Yuji Oda (Aoshima), star of Odoru Daisosasen plays the "nail that will be beaten down" per the old saying about those who stand out being encouraged to conform. His good looks, slackerish behavior and tattered raincoat (think "Columbo"- a favorite of the Japanese) are his hallmarks. He also has a nasty habit of placing himself between a blade and a colleague, which makes him a pretty noble fellow all around. Although occasionally overly dramatic, I found the movie effective for the character-driven plot lines, hysterical red herrings and the lack of gratuitous sex and violence. Oda's character Aoshima hits on Eri Fukatsu's Onda, a no-nonsense policewoman and there's a lot of verbal sparring, which I found more intriguing than an actual hook-up. If you can find a copy of this, give it a shot. It's villain is an interesting portrait of the depredations the Japanese fear they are capable of- very different from the evil that lurks on American screens.

Strangely enough, I watched the movie before I watched the TV series.In short, the movie is just another long episode in the TV series. If you take it that way, you'd probably love the movie as much as the TV series.The movie is unable to stand on its own. First-time viewers will be puzzled by the relationship between Aoshima and Muroi. Many will be disappointed by the relative ease at which the cyberkiller and kidnappers were caught. But those are not the main points of the story.The stratification and redtape within the police force tend to take centre stage in the TV series, and in the movie too. The police officers of Wangan branch were unable to participate in case investigations because they are "just a branch". And Aoshima got into trouble (at the end) only because he had to wait for the headquarters to officially arrest the kidnappers. Muroi, on his way up the rankings, finds it impossible to take care of his subordinates at the frontline.Prospective viewers are recommended to watch the TV series first, although it makes no difference if you are a fan of Japanese dark comedy. Then treat this movie as another TV episode as you watch it, because it is really just a TV special.

What is this show trying to say? Action, Horror, Romance, Culture Clashes, Loyalty, the old and the new etc. I know it's wrong to pigeonhole something but really, this show suffers from a lack of focus. Done properly, it would have carried some merit. But what I saw was just slipshod film-making. The ending was so over sentimentalised that it was barf-inducing. Terrible.

This movie is weird. This is the kind only japanese can make. But hopefully this is not (I hope so!) the kind only japanese people can love. It can't be glued to any genre and for example (as it's a huge success) Hollywood won't be able to make it again. Extraordinary action sequences, ultra-suspense and ZAZ-comic-like is a light sum-up of what can be found in this weird but very exciting movie.