History Series / Trick

Trick is a Japanese drama starring Naoko Yamada, who, despite her status as magician extraordinaire, can't hold a job and is behind on her rent. Enter Jiro Ueda, a famous physicist who puts out an advertisement demanding anyone claiming to have spiritual powers demonstrate them for him. If they can prove they're not a fraud, they'll win cash money. Naoko shocks Ueda with a simple magic trick, but before she can get her paycheck, she's recruited into solving the case of a cult with a scary floating old lady at its head.

Together Naoko and Ueda solve ''Scooby-Doo''-esque mysteries, usually centered around people claiming to be real live spiritualists who are always proven to be frauds. Detective Yabe, his partner Ishihara and Naoko's mother round out the cast of misfits. The series has a comedic bent, though tip-toes into dramatic territory on occasion. Written by Creator/YukieNakama.

Together Naoko and Ueda solve ''Scooby-Doo''-esque mysteries, usually centered around people claiming to be real live spiritualists who are always proven to be frauds. Detective Yabe, his partner Ishihara and Naoko's mother round out the cast of misfits. The series has a comedic bent, though tip-toes into dramatic territory on occasion. Notable as one of the series that helped Yukie Nakama down the road to stardom, alongside ''Manga/{{Gokusen}}''.

* NamesTheSame: While there's no good reason to make the ShoutOut so it may not be deliberate, [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManUnlimited a Naoko Yamada was once Spider-Man's roomie]].

* NotSoDifferent: Many {{Phony Psychic}}s try to pull this off on Naoko.

* BadassBookworm: Jiro Ueda, elite physicist. He somehow attained a black belt in karate, judo, ''and'' sumo through correspondence course.

* FunWithForeignLanguages: The final movie, set in Malaysia (or its substitute) obviously has this. At one point, they went to a village with signs all over the front gate proclaiming [[PaintingTheFourthWall "No Cameras" and "No Filming]] in ''all'' languages except Japanese.

* [[AliensSpeakingEnglish Malays Speaking Japanese]]: Actually averted in the final movie, where the locals and some of the Japanese group actually speak Malay, but how the heck do the locals know about and use gags and gestures from a Japanese [[Manzai]] duo?

* AnnoyingLaugh[=/=]EvilLaugh: Many con men and their goonies enjoy sporting these. Even Naoko has one.

* ShoutOut: In the second movie, one of the mooks' arms stretch like Luffy's from ''Manga/OnePiece''. Ueda responds with "The Devil Fruit?!". Earlier in that movie, Ueda uses the famous quote "You're already dead" from Kenshiro of ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', with doubles as ActorAllusion, as Hiroshi Abe voiced Kenshiro in ''The Legends of the True Savior'' OVA series).

* CallingYourAttack: Ueda will often should "Jump!" (in English, no less) before jumping or pulling a vanishing act.

* ShoutOut: In the second movie, one of the mooks' arms stretch like Luffy's from ''OnePiece''. Ueda responds with "The Devil Fruit?!". Earlier in that movie, Ueda uses the famous quote "You're already dead" from Kenshiro of ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', with doubles as ActorAllusion, as Hiroshi Abe voiced Kenshiro in ''The Legends of the True Savior'' OVA series).

* UnreliableNarrator - Both Naoko and Ueda in the episode previews.

* AccidentalMisnaming - Naoko has trouble remembering and reading names correctly.
* ACupAngst - While having a respectable bust size herself (Yukie Nakama actually had to be padded down to make herself look flatter), Naoko's rather insecure about it. It doesn't help that many people use her bust size to insult her.

* BadassBookworm - Jiro Ueda, elite physicist. He somehow attained a black belt in karate, judo, ''and'' sumo through correspondence course.
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled - Or imprisoned. Many fraudulent spiritualists take the suicide route rather than go to prison and shame their family.
* BigEater - Ueda. In one episode he polishes off a big pot of rice meant for over a dozen people. He claims he's able to do this because he's an "average Japanese person." At the end of the episode Naoko's landlady says he ate an entire year's worth of rice in one afternoon.
* BiggerIsBetterInBed - Averted, Ueda's still a virgin.
* BigScrewedUpFamily - The Kameyamas in Season 3 and the Kurotsus on Kokumon Island.
* ButtMonkey - Ishihara gets smacked around (literally) by Yabe occasionally in season 1 and constantly in season 2. Granted, he never seems any worse for wear and always comes out grinning like an idiot anyway.

* CallingYourAttack - Ueda will often should "Jump!" (in English, no less) before jumping or pulling a vanishing act.
* ChekhovsGun - In the first movie, it's mentioned Yamada's mother has started selling her calligraphy services online. Much later in the movie, she shows up to deliver some charms to the same mountain village Naoko and Ueda are trapped in.

* ChekhovsSkill - Ueda claims he won a diving competition in the second movie, and later is called on to tie a rope around a rock underwater.
* CluelessDetective - Yabe Kenzo.
* ConMan - Many of the so-called spiritualists are just using simple magic tricks to dupe ordinary people out of their money.
* CoolOldLady - Satomi-san (Naoko's mother).
* CrankyLandlady - Naoko's, who never gives Naoko a break about rent.
* DumbBlonde - Ishihara. Though being Japanese he's obviously not a natural blonde. This is played with during the season 2 finale when the cast goes to investigate a forest that makes hair grow. Ishihara's roots grow back over the bleach, turning him into an intelligent, competent detective that takes the alpha male position from Yabe (at least until season 3).
* EverybodyHatesMathematics - Averted with Ueda, a physics professor. He often uses mathematics to explain tricks that utilize probability which usually stump Naoko.
* FunnyForeigner - Jami the Bangladeshi.
* GagPenis - Ueda's big dong. He even managed to [[spoiler: successfully fend off a group of men fighting him in the third movie by simply showing his member. He also once prevented a fisherman's amorous advance on Naoko in a similar, though more accidental, fashion.]]
* GullibleLemmings - Too many to count.
* IKnowKarate - Ueda took a correspondence course in karate. Somehow he became a black belt. In the third season Naoko does some ass-kicking herself, but it's never explained how she learned martial arts.
* InsufferableGenius - Aisuke Kikuchi from Season 3, who always boasts himself as a Tokyo University graduate. However, his competence is questionable at best.
* MagicianDetective - Naoko Yamada.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane - Naoko's mother has been implied to possess genuine supernatural powers, as well as some other characters in the show.
* NamesTheSame - While there's no good reason to make the ShoutOut so it may not be deliberate, [[WesternAnimation/SpiderManUnlimited a Naoko Yamada was once Spider-Man's roomie]].
* NoblewomansLaugh - "Slit" Mikako in the third season.
* NoodleIncident - At some point before the third season, the driver's side door on Ueda's car fell off, and he begins to carry it around after arriving at the crime scene. How and when it fell off is never explained in the show, and during the second feature-length special, the passenger side door falls off as well. By this point Ueda just leaves the doors where they fall.
* NotSoDifferent - Many {{Phony Psychic}}s try to pull this off on Naoko.
* OddCouple - She's a failing stage magician! He's an elite physicist! Together they expose scam artists with magic tricks!
* {{Otaku}} - From 2005 onwards, Yabe is teamed up with the appropriately-named Harando Akiba (Akiba is frequently used as a shortened form of Akihabara, which is famous for being the centre of otaku culture, with lots of anime, manga and video games available for purchase there). The latter's first interaction with Naoko is continuously exclaiming "{{Moe}}!"
* PhonyPsychic - Everyone who claims to have spiritual powers is this. The only exception is Big Mother of the very first case, who did have real empathic powers, but still created her phony religion.

* ThePlan - Many of Naoko's magic tricks (specifically the ones designed to expose people) are this.
* PoliceAreUseless - Yabe and Ishihara bounce between lazy and just plain incompetent. Despite Naoko and Ueda having exactly zero official police training between them, Yabe and Ishihara make them look like Mulder and Scully.
* TheReveal - Used many times in each case to show how each trick was done, as well as the big reveal at the end to nail the criminal.
* RunningGag - Naoko is constantly teased about her small breasts, though the actress who plays her has a respectable bust size. She apparently had to tape it down for shooting.

* ScamReligion - The cult Naoko and Ueda investigate for their first case, along with a few other groups.
* ShipperOnDeck - Mrs Yamada supports her daughter and Ueda.
* ShipTease - Naoko and Ueda throughout the entire franchise.
* ShoutOut - In the second movie, one of the mooks' arms stretch like Luffy's from ''OnePiece''. Ueda responds with "The Devil Fruit?!". Earlier in that movie, Ueda uses the famous quote "You're already dead" from Kenshiro of ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', with doubles as ActorAllusion, as Hiroshi Abe voiced Kenshiro in ''The Legends of the True Savior'' OVA series).

* SnakeOilSalesman - A man who claims to be able to "see" through people's minds (and sketch their room layouts) sells tiny copper bells to people, telling them they'll cure their ills.
* {{Spinoff}} - ''Keibuho Yabe Kenzou'', featuring Yabe as the main character.
* StageMagician - Naoko's official profession, but she's rarely seen actually performing on stage (mostly because her stage presence is so lacking she actually drives away her audience).
* TheUnReveal - Yabe is implied to wear a wig. His actual hairline is always obscured by white squiggles when it comes off.
* TookALevelInJerkass - In Season 3, after hearing about the "legendary" elephant statuette, Naoko decides to attack the woman holding onto it (who, unknown to her, is actually her mother), knocks Jiro out after he objects to her plans, and tries to ''sell'' the statuette back to her mother.

* {{Spinoff}} - ''Keibuho Yabe Kenzo''.

** Ueda's big dong, Yabe's balding spot, Naoko's perpetual poverty, Ueda's increasing celebrity status with newly published books (with big font) and his famous quote "Why don't you do your best?!"[[note]]"Naze besuto wo zukusanai no ka?!"[[/note]]

** Also in the same movie, Naoko's landlady has her head ''enlarged'' when demanding Naoko to pay her rent. Naoko remarks that she resembles Yubaba from ''Anime/SpiritedAway''.

* ShoutOut - In the second movie, one of the mooks' arms stretch like Luffy's from ''OnePiece''. Ueda responds with "The Devil Fruit?!"
** Ueda uses the famous quote "You're already dead" from Kenshiro of ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', with doubles as ActorAllusion, as Hiroshi Abe voiced Kenshiro in ''The Legends of the True Savior'' OVA series).

Together Naoko and Ueda solve ''Scooby-Doo''-esque mysteries, usually centered around people claiming to be real live spiritualists who are always proven to be frauds. Detective Yabe, his partner Ishihara and Naoko's mother round out the cast of misfits. The series has a comedic bent, though tip-toes into dramatic territory on occasion. Notable as one of the series that helped Yukie Nakama down the road to stardom, along with ''Manga/{{Gokusen}}''.

** Ueda's "You're already dead" (from ''FistOfTheNorthStar'').

* RunningGag - Naoko is constantly teased about her small breasts, though the actress who plays her has a respectable bust size. She apparently has to tape it down for shooting.

* DumbBlonde - Ishihara. Though being Japanese he's obviously not a natural blonde. This is played with during the season 2 finale when the cast goes to investigate a forest that makes hair grow. Ishihara's roots grow back over the bleach, turning him into an intelligent, competent detective that takes the alpha male position from Yabe (at least until season 3, of course).

* GagPenis - Ueda's big dong. He even managed to [[spoiler: successfully fend off a group of men fighting him in the third movie by simply showing his member. He also once prevented a fisherman's amorous advance on Naoko in similar, though more accidental, fashion.]]

* BiggusDickus - A running gag with Ueda. He even managed to [[spoiler: successfully fend off a group of men fighting him in the third movie by simply showing his member. He also once prevented a fisherman's amorous advance on Naoko in similar, though more accidental, fashion.]]