25-year-old Kazahaya Kyoko (Shimazaki Haruka, a.k.a. Paruru, formerly of AKB48) is appointed to head an investigative division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, called the Nasi Goreng Division. She is an unconventional division head who believes that an entire investigation can be done in a room and completely rejects the "old-fashioned" concept of legwork. Although Kyoko practically never leaves her office for an investigation, she is able to solve many difficult cases with her remarkable insight and deductive powers.
The following tropes were found at the crime scene:
- Bait-and-Switch Credits: The opening credits show the division members in the field and pursuing criminals over a cool jazz theme song, while in each episode they solve cases without leaving their office.
- Cool Car: Kazahaya drives a red Mazda sportscar in the opening.
- Canon Welding: Kazahaya Kyoko and Asaba Sho appeared in episode 9 of Cabasuka Gakuen, where Kazahaya goes undercover by her old identity Salt, a feared yankee from previous seasons of that series also portrayed by Shimazaki Haruka, to investigate a murder and protect her juniors from high school who have entered the nightlife world as hostesses.
- Depraved Homosexual: In the first episode, one of the suspects is the effeminate karaoke bar employee, whose gender the team spent a few minutes debating. He is the culprit and the motive is jealousy, playing this trope straight.
- Embarrassing Nickname: Ishinabe's wish to earn a cool detective nickname is crushed when Kazahaya and the team start calling him Hosome ("narrow eyes").
- Exotic Extended Marriage: Hosome explains that he's been married 2.5 times because he shares his current wife with her other husband, and she still lives in her native Philippines.
- Fair Cop: Kazahaya and Asaba qualify.
- Former Delinquent: Kazahaya is formerly Salt, the top yankee of Majisuka Gakuen.*
- Gratuitous Foreign Language:
- The division is named after an Indonesian food for no apparent reason.
- Their signature song starts with "Want you!" in English. Also a Stealth Pun as Kazahaya sometimes blows a kiss ("want-chu") while singing that part.
- Happy Dance: When they crack a case, the division office is quickly converted into a Karaoke Box, complete with glittery backdrop and a disco light, and the whole team break into a (terrible) performance of an original song called "Nasi Goreng Dogenzaka" before starting the Summation Gathering. Persons of interest who happen to be in the room either become confused or join in.
- Iconic Outfit: Ishinabe wears a cowboy hat, hoping that it would become his trademark, and is disappointed to learn that they never go out in the field.
- Ivy League for Everyone: The forensic specialist Takami is an MIT graduate. Subverted since he's not particularly smarter than his colleagues.
- Masochist's Meal: Except for Kazahaya, the team usually order the same soba menu for lunch, even though it tastes terrible.
- Model Planning: Since they never visit the crime scene in person, this is often used for Crime Reconstruction.
- Naïve Newcomer: Ishinabe, the middle-aged rookie detective.
- The Nondescript: During a summation, nobody realizes that Asaba has disappeared, proving Kazahaya's point that the similarly nondescript culprit could slip away undetected to commit the crime. Asaba is not happy about this and later asks for tips to become more noticeable.
- Non-Indicative Name: Nasi goreng
is Indonesian-style fried rice and has nothing to do with police investigation.* Ishinabe lampshades this when he just transferred to the division, wondering how he should explain to others what he does at work with such a name. - Not So Above It All: The serious Kazahaya can be mischievous too, such as when she bumped Takami when they're playing Jenga. She also leads their victory song performances.
- Old Cop, Young Cop: Inverted as middle-aged junior detective Ishinabe, finally promoted to detective after 25 years of police box duty, is Hot-Blooded and often frustrated because they never go out to crime scenes or do exciting stuff like Phone-Trace Race, while his much younger seniors and superior are more laid back.
- Phone-In Detective: They solve all their cases based on television reports and evidence brought in by crime scene investigators, without ever setting foot in the field. An exception is in the crossover with Cabasuka Gakuen, where Kazahaya goes undercover and becomes an Action Girl, taking down armed assailants with her bare hands.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: A middle-aged junior detective with a cowboy hat, an MIT graduate, a middle-aged woman, an old detective awaiting retirement, a nondescript "half-baked ikemen", and an ambitious vice chief, all lead by a young and self-proclaimed cute chief.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: The stern Kazahaya puts on Twin Tails and a cute smile and has her picture taken to lure out a sexual predator/con man. When Ishinabe asks why the culprit breaks his own modus operandi, Kazahaya flatly replies:Kazahaya: Isn't it obvious? It's because I'm cute.
- Kazahaya/Salt also briefly becomes a hostess in the Cabasuka Gakuen crossover.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Kazahaya cuts off the Motive Rant of a group of murderers because she's doesn't feel like listening to them.Aah, I've had enough of listening to the excuses of murderers. Go tell them to the Division 1 people.
- Strictly Formula
- Technologically Blind Elders: Ishinabe requests a phone tracer from Kazahaya to track down a phone fraudster, only to be told that these days the police can just ask the phone company for caller information (not to mention caller ID is standard on cell phones).
- Young and in Charge: At 25 years old, Kazahaya is younger than all her subordinates, except Asaba who is the same age as her.
