Genre: Suspense
Studio: TMS Entertainment
Release Date: Jan. 7, 2013
Initial Thoughts: This show ended up on my radar when the good folks at Tokyopop shared a teaser trailer for it on their Facebook page. The flashy, Lupin III-esque character designs and the jazzy score caught my eye and my ear, respectively. Its studio, TMS Entertainment, has apparently been in the industry for decades, having worked on everything from the original Lupin III anime series to the current run of Detective Conan aka Case Closed, not to mention the fact that their foreign productions also include the Superman and Batman animated series. Although I'm not familiar with their name, the longevity in the industry and irrevocable ties to my childhood reassure me. I similarly drew a blank on the director, Hirofumi Ogura, but IMDB says he handled directing \duties on Samurai 7, the anime re-imagining of the classic Akira Kurosawa flick, Seven Samurai. However, that was over eight years ago, and the only other series he has directed since is 2012's very O.K. sports anime, The Knight in the Area. I am also a bit wary that this whole show is based on a pachinko arcade game. Nevertheless, here's hoping that Samurai 7 lightning strikes twice...
Post-Credits Verdict: If there's one thing that can be said about the eponymous Roman, it's that he sure knows how to make an entrance. The episode's first sequence shows off his main talent: theatrical heists; I won't spoil the details, but let's just say he gives new meaning to the phrase "make it rain." The rest of the episode is spent introducing Roman's team and their respective talents. There's Koharu, Roman's feisty younger sister and faithful assistant; Hiraga Gennai, a wizened old tinkerer; Dr. Hans, a physician of Western European origin; and the sexy master of disguise and feminine wiles, Kanade. Together they protect the citizens of their town from the greedy ambition of local government official Yanagisawa, whose methods for enforcing tax payment bear a striking resemblance to extortion. The show seems to sport a retro feel to go with its retro look, following a procedural format with a "Big Bad of the Week" for each episode. I usually like my plots and my dialogue a bit more intricate than this, but the show has something going for it in terms of arresting visuals and overall production value; TMS Entertainment knows what it's doing, and it has come up with something worth a second viewing.
Overall Score: B
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