Rookies

"I want to play baseball with everyone again"

Japanese TV Drama

Sports drama always had a soft spot for me. They're nice and entertaining with a hint of feel-good atmosphere under the backdrop of youth and teenage angst. I think Rookies is sort of experimental when it combined the proven formulae of a Sensei and Sports Drama.

Rookies begin (surprise?) with a bunch of senior high delinquents with no clear future. Then, here comes a transfer teacher (surprise again?) that would change them forever. Add that into a bowl of discrimination and angst and use Baseball as a medium to straighten these kids out and you get Rookies.

I like sports dramas because they give you the thrill of a real competition with the hint of some high school drama. And this is Baseball, baby!

Add Ichihara Hayato’s heavenly and Koide Keisuke’s adorable visage, and now you’ve got whipped cream on top. I haven’t encountered a Japanese Dorama that kept me this captivated for a long time.

The drama would have been this close to perfection if not for the overdone stereotypical portrayal of a “delinquent.” Read: crazy hairstyles and bogus sporting of the school uniform. Don’t we always get this? For me, I’ve started overlooking this and focused on the compelling story. It is that compelling - and empathizing. It's so nice to see kids mature slowly but surely.

And when the OST plays on the background, my hair just stands on end. A Kiseki (Miracle) indeed.

Verdict: If you’re not as forgiving as me when it comes to lame high-school portrayals and construction, don’t venture here. But if you like sports dramas like me, this is definitely a worthy find.

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Leeched from: d-addicts.com