This is a high-budget fun entertaining drama with charismatic characters, lots of humour, and heaps of bromances.


In Hand is a drama that shouldn't work. After all, one can't just mix cartoonish setting, serious topics, adventure/case-of-the-week structure, and gags about feces and expect it to work. Shockingly, the drama does exactly that and provides its viewer with lots of entertainment (if not much food for thought).

The incongruous premise includes one millionaire parasitologist (you read that right), one driven government official, and one conscientious doctor who combine their forces to investigate suspicious incidents related to parasites/epidemics etc.

The quasi-procedural structure surprises at first (after all, how common can a murder through deliberate parasite contamination be?!) but soon it becomes clear that the trio investigates not just murders but all of the cases of negligence and corruption in the medicine and wellness field. This also explains why the viewer is supposed to care about shenanigans in some smaller branch of government (that stands for a precinct in usual procedural).

While the cases are solved through the fakest of fake science and the touching moments at the end of each episode are arguably quite 'meh', the show has many strong points.

Firstly, the cartoonish setting is actually quite fun. It is very out there and takes a while to get used to, but it is also very coherent. Every small detail is there for a reason (like the parasitologist's need for an international passport gets tied to his past and is never forgotten throughout), every trapping is exploited (like how different types of animal screeches are used to underscore an awkward atmosphere or to add a sinister aura) and so on.

Secondly, the writing is quite tight which leads to a fast-paced story. While the parasitologist's flashback for example is hinted through ridiculously looking montage, when it is told it's quite logical and nicely ties into the overall story.

The running jokes and catchphrases are hilarious and charming. The banter between various characters is fun and entertaining while the dramatic moments have emotional believability (if not overall believability).

Finally, the characters deserve a special mention. A lot of the similar shows struggle because their leads turn out to be too arrogant and unpleasant while their side-kicks end up unsympathetic. In Hand doesn't have this problem.

During the first few episodes Hamada Gaku hard-carries many scenes as an instantly likeable short-tempered doctor. Yamashita Tomohisa's parasitologist takes a while to warm up to but the actor's contented aura helps a lot in selling the self-assured but not actually arrogant or unreasonable genius. Yamashita's deadpan delivery of phrases like 'feces is a diary of life' or 'there is nothing impossible for a genius' greatly contributes to the humour of the show.

Nanao's government official is also a funny character with a nice development. Her fierce determination allows for many hilarious office hijinks (considering that yelling at the boss is unheard of in Japan).

The drama boasts high budget so it's easy on the eyes and has a decent ost and sound design (not to mention, many big names in the cast). The drama itself is fun and unique and should not be taken at the face value or you'll end up with some really bizarre misconceptions (like believing that genetic doping exists).

The viewer should also beware the gross stuff. While there is nothing graphic, dangerous viruses and parasites are a lot more scary than the usual murderer-of-the-week and it's really easy to get grossed out by the concept alone.