Kodomo Keisatsu Ep 07 Review

Kodomo Keisatsu (コドモ警察) is a half-hour drama centered on cops who are turned into kids by a chemical, but who continue about their daily business anyway, fighting the all-pervasive evil organization “Red Venus.” So far, the kiddie squad has mainly been on the defensive, reacting to the plots Red Venus set up. This time, though, they begin on a stake out observing one of the main Red Venus agents:

What followed were a lot of scenes in which the kids were a lot more amusing than they have been in the series so far. It all starts with the lead detective (Suzuki Fuku) trying to write a memo and unconsciously filling a page with doodles:

As we found out in an earlier episode, their transformation into children has also had some effect on their minds, and here even the venerable lead detective is affected. The squad is distraught:

Kodomo Keisatsu Ep 06 Review

In the previous episode of Kodomo Keisatsu (コドモ警察), the kiddie squad had to clear their only non-kiddie member – the newbie (played by Katsuji Ryo) and we got the first signs of personality from the hanchou (the team leader played by Marius Yo). That was refreshing, because we hadn’t seen any increased depth to any character since the first episode, and Marius’ character sorely needed it.

This episode begins with the newbie pacing the office unsettled, which soon leads to him swooning about an idol he’s a fan of, much to the contempt of his coworkers,

As well as the irritation of the lead detective (dekachou),

Which leads to summary punishment:

Kodomo Keisatsu Ep 05 Review

Kodomo Keisatsu (コドモ警察) is a half-hour drama centered on cops who are turned into kids by a chemical, but who continue about their daily business anyway, fighting the all-pervasive evil organization “Red Venus.” The previous three episodes have been quite weak, with the novelty of the first episode wearing out quite quickly, but this one takes some steps in the right direction, reviving some hope for the series.

The episode begins with one of the kid cops (Nabe-san) meeting an old acquaintance who looks like trouble:

I will hereafter refer to him as the rough-edged fellow.

Kodomo Keisatsu Ep 04 Review

Kodomo Keisatsu (コドモ警察) is a half-hour drama centered on cops who are turned into kids by a chemical, but who continue about their daily business anyway, fighting the all-pervasive evil organization “Red Venus.” While I still feel odd about criticizing young actors less than half my age, I am less forgiving toward the writers of this show, who have shown very little inventiveness about how they make use of the talent at their disposal. While the premise alone can keep a viewer interested for an episode, and appreciation of how talented the kids are can maybe carry it for one more, things started to go a bit stale in the third episode, with so much of an already short show taken up by set-piece scenes.

At the start of the episode, I was struck by how earnest Suzuki Fuku-kun can look sometimes, and I think that quality probably has a lot to do with his success:

Not long after that, Marius Yo-kun walked in, again a bit too stiffly, though he seemed a bit angrier today, which broke the robotic feel he had in previous episodes.

Kodomo Keisatsu Ep 03 Review

Kodomo Keisatsu (コドモ警察) is a half-hour drama centered on cops who are turned into kids by a chemical, but who continue about their daily business anyway, fighting the all-pervasive evil organization “Red Venus.”

With all but one of the main cast half my age or less, I’m tempted to just post the most adorable screenshots from the episode and leave it at that. For instance:

But at the risk of seeming a bit harsh, I’ll offer some critique. The plot this time was a hostage situation featuring a crazy guy with a rifle:

That’s good, because it’s reasonably different from previous episodes. Unfortunately, the whole thing is undermined by the use of set scenes that have occurred in every episode so far, which feel like repeated skits.