It is a startlingly brilliant and original idea to have the guest stars in "Furuhata Ninzaburô" play themselves. A few of the previous killers were expies of the actors portraying them (see "Magician's Choice", for example) but "Furuhata Ninzaburô vs. SMAP" is the first time the killer himself is a real person. On top of that, we get five for the price of one. The killers here are, as the title says, SMAP - an extremely popular Japanese boy band whose members also made their names as popular dorama stars (Kimura Takuya had even previously appeared as the chilling killer on one of the best "Furuhata Ninzaburô" episodes "Red or Blue"). The experience shows and these guys are not just pretty faces. They are more than capable of wrestling with Kôki Mitani's emotional writing and going toe to toe with Masakazu Tamura. It is a shame that this gimmick was not attempted more often as it is the one thing that could truly set "Furuhata Ninzaburô" apart from its spiritual ancestor "Columbo".
"Furuhata Ninzaburô vs. SMAP" is also the show's longest episode by far with an intimidating 136-minute runtime. I absolutely love the first 56 minutes of this episode which play out like a mini-movie all of its own. As SMAP struggle to execute their perfect plan, overcoming various obstacles and having to race against the clock, I felt like I was watching a small-screen version of a "Mission: Impossible" movie. The episode is directed by Masayuki Suzuki who brings the same dynamic intensity as Mamoru Hoshi but also gives the show a kind of cinematic slickness that it never had before. His camera movements are beautifully orchestrated, grandiose and flowing and his feeling for suspense is impeccable. When you combine all of this you get the finest first act "Furuhata Ninzaburô" has ever had.
Unfortunately, once the murder is committed the episode still has 80 minutes to go and this is where trouble sets in. All of the previous "Furuhata Ninzaburô" episodes with extended runtimes struggled with padding and this episode is no outlier. The second act drags to a laughable extent with long stretches of dramatic inertness and languorous pacing. After an exciting opener, "Furuhata Ninzaburô vs. SMAP" pretty much crawls to its finale.
The reasons for this are many. Most obviously, there isn't much Furuhata can do that would fill out an 80-minute runtime so the episode turns into an endless talkathon in which Furuhata talks the SMAP boys into circles without much of a result. It is baffling to me as to why Kôki Mitani didn't pad out the episode in the most obvious way - by having SMAP perform! Have them do five or six numbers throughout the episode and maybe show them do a sketch or two. It would be far less egregious than the useless dialogue scenes we do get. We only see the SMAP boys perform once in the whole episode and even that scene is intercut with the discovery of the body. That must have been a bit of a disappointment for the fans...
Another problem with the extended runtime is that for all the talking, the SMAP boys are not written as either arrogant or villainous enough to be compelling antagonists. Keeping to their family-friendly brand, Kôki Mitani has written them as a band of inseparable friends who are driven to murder in order to help one of their family members. As you don't really want to see them get caught, there is little interest in following Furuhata's investigation in such excruciating detail.
The episode is also light on humour. I liked the scenes between Shintaro and his new subordinate where he tries to act like his boss but ends up looking like a fool. However, most of the comic relief relies on Shintaro being starstruck by SMAP, a gag that grows old very soon.
And yet, if you have the nerves of steel to sit through the 80-minute talkathon, there is genuinely a lot of good work in "Furuhata Ninzaburô vs. SMAP". The five guest stars give good performances (especially Takuya Kimura and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) and I think it's admirable that Kôki Mitani writes them as real, fleshed-out characters rather than simple caricatures of their popular images. Another excellent performance comes from Keiko Toda as SMAP's tough manager. The episode eventually does pick up steam again and the final 25 minutes are a real treat. Mitani has the investigation come to a head in an unexpectedly emotional and touchingly played finale - one of the best on the show so far despite the fact that Furuhata seems to divine the solution out of thin air yet again.
There is a really brilliant, tight and exciting episode somewhere in the sprawling and unwieldy "Furuhata Ninzaburô vs. SMAP" if only the editor were more ruthless. Had it run for around 90-minutes, I'm sure I'd be giving it a 10-star rating. The first 56 minutes certainly deserve it. However, as it stands, I have to deduct points for the second act which is so slow and talky it will test the most patient of men.
"Furuhata Ninzaburô vs. SMAP" is also the show's longest episode by far with an intimidating 136-minute runtime. I absolutely love the first 56 minutes of this episode which play out like a mini-movie all of its own. As SMAP struggle to execute their perfect plan, overcoming various obstacles and having to race against the clock, I felt like I was watching a small-screen version of a "Mission: Impossible" movie. The episode is directed by Masayuki Suzuki who brings the same dynamic intensity as Mamoru Hoshi but also gives the show a kind of cinematic slickness that it never had before. His camera movements are beautifully orchestrated, grandiose and flowing and his feeling for suspense is impeccable. When you combine all of this you get the finest first act "Furuhata Ninzaburô" has ever had.
Unfortunately, once the murder is committed the episode still has 80 minutes to go and this is where trouble sets in. All of the previous "Furuhata Ninzaburô" episodes with extended runtimes struggled with padding and this episode is no outlier. The second act drags to a laughable extent with long stretches of dramatic inertness and languorous pacing. After an exciting opener, "Furuhata Ninzaburô vs. SMAP" pretty much crawls to its finale.
The reasons for this are many. Most obviously, there isn't much Furuhata can do that would fill out an 80-minute runtime so the episode turns into an endless talkathon in which Furuhata talks the SMAP boys into circles without much of a result. It is baffling to me as to why Kôki Mitani didn't pad out the episode in the most obvious way - by having SMAP perform! Have them do five or six numbers throughout the episode and maybe show them do a sketch or two. It would be far less egregious than the useless dialogue scenes we do get. We only see the SMAP boys perform once in the whole episode and even that scene is intercut with the discovery of the body. That must have been a bit of a disappointment for the fans...
Another problem with the extended runtime is that for all the talking, the SMAP boys are not written as either arrogant or villainous enough to be compelling antagonists. Keeping to their family-friendly brand, Kôki Mitani has written them as a band of inseparable friends who are driven to murder in order to help one of their family members. As you don't really want to see them get caught, there is little interest in following Furuhata's investigation in such excruciating detail.
The episode is also light on humour. I liked the scenes between Shintaro and his new subordinate where he tries to act like his boss but ends up looking like a fool. However, most of the comic relief relies on Shintaro being starstruck by SMAP, a gag that grows old very soon.
And yet, if you have the nerves of steel to sit through the 80-minute talkathon, there is genuinely a lot of good work in "Furuhata Ninzaburô vs. SMAP". The five guest stars give good performances (especially Takuya Kimura and Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) and I think it's admirable that Kôki Mitani writes them as real, fleshed-out characters rather than simple caricatures of their popular images. Another excellent performance comes from Keiko Toda as SMAP's tough manager. The episode eventually does pick up steam again and the final 25 minutes are a real treat. Mitani has the investigation come to a head in an unexpectedly emotional and touchingly played finale - one of the best on the show so far despite the fact that Furuhata seems to divine the solution out of thin air yet again.
There is a really brilliant, tight and exciting episode somewhere in the sprawling and unwieldy "Furuhata Ninzaburô vs. SMAP" if only the editor were more ruthless. Had it run for around 90-minutes, I'm sure I'd be giving it a 10-star rating. The first 56 minutes certainly deserve it. However, as it stands, I have to deduct points for the second act which is so slow and talky it will test the most patient of men.
