The new drama "Broadcasting Station Occupy" (Saturday 9:00 pm) of the "Occupation Series" (Nippon TV) will start on July 12th. The drama tells the story of a hot-blooded detective, Musashi Saburo, played by Sakurai Sho, who works hard to solve a case set in a huge facility occupied by a terrorist group. I would like to reconsider one of the factors that contributed to its popularity.
"Hospital Occupation" is set in a large hospital that has been occupied by an armed group called "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" wearing colored demon masks, and the story follows Musashi Saburo, a Kanagawa Prefectural Police detective played by Sakurai, as he confronts the perpetrators to save the hostages. Led by the leader, Blue Demon, Red Demon, White Demon, and Yellow Demon, ten people barricade themselves in the hospital. In the sequel, "New Airport Occupation," ten terrorists calling themselves "beasts," including the leader, Dragon, snake, chicken, and cow, occupy the airport and confront Musashi.
This "Broadcasting Station Occupy" is set one year after "New Airport Occupation". Saburo Musashi (played by Sakurai), who is seconded to the Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division BCCT, gets caught up in another occupancy incident and investigates with new friends... The story is about nine terrorists who call themselves "Ayakashi" (spirits), such as Hannya, Amabie, and Tengu.
The setting of a terrorist group barricading themselves in a huge facility is a familiar situation in many previous works, but what added a new element to it was the use of "masks." Of course, there had been cases in previous works where terrorists wore masks, but the point of this work was to give meaning to the situation of "taking off the masks."
The Occupy series is unique in that the cast members who play the masked terrorists are not revealed in advance, but rather only revealed when the show airs. As the story progresses, the perpetrators remove their masks one by one, revealing their true identities, and the cast is revealed accordingly. By removing the masks, the series is able to provide a constant buzz even during the middle part of the series, when it might otherwise get boring.
It is interesting to note that this format came from Nippon Television, a company that excels at creating excitement through casting, such as the new members of the popular "Gochi Battle" segment of "Guru Guru Ninety-Nine" and the charity runners for "24 Hour TV."
Of course, these kinds of devices are only possible thanks to the power of the drama itself. It is a suspense action series created by the same staff who made "Voice 110 Emergency Control Room," which gained popularity for its hard-line plot, which is why the meta-perspective casting can be enjoyed. As this is the third series, it's about time for a "miss" that defies viewer expectations. We look forward to watching the new "occupation" that breaks out today. (MANTAN/Tateyama Natsuyuki)
