Time Spiral (2014)

The idea of being able to move along different points in time, of having the ability to change untoward events and prevent the loss of a loved-one are just some of the possibilities associated with the concept of time travel. Time Spiral  builds on the same premise that maybe the past is not etched in stone and conceives of a situation where one man tries to alter events yet finds himself unable to change the fate of another person. The series actually possesses an interesting treatise on destiny and free will subsumed by its portend mystery and drama. The problem, however, is that it reaches this conclusion in a rather oblique way. Of course, it doesn't help that the whole cast appear to be totally in the dark about where the story is headed---which accounts for extremely odd and mismatched acting choices.

The genre in itself requires a measure of good will and suspension of disbelief, and more often than not, in the absence of logic or clarity, its saving grace lies in the story's ability to capture the imagination and/or evoke an emotional response. Time Spiral  fails on both counts. Based on a web novel by Mizumori Eren, the cause for this drama's disorganized state is due either to a weak source material or a weak adaptation of the said material. Sluggish and mostly confusing, it can be described as a sci-fi fantasy series with a dollop of romance, even though the latter may not instantly be apparent or even convincing in the long run.

The series utilizes two narrative threads to track the movement of its two main characters, highlighting their various encounters with each other. It shuttles back and forth from 1999 to the present (2014), to the year 2020.

Aizawa Natsuki (Kuroki Meisa) is a graduate student in physics who tends to have debilitating anxiety attacks as a result of a childhood trauma. By her side is Yuki Kentaro (Hiraoko Yuta), a childhood friend who always comes to her aid and is highly protective of her. Ready to take care of Natsuki for the rest of his life, Kentaro decides to propose marriage to her but the same is foiled by an enigmatic stranger (Gackt), who aggressively pursues and lays claim to the former. The said stranger is revealed early on as a time traveler. He is shown to have the capability to weave his way through time, going back and forth into the past and the future, trying to retrace his steps. His purpose is shrouded in mystery but he appears to be continuously working on changing the past, expecting a different outcome for the future. Unfortunately, all his meddling has brought about is a chain of consequences---none of which has led him closer to achieving his desired objective. This time around, he's fairly convinced that the answer lies with Aizawa Natsuki. 

Who is he? How is he connected to Natsuki? What are his intentions and how does she figure into his plans? More importantly, how does he travel through time? As a viewer, one can't help but come up with a barrage of questions at the onset of the series. The show just takes too many things for granted without even attempting to provide an explanation, plausible or otherwise. What's equally unsettling is that it doesn't subscribe to a particular canon nor attempt to supply a set of rules even though it touches on topics such as special relativity, the twin paradox and the non-linear theory of time.

The central premise of accidentally creating a snag in the timeline shows a hint of brilliance but the process or logic which leads the characters to this conclusion is clearly absent in its eight-episode run. Furthermore, the impetus for all these attempts to introduce changes to the timeline is so weakly portrayed that viewers will not be wholly inclined to root for it. On the upside, Time Spiral has two interesting scenarios to offer as a consequence of the main character's intervention. The kidnapping incident and the rigged clinical testing of a trial drug offer sufficient points of interest in contrast to the overarching love conundrum that is the show's primary focus. It could have certainly done away with Gackt's theatrical leering and his vain display of ear piercings, both of which---provide no further insight into how a professor of architecture devised a formula to travel through time.

From the phoned in performances of Kuroki Meisa and Hiraoko Yuta to Gackt's creepy attempts at seduction, the series never manages to hurdle its preposterous assertions long enough to appeal to the human emotion. There are better time travel dramas out there.  

RATING: 
UNSETTLING ABSENCE OF RULES ON TIME TRAVEL
LAUGHABLE, VAPID ATTEMPTS TO ALTER THE TIMELINE 
POOR ACTING CHOICES
GACKT PLAYING GACKT

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Olympic no Minoshirokin

Set against a backdrop of rapid urban development and socio-political upheaval, Olympic no Minoshirokin is a fictional account of the metropolitan police department's efforts to stop a dissident from sabotaging the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Based on a novel by Okuda Hideo, the drama special is basically a systematic chronicle of the 56-day investigation conducted by its lead detective which spares no effort in recounting how events and characters directly and/or indirectly contributed to the efforts of one man to hold an international sporting event hostage.

Olympic no Minoshirokin benefits from the sheer draw of its star-studded cast but is nevertheless bogged down by its slow depiction of events which is an unavoidable result of its attempt to give justice to the source material. And while its period setting may provide fertile ground to thresh out back stories and exhibit scenic vistas in contrast to civic growth and development, the main premise carries with it a primary weakness in that the declared threat that would fuel the suspense and mystery is actually inconsequential and fruitless. It does eventually give chase and provide a modicum of action, but it seems more interested in being a meditation on progress and the inequitable distribution of wealth in post-war Japan.

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The year is 1964, the whole nation waits in anticipation of an international event that would show off Japan as a modern industrialized country to the world, having proudly risen from the ashes of war to emerge as a superpower. However, in the midst of preparations for the upcoming Olympics, two explosions rock the capital and place the metropolitan police on high alert.

The two incidents are claimed to be the act of terrorist bomber, Soka Jiro, but forensic analysis of the ransom notes left at the scene reveal it to have been done by a different perpetrator. In order not to alarm the public, the bombings are declared to be unrelated accidents caused by a gas leak. When the culprit declares his intention to disrupt the opening ceremony for the Olympics, Detective Ochiai Masao (Takenouchi Yutaka) and his squad are called upon to attend to the case discreetly.

From hereon, the drama special follows the pattern of a typical detective story wherein Ochiai gathers individual testimonies and conducts background checks in order to establish the means, motive and opportunity for the commission of the crime. The results of the initial inquiry identifies three suspects---the rakish son (Hayami Mokomichi) of the Police Commissioner whom eye-witness reports have placed to be in the vicinity of the first explosion; a leftist student leader activist (Kiritani Kenta) who's had his own brush with the law; and an unassuming student (Kenichi Matsuyama) serving as a blue-collar worker at a gunpowder factory, where 25 sticks of dynamite used for construction were reported missing. To further complicate matters, the detective's sister, Yumi (Kuroki Meisa), is not only connected to all three, but likewise appears to be personally involved with the primary suspect.

Of course, it doesn't take the viewers long to figure out who's behind the bombings. The drama special is not so much concerned with identifying who the perpetrator is, but instead spends considerable time explaining how the infractions were committed and why. As such, the show's strong suit can be summed up to include the methodical way in which the elements of the crime are presented and the compelling interplay of characters that brought about the situation at hand. The production can also boast of  excellent set designs and bucolic shooting locales on top of having a constellation of actors in '60s period garb to replicate the mood and mindset of the nation.

But looking past its aesthetic components, Olympic no Minoshirokin is impaired by its own plot. For instance, it doesn't make sense for Ochiai to let his sister cavort with a known fugitive. His stubborn refusal to consider Yumi a lead when the stakes are high and the danger imminent just served to prolong the manhunt when the show could have done away with a little less than its 4-hour runtime. What's more, since the incendiary device used is so rudimentary, the scenes to deactivate the same turned out to be so unimpressive and clumsy that any person could have dispatched it. But what really hampers the enjoyment of this drama special is that the bomber, which is painted as an anti-hero, is rightfully given sufficient reason to rebel but the scheme employed to express his dissatisfaction with the system is something which is difficult to empathize with. No amount of emotional or moral persuasion will allow viewers to condone it. It is destined to fail. So while the cause is just and the perpetrator resolute---the plan to hold the summer Olympics for ransom makes this show's ending a foregone conclusion.

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