More Screencaps from Ryouko's Case Files 01
A woman with characteristic orange hair is standing alone on a field. Suddenly, she holds a gun to her head and shoots herself. A man wakes up to realize that it is all just a dream. He is Izumida Jun'ichiro, an investigator for the Tokyo Police, under the direct supervision of the beautiful and talented Counselor Yakushiji Ryouko.
Ryouko seems to have taken a liking for Izumida and likes to constantly pick on him and generally make him feel uncomfortable. She makes a big issue out of Izumida greeting other people good morning before her, for instance, and she also forces him to go shopping with her, calling him her personal bag-carrier.
On their way to the shopping district, however, Izumida and Ryouko's cab are stopped by heavy traffic. Just then, a man comes out of an alley and collapses right on the fender of their cab. The man seems to be suffering from some kind of ailment wherein his body becomes completely dehydrated. As he dies right in front of them, gas leaks out.
Later, while the police are investigating the matter, Ryouko notices a suspicious person in an alley. A short chase follows and Ryouko is able to grab hold of the person's collar. But the person manages to get away, disappearing inside a building. Before Ryouko could follow, security guards arrive and stop her. It turns out the building is private property, belonging to an ex-cabinet member.
Ryouko presents her credentials and tries to talk the owner of the building to let her in even without a warrant. Meanwhile, Izumida picks up a ring which the suspect dropped earlier. The owner finally relents after Ryouko makes short work of one of his guards who tries to attack her.
Later, Ryouko and Izumida are inspecting the directory of occupants of the building. They find out that the Quarantine Health Research has its headquarters there. Much later, Ryouko and Izumida are in the women's swimsuit apparel section of a shopping mall. Izumida looks positively humiliated as Ryouko forces him to give her his opinion about the most suitable swimsuit for her while at the same time quizzing him about the case.
Next, Ryouko goes for a swim at a public pool while waiting for information about the ring that Izumida collected. They then find out that the ring belongs to a member of a cult that worships the moon. A doctor acquaintance of theirs seems to have an extensive knowledge of cults so they next go to him for some clues. While there, Ryouko decides that her prime suspect is the Quarantine Health Research.
Meanwhile, a woman with white hair stands around, expostulating about stuff. She seems to know Ryouko.
Ryouko and Izumida finally make it back to the station. On the way, they are stopped by another inspector, who turns out to be the subordinate of Muromachi Yukiko, Ryouko's long-time rival.
Ryouko and Yukiko exchange insults while their subordinates debate about the wisdom of stopping their quarrel. And then, Yukiko's subordinate mentions something about a party. At the word, Ryouko asks Yukiko for confirmation. Yukiko, however, says that she has no obligation to tell Ryouko anything. Ryouko then comes to the conclusion that since Yukiko is denying it, then it must be true. And with that, she sashays inside the building.
That evening, Izumida dresses up in a tuxedo for the party. Ryouko calls him from the dressing room to give him the invitation cards, and then flirtily asks him to zip up her dress for her.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, the building owner is meeting with some suspicious-looking people, including the one that Ryouko chased earlier. The person turns out to be a woman, and a fanatic at that. Evil plans afoot.
The party turns out to be a snoozer. Ryouko and Izumida find themselves at a bar, waiting for something big to happen. While Ryouko sits boredly at the counter, Izumida steals glances at her. Finally noticing, Ryouko asks him what he has in mind. She seems disappointed to find that Izumida is only wondering what Ryouko's ideas are about the case.
The bartender passes Izumida a note, saying that a man asked him to give it. The note comes from Yukiko's subordinate. Ryouko seems pissed off by this but eventually lets Izumida go to meet Yukiko's subordinate. However, once at the basement, Izumida finds out that he has been led to a trap and Yukiko's subordinate is captured by the baddies. Thankfully, Izumida knows some killer moves and he quickly incapacitates his assailants. As he interrogates one of the baddies, he realizes that Ryouko might be the real person they're after.
Back in the bar, Ryouko is served a drink by a bartender, who turns out to be the woman from earlier. SFX: dun-dun-dun! Ryouko, however, seems plenty aware of the woman's suspicious character so she secretly reaches for her gun and aims it at the woman even as she drinks. Izumida then arrives but Ryouko seems in perfect control of the situation.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
Ryouko is a slut. I know. I'm sorry. But she is. And her actions with Izumida are bordering on sexual harassment. It doesn't mean I hate her character, however. On the contrary, I find her quite entertaining.
Izumida is also pretty awesome being able to stand a boss like her. If I were Ryouko, who's trying my damnest to get some kind of reaction from Izumida, it must be infuriating having a subordinate like him. Absolutely no sense to play along. Then again, that probably is what makes teasing him even more enjoyable.
Not bad for a first episode really. We are introduced to the main characters while we also get acquainted with the sort of mysterious cases that we're supposed to encounter all through this show. The mystery doesn't get solved until the next episode probably. I'm not sure whether it's wise to make the first episode a two-part one. It's good to tease the audience sometimes but it only works if you got them to bite first. I suppose the writers thought that the interesting professional relationship between Ryouko and Izumida is enough to get people hooked on the first episode. I know I was.
I am not very fond of the art style. It's oldish. It seems fitting to the genre -- jazzy 60s and slightly noir. Still, personal preferences, personal preferences. I like the music though. I even have the first soundtrack album, which features the song "La Vie en Rose." Very jazz. Sexy and smoldering. I might post it here soon.
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