is a Japanese

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

comedy-drama television series originally broadcast by the

Fuji Television JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...

group in 1997. The series was developed by

Ryoichi Kimizuka is a Japanese screenwriter and director for television and film. Career Kimizuka first entered the Japanese television industry by working on variety shows under Kin'ichi Hagimoto. He then began writing screenplays for television dramas, includ ...

and stars Oda Yūji, Toshirō Yanagiba, Eri Fukatsu, Chosuke Ikariya,

Miki Mizuno is a Japanese actress. She played the role of villain in the horror film '' Carved'' as the Kuchisake-Onna a malevolent vengeful spirit who killed many children. Career Mizuno starred in Takanori Tsujimoto's action films ''Hard Revenge Milly'' ...

, and

Yūsuke Santamaria , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor and singer. Biography Santamaria appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a Japanese film director, screenwriter, film critic and a professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. Although he has work ...

. In 1998 and 1999, an English- subtitled version of the series was broadcast in the United States on the International Channel, under the title ''The Spirited Criminal Investigative Network''. The series spawned three television films and a stage play, along with six theatrically released films that were produced following the end of the show. The first of the theatrical films, '' Bayside Shakedown'', was released in 1998, and the sixth and final film, '' Bayside Shakedown The Final'', was released in 2012. The first ''Bayside Shakedown'' film was a major box office hit in Japan, earning 10.1 billion yen (84 million U.S. dollars), and was the third highest grossing live-action film in Japanese box office history. The second film in the series, ''

Bayside Shakedown 2 is the second film based on the popular Bayside Shakedown TV series, known for its unique and humorous depiction of the Japanese police force while avoiding the conventions that define most police dramas. The movie was released in the summer of ...

'', earned over $165 million at the box office, making it the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film on domestic screens.

Story summary

''Bayside Shakedown'' takes place in the fictional Wangan Precinct of the

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department The serves as the prefectural police department of Tokyo Metropolis. Founded in 1874, it is headed by a Superintendent-General, who is appointed by the National Public Safety Commission, and approved by the Prime Minister. The Tokyo Met ...

. Unlike most police dramas which tend to focus on action and car chases, ''Bayside Shakedown'' is largely concerned with the

bureaucratic The term bureaucracy () refers to a body of non-elected governing officials as well as to an administrative policy-making group. Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments staffed with non-elected offi ...

issues of the police department that are very present in many other sectors of Japanese society. The series depicted police work as office politics under a slightly different environment, complete with bureaucratic red tape, lethargic civil servants, bosses more interested in playing golf and saving face than solving crimes, interference from politicians, and conflict between police headquarters and the local officers. The officers depicted in ''Bayside Shakedown'' are only permitted to carry firearms during major emergencies. Fuji TV used the fictional "All officers are to be armed" (拳銃携帯命令 ''Kenjū Keitai Meirei'') order, which the portrayed bureaucracy is often reluctant to hand down. (In reality, it is compulsory for a uniformed officer to be armed, and plainclothes officers are required to be armed if they expect to be exposed to any danger.) The main character of the series is a young detective named Shunsaku Aoshima (played by Oda Yūji). Originally a corporate salesman, Aoshima decided to join the police department out of heroic idealism, expecting a life of adventure and excitement. Once inside, he is completely underwhelmed by the reality of police work, finding it dishearteningly similar to corporate employment. Throughout the series, he strives against the obstacles of bureaucratic indifference to help people and pursue his ideals of what a police officer should be, often with humorous results.

Cast

* Oda Yūji as Shunsaku Aoshima * Toshirō Yanagiba as Shinji Muroi * Eri Fukatsu as Sumire Onda * Chosuke Ikariya as Heihachirō Waku *

as Yukino Kashiwagi *

as Masayoshi Mashita *Sōichirō Kitamura as Sōichirō Kanda *Satoru Saitō as Harumi Akiyama *Takehiko Ono as Kengo Hakamada * Kenta Satoi as Jirō Uozumi *Akira Hamada as Shimazu *Shigemitsu Ogi as Masakazu Ichikura * Yuki Uchida as Natsumi Shinohara ;Guests * Yoshimasa Kondo as Fumio Tanaka (episode 1) * Toshihito Ito as Yamabe (episode 2) * Ryoko Shinohara (episode 2) * Katsuhiko Sasaki (episode 2) *

Asami Mizukawa is a Japanese actress. She grew up in Ibaraki, Osaka. She made her debut in 1996 at age 13 in an advertisement for Asahi Kasei's "Hebel Haus". In 2000, she won the ''Grand Prix'' at the “3rd Miss Tokyo Walker” competition (the first winner ...

as a middle school student (episode 3) * Kee (episode 4) *

Hikaru Ijūin , real name Ken Shinooka (篠岡建), formerly Ken Tanaka (田中建), born 7 November 1967, is a Japanese comedian, radio personality, computer game reviewer, and commentator. He was born in Kita, Tokyo. He is married to former idol Mika Shin ...

(episode 5) * Tomoe Shinohara as Herself (episode 6) *

Claude Maki (born October 3, 1972) is a Japanese surfing and flight champion, actor and hip hop singer, under the stage name A.K.T.I.O.N., from Akasaka, Tokyo. He is the eldest son of actor and singer Mike Maki. His mother is , a Japanese-American actres ...

as Tatsumura (episodes 6 and 7) * Yoshihiko Hakamada (episode 8) * Sadao Abe (episode 9) *Naoki Hosaka (pisodes 10 and the final) *

Maxi Priest Max Alfred "Maxi" Elliott (born 10 June 1961), known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion. He was one ...

(pisodes 10 and the final) * Hiroshi Arikawa as the father of Masayoshi Mashita (the final episode)

Timeline

1997 January–March: TV Drama. 1997 December: Special episode, ''Bayside Shakedown: Year-End Special Alert'' 1998 June: Extra episode, '' Bayside Shakedown: Wangan Police Station Female Police Officers' Story''. 1998 October: Special episode, ''Bayside Shakedown: Autumn Campaign for Crime Eradication'' 1998 October: '' Bayside Shakedown: The Movie'' 2003 Summer: ''

''. 2005 Summer: Two "spin-off" movies which are part of ''The Odoru Legend Continues''. The first titled ''Tokyo Subway Panic'' (also known as Negotiator) was released in May. It is based on the character of Mashita as a police negotiator. The second movie ''The Suspect'' which was released in August is based on the character of Muroi. Another spin-off, ''Tobosha Joichiro Kijima'' was recorded for the DVD release of the ''Tokyo Subway Panic''. 2007: For a

Japanese variety show A Japanese variety show is an entertainment television program made up of a variety of original stunts, musical performances, comedy skits, quiz contests, and other acts. Japanese variety shows are predominantly made to be weird and extremely fast ...

, '' Trivia no Izumi'', a new spin-off was made for a minor character from ''Tokyo Subway Panic'' (who did not even have a name at the time), titled ''Keigokan Uchida Shinzo''. 2010 Summer: '' Bayside Shakedown 3''. 2012 September: The last TV special, ''Bayside Shakedown THE LAST TV Salaryman keiji to saigo no nanjiken''. Some of the original cast members reunite after 14 years. 2012 September: The last movie for ''Bayside Shakedown'' which is '' Bayside Shakedown The Final''.

References

External links

Official site of the two spin-off movies
{{Bayside Shakedown 1997 Japanese television series debuts 1997 Japanese television series endings Japanese police procedural television series Japanese comedy television series Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in fiction Japanese detective television drama series