Still subbing: Furuhata Ninzaburo

Some of you...


Well, a few of you...


Maybe one of you may be wondering why there was a long gap between posts this year. Well, a large part of it was down to work suddenly ramping up but also there was the part played by Furuhata Ninzaburo and my role in subbing it in English.

It is one of my favourites and an absolute joy, but I found that my decision to do the subtitles for season 3 and then the specials has had a knock on effect on my drama watching.

If I sat and watched a J-drama, I would think to myself that I should actually be doing some work on the subtitles. It’s a bit of a burden because I’ve always thought that Furuhata Ninzaburo deserved English subs, so now that it’s me doing them it seems wrong to ignore them. So I stopped enjoying Japanese TV and I pretty much stopped watching.

I still enjoyed Japanese culture, though, and in my time away from blogging I completed a free on-line course on antique Japanese books, which I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend. I also planned my next trip to Japan in some detail only to watch as, post-Brexit, the pound went down and the yen went up, adding about £500 to my plans and causing me to postpone it for a year.

But recently I’ve changed my subtitling habits from trying to do a lot of subtitling in one go, and instead chipped away at it, five minutes at a time whenever I can. I doubt this is quicker, but it’s not much slower, either. Also it helps with my guilt because I can sit down to watch TV without the nagging doubt that I haven't done any subbing in a while.

Whenever an episode is complete, I feel very proud of it so I have absolutely no intention of stopping this project and, hopefully, after this special I’m doing at the moment, things will soon be smoother since I’ll actually have two sets of subtitles to work from which should solve any ambiguities in the dialogue.

In the meantime, sorry about the delay but I feel much better now that I’m able to watch and enjoy J-dramas again.

Just watched: Orient Kyuukou Satsujin Jiken

Or Murder on the Orient Express, to give it its English name. This adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel is written by Mitani Kouki, one of my favourite Japanese writers, responsible for University of Laughs, Furuhata Ninzaburo, The Magic Hour among others.

Despite this impressive back catalogue, his recent work has been a little, shall we say, too clever for its own good. Beautifully crafted and structured, but somewhat hollow inside. This, most recent, TV special written by him illustrates the point.

It's a two-episode special, lasting five hours in total. The first half is taken up with a fairly faithful rendition of Agatha Christie's original, transplanted to Japan in 1933. All well and good. I was confused by the way the detective spoke, though. In the original the detective, Poirot, is Belgian and speaks with an accent. However, the idea of a foreigner of any nationality being allowed to investigate and solve a murder crime in Japan in the 1930s is pretty unlikely, so the detective in this version is Japanese. Albeit one with a curious way of speaking. I cannot tell if it is an accent or just a very mannered way of talking. Once you get used to it, it’s quite adorable.

The second half, though, is where Mitani Kouki fills in the gaps in the Christie original, explaining in detail the events that lead to the murder. However, I suspect there’s a reason that Agatha Christie didn’t expand on this part of the story: because its dull. Very dull. I didn’t make it very far into the second episode before giving up and turning off.

So, by all means, watch and enjoy the first episode which is a beautifully made adaptation, but don’t feel the need to watch the second episode. And kudos to the lead actor, Nomura Mansai, who is so enjoyable and watchable that when he’s absent (as he mostly is in part two) the drama suddenly lacks interest.

Just finished: Furuhata Ninzaburo

In a season where not much caught my eye, it was nice to have the subs for this old classic coming out every now and again. This series from 1994 concerns an idiosyncratic detective who solves cleverly constructed crimes with cunning logic.

I've written about it before, so I won't go into details, but I will say what a relief it was that a program with such a high reputation should live up to it. Before watching the series, I was a little worried that maybe I'd only seen the best episodes and that the rest were below par. Happily that's not the case and even though the series sags a bit in the middle, with some pretty tenuous clues, the final two episodes were a joy to watch as Furuhata comes up against some minds as keen as his own.

No word about any subs for series two just yet, but I can wait. I waited years just for series one. I'm a patient man, if it's worth it.

Currently watching: Furuhata Ninzaburo

Ah, just typing out the title "Currently watching: Furuhata Ninzaburo" made me happy. It's been about two years after I first saw it, and about eighteen months since I gave up any hope of watching more than a handful of episodes. But I am now able to enjoy a full series of this detective series thanks to some hard-working subbers. A full series!

Furuhata Ninzaburo is a detective who solves murders. Each episode is structurally the same: The viewer sees the murder take place (so the killer is known from the start) and then we see the killer and the policeman interact with each other while the crime is being solved. It's similar to Colombo, except with far fewer locations. It's also half the length of the average Colombo episode, so the crime is usually simpler, but still devious.

It's a lot of fun to watch. Tamura Masakazu is great in the title role. Perhaps too perfect as, according to Wikipedia, he regretted the role believing it lead to him being typecast. It's a shame that he should have reservations about making the show, but for everyone else, we've been left a quality piece of television.

Looking forward

Perhaps one of the strange parts of liking TV in a foreign language is how it's possible to impatiently look forward to watching a series that was shown years ago. Recently, two subbing groups have announced that they'll be providing subtitles for two series that I always wanted to watched.

The first series is one that I've mentioned before. Furuhata Ninzaburo was a detective series that ran for three series in 1994, 1996 and 1999 (with three specials in 2006). It was written by Mitani Kouki, my favourite Japanese writer, and is about a detective who solves cunningly devised murders. I was very happy to learn that someone had decided to sub the first series after all these years.

The second was even more of a surprise. Fujiko F. Fujio no Parallel Space was a six-part series of unrelated short stories broadcast in 2008. I've had these sitting on a disc for a while now and didn't expect to watch them again until my Japanese had improved. Luckily, this subbing group (who previously did Eri Fukatsu's Black Comedy) have decided to pick it up.

Stylistically, each episode is different, giving it a similar feel to Camouflage or Ueno Juri no Itsutsu no Kaban, and I'm interested to see what the stories are actually about. Episode one, starring Nagasawa Masami, is definitely one to watch since the framing and acting is taken exactly from the original comic strip. It's very interesting to see how positions and scene changes that seem so natural in comics don't work at all in live action.

Just watched: Suteki na Kakushidori

This film for TV was made as a side-project to Mitani Kuoki's cinema release Suteki na Kanashibari, and it shares a lot of the same cast. In the TV film, Fukatsu Eri plays a concierge at a hotel who finds herself trying to fulfil the wishes of a series of eccentric guests.

It's a simple and light-hearted comedy. The structure is episodic: when one guest's story ends, the next one begins. None of the guests interact, so there's none of the complicated storytelling that Mitani Kouki devised in The Uchoten Hotel. Eri is funny as the concierge trying to help as best she can. Throughout the film she finds herself in situations like trying to help a TV chef who's never cooked, or helping a songwriter overcome his writer's block.

A particular highlight for me was Kusanagi Tsuyoshi as a clueless contortionist who needs advice about his act. But mostly, it Eri's peppy performance that keeps you watching. It also has quite a spontaneous feel, and I wonder how much of this was improvised. This is an amusing and entertaining diversion, and is definitely worth a look.

Mitani Kouki 50th Anniversary Special: Welcome Back, Mr McDonald

Or Rajio no Jikan to give it its Japanese name.

This film from 1997 is the earliest work from Mitani Kouki that I’ve seen, but his style is clearly already fully formed. Set in a radio station performing a live drama by a new writer, it follows the series of events caused by one of the actresses insisting that her character’s name is changed. After this, everyone wants their ideas to be included in the show. The writer tries to please everyone and the radio play soon turns into something quite different.

The pacing reminded me of the old screwball comedies from the 1930s, and the setting (a live drama on the radio) adds to the slightly old-fashioned feel. But the stereotypes of pompous actors, producers who only want to keep the sponsors happy and apathetic technicians are timeless so, in that sense at least, it is still relevant.

But at its heart, this is all about the absurdity of performing and writing: how the idealistic writer has to endlessly compromise. Its a funny and charming diversion, and well worth your time if you happen to come across it.

Mitani Kouki 50th Anniversary Special: Ai Kotoba wa Yuki

This plot for this series from 2000 bears more than a passing resemblance to the plot for his 2008 film The Magic Hour. In both, an out-of-work actor is persuaded to be something he isn't as part of some elaborate hoax. The main difference is that in The Magic Hour, the actor believes he's making a film, while in Ai Kotoba wa Yuki the actor is fully aware of his deceit.

It involves a village trying to stop a big multinational firm from ruining its countryside. But they cannot afford to get a decent lawyer. So one of them goes to Tokyo to find one who'll do it on the cheap. Unable to find that, he convinces an actor to come back to the village and tell everyone it's impossible to win such a case. But instead the actor gets carried away and instead insists they can win and he can help them!

After that, the story mostly involves trying to keep everyone in the dark while trying to find a dignified way out of the mess. It's funny and occasionally quite touching. It's remarkable that an eleven-part series which only has one storyline doesn't seem too long nor does it run out of ideas. Mitani Kouki does an excellent job of coming up with problems and solutions which don't stretch the viewer's suspension of disbelief beyond breaking point.

Mitani Kouki 50th anniversary special: Wagaya no Rekishi

As the Japanese TV channel WOWOW celebrates the playwright Mitani Kouki’s 50th birthday, so I thought I’d also do some posts on one of my favourite Japanese writers.

In terms of style, his is a comfortable, easy-to-watch genre. He rarely pushes the boundaries in terms of social commentary or hard-hitting realism. Instead his works are meticulously structured, taking a situation and squeezing out every possibility without it seeming contrived or unlikely. It would not be harsh to call him sentimental. The endings of The University of Laughs, Radio no Jikan (Welcome Back Mr McDonald) and The Magic Hour are all the most touching you could expect.

I've already written about his work before, so now here's the first in a short series of posts about some of his other films and TV series.

Most recently, he wrote Wagaya no Rekishi. This three-part drama follows the adventures of a family in the latter half of the twentieth century, and as the years progress we see them getting caught up in the major events of that era. It’s an interesting idea, and a nice way to learn some recent Japanese history. The cast is full of famous faces, and the various periods of history are carefully recreated.

But for something made with such care and attention, it's a little hollow. The problem is that some of the storylines are pretty convoluted as members of the family suddenly have to go to Hokkaido, for example, just so the story can include a particular historical event. Weaving a family history around the history of an entire country doesn't quite work. But the series has an epic feel to it, and it certainly feels like you've sat through a lot of modern history by the time you get to the end. And I mean that in a good way.

Recommended: The Magic Hour

This film from 2008, written by Mitani Kouki, tells an unlikely story of a man who gets in trouble with the local yakuza. To get himself out of this fix, he hires an actor to pretend to be a top assassin and uses that to gain favour with the gang again. But he doesn’t tell the actor the real situation. Instead, the actor thinks he’s ad libbing a film that uses hidden cameras and all-natural lighting.

The setting is almost as confusing as the storyline. In a Japanese city there is a little neighbourhood of 1930’s style buildings where everyone dresses and acts according to that same period. It’s a bit of a stretch that this little island of pre-war Japan should remain untouched, but once you accept it, the film works fine.

At least it allows Mitani Kouki to work in this period that he seems to adore. And it gives the story a less-threatening feel. Each time the actor (played by Koichi Sato) unwittingly gets into more life-threatening situations, he impresses the other yakuza with his bravery. Except, of course, he doesn’t know he’s in any real danger. And it’s very funny when he slips out of character and talks to the other mobsters about "the biz". He’s talking about showbusiness, while they think he’s talking about organised crime.

It stars Tsumabuki Satoshi and Sato Koichi in the two lead roles. Sato Koichi is especially good as the actor who unwittingly puts his life at risk for what he thinks may be his big break. Also noteworthy is Fukatsu Eri (Kabachitare, Akunin) who really suits the 1930's style of the film. This is a great old-fashioned screwball comedy and definitely more gold from Mitani Kouki.

Recommended: Furuhata Ninzaburo

This detective series ran from 1994 to 2006 (albeit with a seven year gap between the third series and the last) and got high ratings throughout its run. It was written by the playwright Mitani Koki, who I’ve written about before regarding the University of Laughs and The Uchoten Hotel, and it maintains the high standards he set in those two films.

It stars Tamura Masakazu as the detective in the title role, and his performance expertly compliments the cleverly written scripts. Each episode begins with the crime being committed, so the viewer already knows the murderer by the time Furuhata arrives on the scene. From what I’ve seen, this is a smart and engaging show in which the excitement is not “who did it? ” rather “how will he work out who did it?”

It’s a shame that it’s so hard to find subbed episodes. [Big edit - subs for series one are on d-additcs.]

On the show’s Wikipedia page is a link to Columbo, and there are similarities between the two. I’d even say, if you don’t like Columbo, you probably won’t like this. But if you’re like me and find the process of deduction just as interesting whether you know the answer or not, this is unmissable.

Just watched: The Uchoten Hotel

It’s the first of January, and I’m writing about a film set in a hotel on New Year’s Eve. It’s almost as if I planned it! I didn’t, of course: I’m not that organised. But when I sat down yesterday evening to watch this, you can imagine how pleased I was to see that the date in the film matched the date on the calendar.

This film, also known as Suite Dreams, is a comedy from 2006 about the various misadventures of a group of guests in a high class hotel as the staff prepare for the end of year celebrations. It’s directed by Mitani Kouki and stars Koji Yakusho (who previously worked together on the excellent University of Laughs) and is an homage of sorts to the screwball comedies of the 1930s. The comedy is kept light and sophisticated, and the stories intertwine very neatly. Most of the first ninety minutes is spent making everything go wrong, while the last half an hour is spent putting everything right. Well, most things.

 The cast is full of well-known faces. I won’t list them all because half the fun is spotting them, but noble mentions go to Shinohara Ryoko as a call girl, and Takako Matsu as a maid who gets mistaken for the mistress of a rich man by his son. There are plenty of cameos to enjoy, and it looks like everyone is having a lot of fun making it.

It’s a perfect holiday film, and if you can find it then watch it quick, because it’ll be a whole year before you can see it without thinking “I wish it actually was New Year’s Eve.”

Japan versus Cameroon: University of Laughs (Warai no Daigaku)

This 2004 film, based on the play, follows the power struggle between a comic writer and a censor. Set in war-time Japan, the all-powerful censor finds himself slowly being drawn into caring about the writer’s silly little play as it is submitted time and time again.

The move from granite-faced official to collaborator (in the writing sense) is deftly done and only becomes apparent in one glorious scene when, in trying to prove a point, asks the censor to help act it out. At first the censor is stiff and awkward, but after a few attempts he starts to get into it and the look of child-like glee when he starts acting is quite touching.

Ultimately, despite it’s specific place and time in history, this is a universal story about censorship. But rather than a finger-wagging diatribe about how bad governments are, it’s more of a celebration of the things that censorship denies us – as the censor finds his world enriched by the exchange of ideas with the writer, the idea that society too can be similarly enriched is writ large throughout the film.

But there’s still no PAL DVD release, and it’s lack of fame means it’s unlikely to get one. I only know about it because a friend happened to watch it on a flight to Germany. Another undiscovered treasure.