Friday, November 09, 2012
Double Face - Gisou Keisatsu-hen
Coming into this series, I was afraid that they would infuse Infernal Affairs with all the Odoro Daisasousen cliches that that plague so many Japanese cop shows; the inability to go dark and serious while trying to much too look cool and ending up looking fake. The first Double Face was a great copy of the first half of Infernal Affairs and I was very much looking forward to part 2 because it was going to add a lot of extra stuff to the story.
I like the set from the first scene. Looks great. Too much water but can't fault the effort. Takayama's first meeting with Kita Yoshio. This is when I stopped seeing Takayama as a copy of the Andy Lau character.
We need a WOWOW dorama with Kita Yoshio as a scheming godfather character. The guy can act, its just he's overexposed with so many bit parts and he definitely needs to be the lead actor in his own dorama. That's why I know him as Kita Yoshio, cause it was the one time he's not playing a random supporting role. Also take note the line from this scene. :)
I like the Aoi Yu character because she serves as a mirror for Takayama and a spark in his life. Also explains why they did not do they flashback for Takayama and Moriya at the police academy. Its less about contrasting the two undercover dudes and more about their separate situations.
Can't wait for Ryu ga gotoku 5!!!! One more month!!!!
Bloody exciting scene when the two moles make contact. I like the comic book panel effect.
At this point I was fearing the jdorama cliche of a long debate.
Then Takayama says this killer line. Nice, I like that its different from Infernal Affairs and echoes Kita Yoshio's words.
The iconic rooftop scene from Infernal Affairs.
There's something about Japanese women and mourning clothes that make them twice as attractive. :)
I was worried they would change the ending and luckily they added something at the end. I like it because it ties into the Cantonese title of Infernal Affairs which refers to the lowest level of hell.
Great job by TBS and WOWOW. No idea what the ratings were but I want to see more of this and less Ueto Aya trying to pretend to be a policewoman. Must watch.
Have you considered watching these dramas with subtitles off? With the volume of Japanese you're exposed to, you'd be fluent in no time. Just a thought. Anyway, I like your blog. And your style. And your moves.
ReplyDeleteStay homeless,
-Matt
I prefer to watch with Japanese subtitles and most of my Japanese studying is from playing games but listening/reading and speaking are two different skills IMO cause you don't need to know grammar well when listening/reading.
ReplyDeleteBeen following your blog for awhile now and and just wanted to say thanks for all your recommends. My wife, who's Japanese always asks how I figure out which shows to D/L and I tell her there's this double-perv named blog that I follow. :-D
ReplyDeleteWe both absolutely loved Double Face and comparing it to Infernal Affairs. I thought the actor playing Takayama was a bit too old when compared to Andy Lau (who apparently never ages as he still looks pretty much the same as he did 15-20 yrs ago).
I got a good kick out of the big stereo equipment in Takayama's apartment as an homage to the original version where the Andy Lau & Tony Leung characters first meet in the audio shop.
Sorry to hear about your drive dying and all. Have you tried to run it through any recovery software?
Thanks for reading my ramblings. Andy Lau is probably the same age as the Takayama actor lol.
ReplyDeleteThe HD won't even spin so I don't think recovery software can work. Got most of my old stuff that I want to keep back. Nearly maxed out my monthly 300 gig limit!