J-drama ● Review: Invisible
English Title: Invisible
Japanese Title: インビジブル
Director(s): Katayama Shinzo
Screenwriter(s): Izumi Yoshihiro
Studio: TBS
Released: 2022
Runtime: 8 episodes, ~45m
Starring: Takahashi Issei, Shibasaki Ko, Kiritani Kenta, Itagaki Rihito, Arioka Daiki
Shimura Takafumi (Takahashi Issei) is a detective who doesn’t mind bending the rules to catch the bad guys. Another stereotypical aspect of his character is that he has so far failed to catch the one who killed his junior detective partner three years earlier.
One day, there is an explosion in public followed by a mysterious figure hijacking the airwaves to announce that they want Shimura in exchange to stop the next explosion.
If one thinks this figure will remain mysterious for a little while at least and simply contacts Shimura remotely with a bit of hide-and-seek, then one will be disappointed. The figure (Shibasaki Ko) not only reveals herself in person to Shimura in the first episode but actually hands herself over to the police in exchange for information to help them.
She is, of course, to be treated as a VIP and presumably has her own agenda, so let’s go with that… Somehow, she knows a lot about criminals and their activities—which, to be fair, there is a reason for this—but the first half of the series is just her being Miss Exposition & Clue Giver, telling the Shimura where to look and solve cold cases. In other words, it is somewhat episodic.
This wouldn’t been so clumsy if she didn’t also reveal herself to be “Invisible” to just about everyone she comes across. Up until now, Invisible has been an urban legend, a powerful figure who coordinates criminals to execute whatever conspiracy they have in mind. And here we are with a villain/anti-hero who reveals herself to just about everyone she meets.
Anyway, there are predictably bigger problems that are nonetheless connected to the murder of Shimura’s partner. Shimura is willing to work with Invisible, even if it’s just for his partner’s murder, but his superiors get in his way. The plot follows their journey as they struggle against each other and whatever other forces are out there.
The police are generally presented as ridiculously incompetent—they don’t even know how to cover exits to catch someone—and then there is, more understandably, rules and procedures. This is obviously to generate conflict with Shimura and presumably a criticism of Japanese stubbornness towards authority and bureaucracy. The first is necessary and the second understandable but it is so clumsily handled it is cheese.
The series is in many respects B-grade cheese: villain(s) giving speeches about what their plans are, really bad action sequences, excessively upbeat and tacky soundtrack, predictable twists, just to mention a few things. To be fair, it is probably not worse than a typical J-drama.
The cast does their best given the script. Initially, the performances are tacky too but good actors settle into the role as the series progresses, so at least there’s that. Despite all the laughable problems, it is strangely amusing.
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