Galileo

I just started watching this on Netflix. I was pretty much out of options while waiting for Wednesday Season 2 to start. I figured, what the heck, I'll give it a go.

Boy was I surprised.

Not surprised in the way I was when Wednesday season 1 dropped and proved to be amazing. Not surprised in the way I was when I first watch Stranger Things season 1 and was blown away. No, this was more like "how much more stupid can this get in only 45 minutes?"

The premise is X-files meets Criminal Minds. Now if they had Mulder and Scully.... maybe it would work. Instead they have Abbott and Costello, and maybe the Keystone Cops. Things that are supposed to be BIG CLUES are glossed over minimally until the last moment... when they are presented as so obvious you should have noticed them... but didn't cause you were trying to follow the dialogue instead.

This show needs a complete overhaul. Like a complete engine remake. The only reason to even continue is to see just how bad it might become.

I'm only in season 1 right now.... there's 2 seasons... so I have to hope that it somehow gets better. I just hope that I don't die from boredom trying to get to the point where it does.

Well..what can I say...the concept seems familiar, kinda like Japanese version of "NUMB3RS" with bit of "manga-style" comic relief on it. A rookie detective Utsumi Kaoru(Shibasaki Kou)teams up with a genius physicist and university associate professor Yukawa Manabu(Fukuyama Masaharu)a.k.a Detective Galileo to solve mystery crimes. If you like serious American drama types like CSI then you probably won't like it, but it certainly does have some interesting concepts. This drama is based on Japanese mystery novelist Higashino Keigo's short novel "Tantei Garireo" & "Yochimu". This drama series contents 10 episodes, so it's pretty easy to finish up, unlike "NUMB3RS" that tends to drag too long with repetitive mathematical formulas and crap about "It's all about numbers" line.

I saw two episodes last night and unfortunately I am going to stop here because it just isn't that exciting or even interesting for me. Not even the cases and the scientific mysteries. The characters do not draw me in, although I am sure the actors are doing their best and acting as directed or as the J-drama style was at the time I guess. I love the lead actress' face, she was beautiful and I relished the time capsule of the 2000s. I also liked that they used minimal make-up on the actors and they have a natural tan or their natural skin colour instead of the unnatural white that is the beauty standard nowadays. It's odd but I feel that now an entirely new type of female face is in style in Japan and it's very different. I guess that's part of the nostalgia of all these older East Asian movies and dramas. The actors' skin tone was much more diverse and natural.

I have also watched Midsummer's Equation a few years ago and was very much underwhelmed by it so I guess that's it about this character and these types of stories. I frankly do not understand the hype.

Anyway, one thing I do not understand is how come Masaharu Fukuyama became much more attractive years later. I kept looking at him and wondering if it's the same guy.

They picked the best for the first episode and that is a shame as it sets such a high standard. Then it seems to went downhill a bit - albeit not a steep curve.

The genre is crime. Each episode shows a difficult case that police encounters and needs the help of a physics professor. Most involve some scientific explanation - not necessary physics related. Actually formulaic in some sense but above average. But the last 2 episode seems like the writer ran out of ideas and drop the details of the science. And that's a bit disappointing.

As even with shows like Aboui(sp)cop team, it is very consistent quality (but somewhat too consistent). So do you like consistency to a point of almost routinely boring or roller coaster ride that when on the lows, can be really pedestrian ??? But see Gonzo and you can't compare. If Gonzo is a 9 then this is a 7. Most others in the genre are 6 or 5.

First things first, this is not a Japanese Numb3rs. The main similarity is the professor- crime solving genius who goes off on tangents and starts scribbling down formulas to help solve the crimes. In Galileo the professor is a physicist who begrudgingly aids a very attractive policewoman in her investigations. All the episodes are good, but episode 1 is excellent. There is great chemistry between the 2 leads, the physicist and policewoman. This show is superior to Numb3rs for several reasons. The plots of each show are novel and the physics is explained well. There are no nonsensical chase scenes. Highly recommended.