Ouroboros is our second revenge jdorama of the season. Oguri Shun and Ikuta Toma who grew up in an orphanage team up to avenge Hirosue Ryoko's death. Oguri Shun's desire for revenge may have something to do with Hirosue Ryoko assaulting him with her lips when he was a kid.
Oguri Shun joins the yakuza and Toma becomes a cop in order to find the policeman with the golden rolex who covered up the incident. I can't wait for the show to start throwing all the gold rolex wearing red herring cops and for cliffhanger dialogue like, "Does your father wear a golden rolex?". Beware the golden rolex organization!
WHAT I LIKED
+ The main characters actually kill and people actually die. Yeah!
+ The emphasis of the story is revenge and it doesn't get bogged down with peripheral stuff like Mondai no Aru.
+ The episode one story is a reflection of the two main characters' desire for revenge.
+ Ueno Juri! She's not that convincing as a cop but she's still miles better than Ueto Aya.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
- They have to stop meeting up in public so often. I get the whole talk with backs to each other bit is suppose to be cool but Oguri Shun is a yakuza boss and is pretty recognisable. Neither of them must have watched Infernal Affairs.
- There was no one in near the alleyway at the end of the episode who heard the multiple gunshots? Why risk your secret alliance so you can stand together and try to look cool for the camera?
- The goddamn boy band theme song that does not fit a revenge dorama. No one has the balls to say maybe a haunting theme song like Odani Misako's Who from Gonzo would work better? The ending at the two characters reaffirming their desire for revenge and there's this teeny bopper happy song playing. WTF?!
SUMMARY
Watchable first episode with better promise than Alice no Toge but I am afraid of the usual jdorama weakness of trying to look cool to the detriment of story may bring this series down. Oguri Shun should be doing Border 2.