On Lethe’s banks, wading in
And he said, “Before I forget…”
Readers of my Tumblr will have gathered that I have fallen a little in love with two Japanese dramas: Keizoku (1999) and its sequel-of-sorts, Keizoku 2: SPEC (2010). Two dramas that can be watched apart, but make so much sense when put together.
The parallels are obvious - both touch on what a memory is, and what they mean to each of us as individuals. Do we own memories, or are they shared thing? Can they be manipulated? Are we better off not knowing? Is asking all of these questions going to drive you nuts but in a good way?! (yes.) Both shows deal with PTSD, with revenge as catharsis, with what it means to be a “good” and a “bad” person (and the light and shadow between the two). And, perhaps most importantly, both shows chart how broken people can heal each other, and how hard it can be to tell the difference between the right and wrong way to be.
They’re both about partners, special abilities, the supernatural, the b-characters, the twists, the turns, the gyoza, the kick-ass ladies, the stoic more-than-meets-the-eye gents, ABBA, bed pillows with famous physicists on them, red sheep, cameo necklaces, white socks, brown paper bags and red suitcases.
To be frank - there isn’t an easier way to tell you to watch Keizoku & SPEC other than: watch Keizoku and SPEC.
Watch for all those reasons I listed above - but mainly, watch it for Toma, Sebumi, Mayama and Shibata. Two sets of partners that came out of nowhere to surprise me and make me fall head-first into a mindfuck of shared dream states, jars of crackers and the best chemistry I’ve seen in a dorama procedural yet.
If I could offer a money back guarantee, I would - but just watch them, okay? Watch them, then come over and throw theories at me, because damn.
Team Keizoku, go go go!
