Final review of Umizaru

Review of Umizaru

Average ratings of 13.12% which is considered average at best. Given the amount of money spent on the scenes underwater and the rescue operations at sea, I don't think the ratings are acceptable. I see the amount of effort put in by the staff and cast but sadly, it didn't translate into something quantitative for them.

It's the first time that I get to see a cinematic budget for a drama. Just look at the helicopters, ships, capsized boats, diving equipment etc throughout the drama and we can only imagine how big the budget is as compared to other dramas. Even hiring a full cast of A-listers might not even cost that much. I'm very impressed with the action scenes at sea especially in Ep 6, 7 and 8 where there's the shooting of the intruder ship and the episode where Ikezawa was shot by the pirates. I felt that the buildup of the tension was very well-done and since both incidents were kind of related i.e. dealing with armed enemies, the impact was much greater and memorable. Most of the time, the action scenes make me very hyped up and excited.

Actually, due to the drama being the second instalment under the Umizaru series, you might need to watch the movie first before you can understand some of the references to the past events. And it seems like they have already started with the filming of Umizaru 2 the movie where there's a short trailer shown at the final episode with some footage from it. The movie will be the conclusion of this series so you can see that the drama didn't have a proper ending as to where Senzaki is posted to. According to what I've seen in that trailer, the setting of the movie is on a cruise where they are trying to evacuate the passengers. Kanna also happens to be there when she sees Senzaki and she is even wearing a wedding gown in one of the scenes. In the end, the cruise blows up in where I assume to be Tokyo Bay judging from the surrounding scenery but it's at night so I'm not too sure. Anyway, we'll find out about this when the movie is shown in cinemas from 6 May 2006.

As for the plot itself, I feel that the emotional scenes tend to pale in comparison as compared to the action parts. Somehow, you get the feeling that the description of the feelings are merely superficial where I just don't feel convinced by some of the messages they are trying to convey. Maybe that's why the drama could have done better in terms of ratings if the softer aspect of the plot had been presented in a more engaging way.

Talking about the cast, let me rave about my personal favourites. Top of the list would be Nakamura Toru as Ikezawa Masaki. Besides his great build, I guess his acting stands out among the cast as he was supposed to be a cool guy from the start but gradually showed his emotions towards the end. The transition due to opening up to Senzaki was very natural and he can manage being funny yet serious at the same time. Another person worth mentioning would be Tokito Saburo as Shimokawa and you get the feel that he's a natural leader with that charismatic touch. When seeing the softer side of him in the presence of his daughter, it's also natural enough to convince you that the two different traits belong to the same person.

As for the lead actor Ito Hideaki, I think he's fine but I tend to dislike overly-passionate type of characters especially guys in dramas. Somehow, I do get the feeling that he's over-acting in some scenes which get emotional and this makes the character feel unreal. Oh well, I know Senzaki is supposed to be some guy who's hyped up over things but the way he handles switching from happy to sad e.g. when Ikezawa died, gives me the feeling that everything is completed with a snap of the finger so I don't see the gradual change. Kato Ai is pretty good and I find that she's better than she was in the movie. I guess the drama gave her more room to develop her role as Kanna and she showed the apprehension and dilemma of the role clearly.

Last but not least, the theme song, Ocean by B'z is one of my favourites this season. Every time it plays in the background especially during emotional scenes, it fits the atmosphere perfectly. Quality performance from the duo and kudos to the producers for getting them to do the theme song.

Out of a score of 10, I would give it 8 points. The two points were deducted due to the emotional subplot which did not pack as much impact as the action scenes.