As we all know, Japanese drama has a wide range of genres particularly in the field of work. There are Japanese dramas about editors, bankers, psychologists, and so on. But this time I'll be reviewing Japanese drama about an author who happens to be a firefighter. Hayabusa Shobodan is a nine-episode drama series based on Jun Ikeido's novel of the same title. With mystery drama as the major genre and the actors, I have high hopes for this drama.
Mima Taro (Tomoya Nakamura) is a mystery writer who has hit a slump. He decided moves into the abandoned house in the mountainous Hayabusa that he inherited from his late father. Mima Taro is drawn to the surroundings of Hayabusa and begins his new life there. He attends a drinking party one day and meets a Hayabusa resident who invites Taro Mima to join the volunteer fire brigade. Long story short, he becomes entangled in a series of arson cases and suspicious situations after joining the fire brigade. As Mima Taro seeks for the truth, a massive conspiracy emerges. I can't tell much about the plot but all I can say the mystery in Hayabusa is not only about an arsonist, but also about a cult.
Now let's talk about the mystery and intrigue. In my opinion, hey deliver quite well. The pacing is quite slow, with filler here and there before they focus to solve the case. With that pace, they take the time to explore each character and make everyone suspicious. With the exploration and the leisurely pace, it keeps me intrigued and guessing who the arsonist is and what happened in Hayabusa. Not to mention the unexpected twists and turns that added to the plot's richness. The mystery itself is not heavy despite the fact that it becomes deeper with each episode because there are comedic elements to balance it out and comedy and humorous moments are excellent in keeping it from being too dark or gloomy while yet enhancing the entire viewing experience without detracting from the mystery.
Even if you are a casual Japanese drama viewer, you may know some of the actors in this drama. Besides Nakamura Tomoya as Mima Taro, there is Mitsushima Shinnosuke as Fujimoto Kansuke, Okabe Takashi as Tokuda Shogo, Hashimoto Jun as Miyahara Ikuo, and Namase Katsuhisa as Yamahara Kensaku. They are all members of Hayabusa's fire brigade, as is Mima Taro. Their synergy as a group or individually stands out and they carry the comedy. There's also Kawaguchi Haruna as Tachiki Aya, who close by the time with Mima Taro yet her background or whatever she does appears suspect and I think her perfomance really standout as a mysterious yet open with others. Her connection with Tomoya is pretty good, their expressions alone convey a wide range of emotions. There is no lack of acting from the entire cast, including the extras.
I'd want to highlight the writing and dialogue. I don't have any issues with the dialogue, I believe the actor did an excellent job of conveying the message through dialogue. All of the jokes and humor are well-executed, and they can maintain a good balance between suspenseful moments and comedic relief. My issue is with how the ending was carried out. They had good progress and development in each episode but I don't think they executed it properly in the last one. For me, it feels rushed and simple in comparison to how hard the case appears. I believe this is due to the fact that I compared how they wrapped things up in the drama to how it would be in real life.
Overall, Hayabusa Shobadan is enjoyable to watch since it expertly blends mystery with comedy. The entire cast does an excellent job at depicting the role. However, I believe the writing should have been enhanced particularly the ending. This drama gets a 7.5 out of 10 from me.
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