lol.... I've just tricked by the story and ending parts :P | | 23. | Comments by nickylynn [Rating: 7/10]
The last 3 episodes were really good. Wish Takenouchi Yutaka was in it more. His character was fun and he done it well. It was fun to see Sorimachi Takashi in the last 2 episodes...he looked so cool. ;) The cast had some moments that were really amusing. | | 24. | Comments by Oba-chan [Rating: 8/10]
Dissapointed, everything was predictable.
But thanks to episode 4, 5, 10 and 11 make me enjoy this series. The story wasn't that bad.
I agree with review from Sakebitosan, but not the score..hehe
Soundtrack: Best of My Life [superfly] : 8 | | 25. | Comments by sable_starr [Rating: 9/10]
All the characters in this drama were so fun and amazing. I love Osawa Eriko. She's possibly the most kickass female character ever. Wish the cases in the beginning were a bit more entertaining/interesting though. | | 26. | Comments by compaqmac321 [Rating: 6/10]
they come up with the most fantastic ways to make her look like the great hero detective.......i didnt buy it at all....there was a good cast......but other than that, i wasnt much a fan of this show at all... | | 27. | Comments by gaijinmark [Rating: 7/10]
The last three episodes were some of the best in any drama, if the rest of the drama were this good, I'd have given this a 9. Unfortunately, the first eight episodes are so lame, it gets a charitable 7. | | 28. | Comments by ryouji [Rating: 10/10]
this drama had a great amount of comedy, drama and suspence!! it was so great.. the cast was great too!! overall this was a very good drama.. the last two episodes was very good!! WORTH WATCHING :D | | 29. | Comments by chibichan [Rating: 9/10]
Always a fan of Amami Yuki, the story of her as the boss of bunch of unwanted detectives but in the end they are make the turn and become the great team. The story and the casts are great... | | 30. | Comments by strawberryfzz [Rating: 8/10]
Some episodes were a lot better than others. Shiida Mirai, Namase, and the last episode were my favorites. I loved the chemistry between the main cast and Amami Yuki can never do wrong. |
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BOSS Season 2
