Buzzer Beat capturing the spirit of youth on Mondays

August 7, 1:41 AMJapanese Entertainment ExaminerHannah Buerano

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Buzzer Beat airing Mondays at 9 on Fuji TV

When a Japanese drama claims the Monday 9:00 spot called Getsu-ku’s, it is expected to reel in viewers and get high ratings for the station. Usually dramas at this time are aimed towards young adults addressing various issues in hopes to target that specific audience. Buzzer Beat: Gakeppuchi no Hero is one such drama currently airing on Fuji TV. Starring Tomohisa Yamashita, Keiko Kitagawa, Hideaki Itoh, and Saki Aibu, the drama addresses issues of uncertainty within the youth in this economic climate. Using pro-basketball as a motif, Buzzer Beat attempts to highlight the insecurities that the Recession has brought to the confidence of youth in an awkward manner. Yet even with all of its flaws, Buzzer Beat gives off a fresh and trendy vibe in comparison to other Japanese dramas this summer.

The drama’s plot surrounds the ever insecure Naoki Kamiya (Yamashita) whose youthful dream of success in basketball has still eluded him, in spite of his two years hard work within a professional team. Naoki has yet to develop into a substantial contributor to his team the JC Arcs, even though his coach Kawasaki (Itoh) strongly believes that he will soon become the team ace. Naoki’s anxious personality also affects his personal life. His girlfriend Natsuki (Aibu), who also works for the same company, is getting impatient with him because their relationship has stagnated and lost its spark. Natsuki feels that Naoki fails to progress their relationship because he is overly concerned with other matters such as his low pay, his bad performance at games, and the new recruit in the team who usurps his position as the starting Shooting Guard. Enter Riko Shirakawa (Kitagawa), an aspiring violinist, whose cheerful personality has gotten the attention of both Coach Kawasaki and Naoki. Love square ensues.

Before discussing the positive aspects of this drama, this writer has several gripes regarding the merely decorative role of basketball in the entire show. The title Buzzer Beat refers to what we Americans call a buzzer beater, which is a shot thrown before the time expires in a game. There is very little basketball in this drama for basketball fans. For instance, the games are contrived that players do not play their positions or defense. It is peeving to know that basketball has been reduced to a shooting battle between opponents who do not know the purpose of a rebound. Besides the bad reenactment of games, the actors do not seem to act like the “professionals” they are portraying. If they are acting as basketball players, they should try and convince the audience into believing they are. The constant griping of characters that basketball is a minor sport in Japan is not helped by the actors’ absolute lack of commitment to their roles. Only four episodes are aired, so there is still a chance for Buzzer Beat to fix this glaring flaw.

Even with the flaws stated above, Buzzer Beat still retains its entertainment value. At first glance, Buzzer Beat, seems like a typical love story drama. It is, but the writing is tight and characterizations are very human that it is very hard to pigeon hole Buzzer Beat immediately to the generic trope. For instance, Naoki is not the typical hero who immediately sweeps people of their feet. Despite his good looks, he is one of the more unpopular members of his team because people take him for granted. This fact seems a bit farfetched because Yamashita – the actor playing Naoki, is one of the hot idols in Japan today. Well so far, Yamashita has succeeded in portraying someone who very few people have faith in. The other actors are not doing poorly in their respective roles either, but there are no stellar performances so far. The pacing is light and relationships between characters develop organically. The continuity of the narrative keeps the drama from becoming episodic, which is a positive in Japanese dramas. One thing that adds to its fresh factor is the chemistry between the leads Yamashita and Kitagawa. It is there bubbling underneath the surface and hopefully it will stay on for the entirety of the drama.

Buzzer Beat currently has average rating of 14.3. Episode 5 will air on Monday, August 10, at 9 PM Fuji TV.

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