is a Japanese police

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

television series originally broadcast by the Fuji Television group in 1997. The series was developed by Ryoichi Kimizuka and stars Oda Yūji,

Toshirō Yanagiba is a Japanese actor. Career Yanagiba has appeared in films such as the ''Bayside Shakedown'' series, ''Chinese Dinner'', and ''Space Battleship Yamato''. Filmography Film * '' Run Towards the South On the Road of Sea'' (1986) * ''Young Girls ...

Eri Fukatsu is a Japanese actress. She won the award for best actress at the 18th Yokohama Film Festival for '' Haru'' and the best actress award at the 2010 Montreal World Film Festival for her performance in ''Villain''. She also received acclaim for her r ...

Chosuke Ikariya was a Japanese comedian and film actor, and leader of the comedy group The Drifters (Japanese band), The Drifters. His nickname was . Life and career 1931–1962: Childhood and early career Chōsuke Ikariya was born with the name on Novembe ...

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. In 1998 and 1999, an English-

subtitled Subtitles and captions are lines of dialogue or other text displayed at the bottom of the screen in films, television programs, video games or other visual media. They can be transcriptions of the screenplay, translations of it, or informati ...

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 is a Japanese police comedy-drama television series originally broadcast by the Fuji Television group in 1997. The series was developed by Ryoichi Kimizuka and stars Oda Yūji, Toshirō Yanagiba, Eri Fukatsu, Chosuke Ikariya, Miki Mizuno, and Y ...

'', was released in 1998, and the sixth and final film, ''

Bayside Shakedown The Final is a 2012 Japanese suspense action comedy film directed by Katsuyuki Motohiro. It was released on September 7, 2012. Cast * Yūji Oda as Shunsaku Aoshima * Toshirō Yanagiba as Shinji Muroi * Eri Fukatsu as Sumire Onda * Yūsuke Santamaria as Mas ...

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

firearm A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...

s 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 A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

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 *

as Shinji Muroi *

as Sumire Onda *

as Heihachirō Waku *

as Yukino Kashiwagi * Yūsuke Santamaria as Masayoshi Mashita *Sōichirō Kitamura as Sōichirō Kanda *Satoru Saitō as Harumi Akiyama *Takehiko Ono as Kengo Hakamada *

Kenta Satoi , born May 14, 1957 in the Chiba Prefecture, Japan, is a Japanese theatre and film actor. His roles most often consist of either father-type roles, or conversely, villain roles in police dramas and action movies. In the sho-gekijo theatre realm h ...

as Jirō Uozumi *Akira Hamada as Shimazu *Shigemitsu Ogi as Masakazu Ichikura *

Yuki Uchida (born November 16, 1975) is a Japanese actress, and a popular 1990s idol, model and singer. Biography Uchida was born in Tokyo. She practiced fencing in high school, and ranked 3rd in a tournament in Tokyo in 1991. She began her career as a mod ...

as Natsumi Shinohara ;Guests *

Yoshimasa Kondo , born on August 13, 1961 in Nagoya, Japan, is a Japanese theatre and film actor. Biography He debuted as an extra in the series ''Chu-gaku-sei Nikki'', and was later written into the script. He later gained notability while working with the ...

as Fumio Tanaka (episode 1) *

Toshihito Ito (February 16, 1962 – May 24, 2002) was a Japanese actor and member of the Tokyo Sunshine Boys theatrical troupe. He was born on February 16, 1962 in Niigata, Japan. Biography He performed on stage, and on television in series such as ' ...

as Yamabe (episode 2) *

Ryoko Shinohara Ryōko or Ryouko is a Japanese female given name. The meanings of Ryoko vary depending on which Kanji is used to write the name. Possible writings * 涼子 – "refreshing, child" * 亮子 – "helpful, child" * 良子 – "good, child" * 諒子 ...

(episode 2) *

Katsuhiko Sasaki is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tokyo, Japan. He is the son of Minoru Chiaki. Education Born in Tokyo. Sasaki graduated the Hosei University Faculty of Business Administration. Filmography Films * '' Battle of Okinawa'' (1971) (Communi ...

(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 (episode 5) *

Tomoe Shinohara is a Japanese singer, actress, fashion designer, producer and artist. She is notable for her flamboyant fashion sense and bubbly (sometimes goofballish) personality, as well as her distinctive squealing speaking voice. She is also a close frien ...

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 actress ...

as Tatsumura (episodes 6 and 7) *

Yoshihiko Hakamada is a Japanese actor. He graduated from Hamana High School. Hakamada was born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. He is represented by Platinum Production. Hakamada's wife is ''tarento'' Ai Kawanaka. Discography Singles Albums Filmography ...

(episode 8) *

Sadao Abe is a Japanese actor, stage actor and musician from Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture. He started his acting career after joining a theater company/talent agency, Otona Keikaku, in around 1992 and gained his popularity after the drama series '' Team Med ...

(episode 9) *Naoki Hosaka (pisodes 10 and the final) * Maxi Priest (pisodes 10 and the final) *

Hiroshi Arikawa was a Japanese actor and voice actor from Kagoshima Prefecture affiliated with Engekishūdan En. Formerly affiliated with Gekidan Haiyūza, Arikawa enrolled in Gekidan Kumo in 1965. It wasn't until 1975 that Arikawa would enroll in Engekishū ...

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: '' Bayside Shakedown 2''. 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, ''

Trivia no Izumi ''Hey! Spring of Trivia'' is the name given by Spike TV to the show , a Japanese comedy game show on Fuji TV. Concept ''Trivia'' consists of a series of video segments that introduce and confirm the validity of unusual trivia. Past trivia has ...

'', 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 is a 2010 Japanese action drama film directed by Katsuyuki Motohiro. It was released on July 3, 2010. Cast * Yūji Oda as Shunsaku Aoshima * Toshirō Yanagiba as Shinji Muroi * Eri Fukatsu as Sumire Onda * Yūsuke Santamaria , better know ...

''. 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 ''

''.

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