Garireo

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.

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.

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.

First you must suspend disbelief if you watch this show.

This is a quicky show with quirky characters and japanese sensibilities. It's very different from U. S. shows.

At first I thought "oh, the X-files" but it is not the x-files.

It is a series about a university physicist who assists a police detective with odd cases.

He's a curious, strange and odd character. Played by Fukuyama Masaharu he is also sexy and charming (in an odd way of course).

He doesn't care about solving cases per se. He's more interested in understanding the odd events that occur.

To that end in his lab at the university, along with his interns an research assistance, he does "experiments" which are in fact legit. He uses these to figure out how the crime is done.

There are two seasons and the female detective he works with changes between series 1 and 2.

The first series she is played by Kô Shibasaki and that actress becomes really quite excellent as the series progresses.

There is of course the unrequited love thing (no surprise) that she has for "the professor". He's oblivious. Or is he?

The plots are interesting and some, while better than others, are okay.

The second season detective is played by Yoriko Koshitaka and she's good but her character is much more annoying. Still, she's fun to watch and overall just like the first series, it's all entertaining.

I came to like the music for the ending credits. But a lot of the music played during the episodes is a little over the top. It's also way too loud.

I don't at all mind the subtitles but I do listen to the Japanese.

So I recommend this if you like quirky detective shows and are willing to take it as it is. Give it a few episodes.

BTW, the lead actor is apparently quite famous. He's a musician but he is, at least imho, very good in this. I worked in academia for many years and I met professors pretty much like him that have ADD and are clearly on the spectrum -- just sort of oblivious to everything other than what they are focused on.

So it's fun. It kept my interest and I watched all two seasons in a fair amount of time. It seems they might've made some movies after the second season but I don't see those are available on Netflix. Maybe some day...

I gave it a "9" instead of a "10" because, tbh, I did not like the last episode in series 2. Nothing "bad" happens but it was not what I expected. In addition, the female detective character in the second series is... well... let's just say she's not Olivia Benson.

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.