And so it begins! This is the first episode of the funniest, cleverest, and sharpest Japanese detective show "Furuhata Ninzaburô".
And what a beginning! "Furuhata Ninzaburô" was written in its entirety by playwright Kôki Mitani. And indeed, with only four characters (one of whom is bumped off in the prologue), a single setting, and a story which almost unfolds in real-time, "Message from the Dead", one of the best episodes of the whole series, feels very much like a play. Focused mainly on the back-and-forth between Furuhata and the killer, the sorrowful comic book writer Chinami, an intriguingly complex relationship develops between the hunter and its prey. By the end of the episode, there's a little taste of gentle romance, charmingly played by the always superb Tamura Masakazu and the lovely Akina Nakamori who really makes you feel for this particular murderer.
The episode is only 46 minutes long but Mitani manages to develop this delicate storyline to its fullest potential while also inserting his trademark comic relief in the form of Furuhata's bumbling sidekick Shintaro (Masahiko Nishimura). Nishimura absolutely nails the part playing it with just enough goofiness to be funny without becoming obnoxious or ruining the melancholic atmosphere of the episode.
"Message from the Dead" was directed by Mamoru Hoshi, the most stylish of all "Furuhata Ninzaburô" directors. The story takes place in a remote manor house during a rainstorm and Hoshi gives it a suitably gothic atmosphere of claustrophobia and mystery befitting of an Agatha Christie story. His direction is somewhat downplayed here, more low-key than in his other, more extravagant episodes but there are still several eye-catching camera tricks and well-composed shots. I particularly enjoyed the simple yet moody shot in the beginning of the episode in which the camera slowly dollies through a windshield into a close-up of Chinami as she drives through the rain.