Or, simply, Ryoko's Case File. 13 episodes from Dogakobo and Starchild Records.
The show opens with a vision of a girl committing suicide. Quite powerful imagery to put right at the beginning of the show, as these sorts of things are usually foreshadowing an equally powerful event. Police officer Izumida Jun'ichirou has been having this nightmare frequently. It seems to be a dream about his boss, the very sexy Yakushiji Ryoko.
Izumida is supposed to be Ryoko's subordinate, but he's more of a babysitter and servant, running around town with her and even carrying her shopping bags. He's no pushover though; he has an eye for detail and good deductive skills. They're on one of these outings when their car is hit by a man who mysteriously ages until he dies in an explosion of dust (or smoke?). Apparently these sorts of supernatural things happen often when Izumida is out with Ryoko, as if she attracts them. They chase a suspicious looking fellow down an alley, but he slips inside a nearby building, dropping a strange ring along the way which Izumida picks up. The owner of the building, a man called Soga who is a former member of the Ministry of Health (with ties to the QTR), refuses to let them go inside to search without a warrant. Ryoko is incredibly smart and capable however, and after calling Soga out on his past and effortlessly beating down one of his subordinates, he lets them inside. They quickly decide that the ring is their real lead, and so what follows is a rather amusing sequence where Ryoko is shopping for a swim suit and insists on a somewhat embarrassed Izumida's opinion.
The ring they picked up turns out to be from an organization called the Tsukuyomi Party, an occult group that worship Tsukuyomi and is led by a small child, but run by a group of executives. They take the ring to a man named Professor Tatsumi, who helps them with their supernatural cases. He's done an autopsy on their body and discovered contaminated food in his stomach. The catch is that the food was pre-contaminated before it was cooked, and it was imported from somewhere. Ryoko goes straight to the top and points to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. However she doesn't accuse them of poisoning the food, but of letting it slip past their inspections. She's been itching to delve into the ministry, which she is sure is riddled with scandals, and this is her big chance.
They soon meet up with Ryoko's rival, Muromachi Yukiko, whom she's known since college. Yukiko is escorting someone to a party for the QTR (Quarantine Technical Research, a division of the Ministry of Health), and Ryoko insists on going as well. Soga's people aren't going to sit quietly by, however. They set up a trap for them, but they've sorely underestimated both Ryoko and Izumida. (One of the goons makes a comment that Izumida looks good in a tux, and holy cow is he right.)
The animation is nice, and I love the opening sequence. The song that plays is very jazzy and catchy, and fits the tone of the show very well. The ending theme is a more subdued jazz song, and is equally fitting, though in a different way. Don't be turned off by the supernatural elements of the show; it's a very gritty show with a realistic feel, and the supernatural elements are (so far) handled well and don't overshadow the rest of the show. Check it out if you're into crime/detective shows.
Time for lunch and G4 E3 news (I hate G4, but they're the only channel to get that sort of news from, so it's better than nothing). There's a big Fable 2 party this week, so hopefully there will be more news on that front. Hopefully some news on what will be happening with the Halo franchise. FFXIII is oddly absent; for a game coming out so soon, Square doesn't have a playable demo there. This year will be fairly subdued, as it's an industry only event instead of the massive convention it used to be. The ESA hasn't been doing a good job of handling the industry lately, either, which seems to be reflected in the multiple companies that have dropped from the organization recently. The future of E3 seems to be a little shaky.
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