‘The Old Dog, New Tricks?’ Netflix Series Review - Second Innings

A seasoned player who only knew about soccer in the entire span of his 37 years on Earth, one day learns about the team for which he played getting disbanded. Shinmachi had high hopes of getting picked up by other teams just like his peers. Things didn't work in his favour and no one approached him. His wife knew the reality which the athlete wasn't ready to accept. He went to a sports management company, Victory, to handle this new shift in his career.

When all hopes had vanished and he came face to face with reality, the man was left shattered. No team was ready to work with him due to his age. All doors were closed for him and the once great and celebrated player was now finding it difficult to make the ends meet. With his bills piling up, including mortgage, his daughter’s tuition fees, and the expenses to sustain a livelihood, Shinmachi took small jobs like in traffic control.

When the audience looks at Shinmachi and notices his desire to continue playing soccer, they connect with the character. He sacrifices his self-respect and is seen on his knees begging the people working at Victory to get him a chance to play soccer. It's the only thing that he knew and he can't imagine his life where soccer isn't a part of it. In the same scene, it's seen that the employees treat him coldly. They had no respect for the player who played for his country and this doesn't work well. Why would he ask the agency for work when they weren't even capable of respecting athletes?

Shinmachi is hired by Victory’s president on a contract basis to recruit other athletes. He didn't have any belief in Shinmachi’s talent and he offered the job out of pure pity. If you want to learn how to make the best out of the opportunities, Shinmachi is a character that'll teach you a lot of things. His kind and humble nature spoke a lot about him. Though he can be seen teary-eyed at several moments, it's his dedication to the game that keeps the series strong in the beginning.

Over time, things are just a repetition. We see Shinmachi working with other staff from the company. She has taught him a lot in a professional capacity yet, it is he who lands the athletes for Victory. Working for approximately ten athletes, Shinmachi proved that the second innings of life can be as beautiful as the first and you just need to find your footing. I'm not a fan of Japanese dramas as the body language of the actors looks to be overdone, however, the plot of The Old Dog, New Tricks brought something new to the table. Sadly, they couldn't keep the plot fresh and it slowly got rotten. There are a total of ten episodes, this Japanese drama has equal hits and misses. Though it's not worth spending this amount of time, you can binge-watch the series.

Final Score – [6/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
Follow @_riyasinghhh_ on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times