Voice (ヴォイス)

Title: ヴォイス
Title (English): Voice
Genre: Medical, Mystery
Episodes: 11
Viewership rating: 14.5 (Kanto)
Broadcast network: Fuji TV
Broadcast period: 12 Jan 2009 to 23 Mar 2009
Air time: Monday 21:00
Theme song: Setsuna by GReeeeN

A group of five medical students take on the task of conveying the "voices of the dead."

Kaji Daiki fails to get into a popular heart surgery seminar but is somehow accepted into a seminar on forensic pathology. When he approaches professor Sagawa and asks him why he ended up in the seminar, Sagawa challenges him by asking why he wants to study heart surgery. Daiki replies that medicine is meaningless after the heart stops, but Sagawa counters that medicine also applies to the dead.

And so, together with fellow students Ryosuke, Kanako, Teppei and Akira, Daiki begins to explore the mysteries of death.

--Tokyograph

The main reason I even looked for this dorama was because Eita was taking the lead role. I've really come to admire and respect Eita after watching him in Nodame Cantabile and Last Friends. I've really come to see him as a talented actor who can take on a variety of different roles. So, of course, I was really full of anticipation and I have to say that I was not disappointed!

Voice is about a group of 5 med students - Kaji Daiki (Eita), Ishimatsu Ryosuke (Ikuta Toma), Kuboaki Kanako aka Aki (Ishihara Satomi), Kirihata Teppei (Endo Yuya), and Hanei Akira (Sato Tomohito) - who enrol into the forensic pathology seminar. Daiki originally enrolled into the heart surgery seminar, but found that his name had been "removed" and was instead in forensic pathology. He confronts Professor Sagawa (Tokito Saburo) about the enrollment list but then reluctantly agrees to give it a try. In each episode, the five medical students go beyond their obligatory classroom work to solve the mysterious deaths and lend a "voice" to the last parting words of each dead victim to their loved ones.

I found each episode interesting, filled with a twist that you only find out at the end when Daiki gets that enlightened moment of figuring everything out. I did find that a bit annoyingly far-fetched because it didn't really seem to have any real link and you only "get it" when he then goes on to explain to the others. It was like the evidence was only produced after Daiki figured it all out. That aside, I did like the fact that each episode had its own case and what linked the whole series together were the relationships between the characters.

Each of the characters were interesting too... they each have their own story, which was explored in the episode that had a link to each character. I must say that I would have liked to gotten to see Daiki's past a bit more... his character was on the mysterious side and you don't get to see or meet any of his family. The only think about Daiki's past that we saw was his first meeting with Professor Sagawa.

There were lots of light humourous moments peppered throughout each episode, which I find it makes the show more enjoyable especially when the subject matter is so heavy and serious (as in the human drama genre). I also found that there wasn't much of a romantic storyline at all, although it was subtly hinted at. I don't really like leaving things at "romantic notions" and having romantic tension that remain unresolved. I'm the sort of person who wants to be told "this is the happy ending".... I'm just a romantic at heart :)

In the end, everyone finds their own destiny and walks their own paths. Again, Daiki remains a mystery somewhat... I almost expect a second season, but that could also be because of US TV shows like CSI and Law and Order that go on for ages after.

The Verdict: I would rank it 4/5 because I did enjoy it and I would most probably pick it up and watch it again later. Of course, that could be biased in a way because of Eita :)