Aibou: Season 11 (2012)

The detective drama you watch everyday (ostensibly not for the sole reason of ogling Narimiya Hiroki in tight clothes) while you are making dinner.


Aibou is a legendary show in Japan. Compare it with German Tatort, a show made to be enjoyed during leisure time while you are full with food and slightly drowsy. This kind of shows run for decades because they have winning formulas uniquely suited to their time slot.

For Aibou the formula includes the charismatic main character, his hot unruly partner, comic relief supporting characters, and elaborate cases that run the gamut from the classic closed room whodunits Agatha Christie style to the more innovative stories. Don't expect to guess the murderer, though, you would definitely fail. The show has not been running this long for no reason, after all.

This particular season is more known in the international fandom because the hot unruly partner is played by devastatingly gorgeous Narimiya Hiroki who is, I dare say, 'pimped out' here to the maximum. There is not a single episode where he doesn't wear a tight waistcoat over half-unbuttoned shirt with rolled-up sleeves. And if an occasion requires going outside, you may be rest assured that he would be sporting some new expensive coat in the military style. The contrast with the other characters make it all too obvious what Narimiya's role in this show really is.

This drama may be old-fashioned but it is quite solid and would make for a great dinner companion if it were available with dubbing.

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