Normally I don’t like Japanese police dramas from past experiences of getting bored with them, unless they are a comedy (like Deka Wanko). They just didn’t have as good of a story line or a way to keep me engaged like American ones do. Despite this, I decided to give this one a try because Maruyama Ryuhei from Kanjani8 was in it and I like him as an actor. I dragged my feet for a few weeks before I was able to sit down and try to watch it. I fully intended to just skip to all the parts with Maruyama in it, but found myself hooked from the start. I REALLY like this drama!

Why do I like this drama?

First and foremost, I like the fact that the main character is a woman, and that she is a top detective in the first division of the police.  When a woman is the main character of a Japanese police drama, they are normally demoted or just have a very “woman” like role. This is not the case at all with Strawberry Night. The main character of Himekawa is a very strong woman who gets down and dirty with the men.  A running “sub plot” (if you can call is that) is that some of the men under her didn’t respect her at first because she was a woman.

Another reason that I like this drama is that I am obsessed with American crime/ police and medical shows, like House M.D., CSI, NCIS, Law and Order and so on. This drama reminds me of those kinds of shows in the way that the cases and the relationship between characters develop. I really hadn’t see that in a Japanese police drama before.

So check out Strawberry Night! Its not a top favorite of mine quite yet, but it might be by the time it ends!