The Appeal of Bayside Shakedown: From the Green Parka to the White Coat of Daimon

It has been decided that the latest installment of Bayside Shakedown will be released in theaters this September.

While Japanese films are now more mainstream domestically than foreign films, the era of the first theatrical film in this series was the heyday of Hollywood movies.

Other than Hollywood films, the only domestic movies that became topics of conversation were Hayao Miyazaki's animated films.

Since it became a huge hit in such an era, I think it has become a special existence for those in their late 40s to early 50s.

In this article, I would like to explain the appeal of the Bayside series based on my own interpretation.

■ The Character Profile of the Protagonist, Aoshima

The reason we feel drawn to Aoshima, played by Yuji Oda, is likely the direction of his sense of justice.

"The way he insists on not being swayed by the convenience of the organization."

"The way he values human relationships within the group."

"The way he tries to protect others by putting his own body on the line when it counts."

I think it is condensed into these points.

A protagonist with this kind of character profile shares features with the protagonists of delinquent manga.

School and within an organization.

Within a group like a motorcycle gang.

Putting one's body on the line because it's a fight.

Whether it was intentional or not, I think the style of the work was like taking a protagonist from a delinquent manga and,

having them reincarnated into the organization of a working adult.

■ 90s Delinquent Manga

The style of delinquent manga in the 90s had changed a bit compared to the 80s.

Rather than pure delinquent manga,

there was GTO, which featured a former delinquent becoming a teacher.

There was Rookies, which featured a baseball team full of delinquents aiming for Koshien.

Works like these two, which were adapted into dramas, added other elements to the delinquent theme and were on the rise.

If you replace delinquents with yakuza,
Yukie Nakama's Gokusen would also fall into this category.

Compared to the Bayside Shakedown series, these works have,

the element of 'insisting on not being swayed by the convenience of the organization'.

This element is significantly reduced.

And in delinquent manga, the protagonists who opposed organizations often wore tokko-fuku (special attack uniforms).

I don't know if it was intentional, but I think the 'green mods coat' in Bayside Shakedown served the role of a tokko-fuku.

■ Fuji TV's Tokko-fuku Style Dramas

The trend of the 'green mods coat' has been inherited by subsequent Fuji TV works.

Representative examples are,

Takuya Kimura's 'orange down jacket' in HERO,

and Masaharu Fukuyama's 'lab coat' in Galileo.

I think these functioned as tokko-fuku as well.

These two works are not about being able to fight against the organization,

As someone who can survive in an organization through overwhelming talent,

the role of the tokko-fuku (special attack uniform) functioned effectively.

It seems that fighting isn't the only way to let your individuality shine within an organization.

Furthermore, the common thread between these two works and Bayside Shakedown is that they featured heroines who did not enter into romantic relationships.

They maintained an atmosphere of having someone nearby who understands them, without the romance ever coming to fruition.

This element likely creates an environment that makes it easy to turn a work into a series and adapt it into a film.

The TV Asahi drama series where Yukie Nakama's line, 'I see through everything you are doing,' was famous, was also a pattern that could be serialized with a man and woman who do not become romantically involved.

■Daimon of TV Asahi

The tokko-fuku style dramas tended to follow a flow of silencing others with talent rather than fighting against the organization.

The final form of that talent inflation is likely Michiko Daimon, played by Ryoko Yonekura in Doctor-X.

She rejects the convenience of the organization by saying, 'I will not.'

Because she never fails, she continues to reject them.

There is a sense of exhilaration in this kind of attitude.

There is no longer a need for an understanding partner who almost develops into a romantic interest but doesn't.

There is also the fact that being too perfect doesn't increase likability, so the setting of her playing mahjong at a mahjong parlor in her private life is clever, as it gives the impression of her being an outlaw-style unlicensed doctor.

I think this is close to the gap seen in protagonists of delinquent manga.

And there is a reason why it feels inevitable that Galileo and Doctor-X wear white coats.

Mods coats and down jackets are too hot to be used in the summer.

A lab coat works all year round.

Whether it was intentional or not, I think it's the ultimate battle uniform that expands the range of seasons.

In the case of Michiko Daimon, everyone around her is also wearing lab coats. The way she wears hers gives off a vibe reminiscent of the bontan and short-jacket school uniform culture.

■ Points where Bayside Shakedown stands out

“Asserting that you won't be pushed around by the convenience of the organization.”

“Valuing the human relationships within the group.”

“Being ready to put your body on the line to protect others when it counts.”

Since Bayside Shakedown, has there been any drama that could be said to have all these elements?

“Asserting that you won't be pushed around by the convenience of the organization.”

I think this element exists in Doctor-X.

The contrast functioned well with the word 'Gyo-i' (As you wish).

However, it cannot be said that all three elements are present.

This is because when you try to make a standalone episode within the runtime of a commercial TV drama, having too many elements makes the scriptwriting difficult.

Something like 'Do you not see this family crest?' or 'I never fail' is just right.

Bayside Shakedown had a structure where various large and small incidents progressed simultaneously, often spanning several episodes.

Within that, it even included heartwarming segments like the Three Amigos.

Because it has more elements compared to others.

There is also the relationship with Muroi-san, where you are enemies but not really enemies.

The precision of the scripts, where various plot threads were resolved simultaneously in the final three episodes of the drama and the movie series, along with the exhilarating sense of completion, was truly satisfying.

I think later 'tokko-fuku' (special attack uniform) style dramas were designed to fit easily into broadcast slots.

I believe the Bayside Shakedown series became popular because of its design, which was easy to expand upon using the three elements of delinquent manga, combined with its meticulous scripts.

■ Expectations for the latest work

I had thought the previous Bayside Shakedown installment was the one where Mashita, played by Yusuke Santamaria, becomes the police chief as the Wangan Police Station moves, but I recently realized that 'Bayside Shakedown THE FINAL' had been released.

From that work, I could not feel the precision I had come to expect from the Bayside series.

What I felt from the work was a respect for the human-interest dramas and detective dramas that existed before the Bayside series began.

Thinking of it as a tribute to various detective dramas, it was a movie that could be enjoyed in a different way, as scenes that felt dangerous or reminiscent of 'Taiyo ni Hoero!' caught my eye.

Perhaps there were even scenes where characters were straying or acting like outcasts.

That said, in terms of the quality expected from a Bayside series entry, it was a disappointment that left nothing but letdown.

Fuji TV's 'tokko-fuku' style dramas, HERO and Galileo, also succeeded with their film adaptations.

Perhaps that is why they stopped aiming for that level of quality.

Up until 'Seal the Rainbow Bridge!', the precision of the works was magnificent.

This is a spoiler, but the thing that disappointed me most about watching 'Bayside Shakedown THE FINAL' was the reason for the heroine Sumire's resignation.

They say it was due to the aftereffects of an injury, but throughout the drama series, Sumire was also deeply wounded in her heart by having her dignity as a woman treated so carelessly.

That part was not touched upon at all.

The length of the female police officers' skirts became longer as the series progressed.

I think they included this kind of satire that people within the industry might have chuckled at.

A work that dealt with the theme of women's dignity 28 years ago,

satirized skirt lengths 14 years ago,

Sponsors have been disappearing since Masahiro Nakai was involved a few years ago.

The finished product also felt like it reflected the recent decline of the station.

The meticulous nature of police dramas has had its spotlight stolen by the New Year's Aibou series,

and the optimal solution for delinquent-style dramas has been captured by Doctor-X.

That is precisely why, for this latest installment,

"We will definitely catch the culprit!!"

is the spirit I want them to take on.

So thought the author, even though I am not the Chief of the First Investigation Division.