Alex: Honkaku on Screen

 Many of us bemoan the non-availability of Japanese orthodox deductive stories on our bookshelves, with translations being sporadic or non-existent, based on our location. But there is another way to enjoy those, and perhaps it might become more accessible than printed books - or at least provide a way to consume honkaku in a different way. I'm speaking about live-action adaptations.

In this post I will concentrate on some of the arguably biggest names in new orthodox movement and their best known sleuths in order to give some points as to which films and series to watch.

Shimada Sōji

We start with the patriarch himself, who can boast two episodes starring his primary sleuth, Mitarai Kiyoshi.

The sleuth is played by Tamaki Hiroshi

This version of the character debuts in the extensively named TV episode 天才探偵ミタライ〜難解事件ファイル「傘を折る女」〜 (Genius Sleuth Mitarai: Archive of Complex Cases, The Woman Who Broke an Umbrella, 2015), adapting (faithfully) the short story of the same name from the UFO Avenue collection (2006). Mitarai is joined by his faithful Ishioka, portrayed by Dōmoto Kōichi.

The cases continue in the cinema release, 探偵ミタライの事件簿 星籠の海 (The Case-Book of Sleuth Mitarai, The Clockwork Current, 2015), which adapts the similarly titled novel of 2013 and for no reason replaces Ishioka with an original female character played by Alice Hirose, which arguably takes half of the fun out of the story.

Arisugawa Alice

As far as I know, as early as in 1994 there was a serialized TV adaptation of a novel from Arisugawa's most valued series, the Egami Jirō one: it was a version of Two-Headed Devil, and Kagawa Teruyuki played Egami Jirō. But now it is not easy to find it.

Himura Hideo, however, appeared in a high-profile TV series which arguably still continues!

Saitō Takumi and Kubota Masataka star as Himura and the writer Arisugawa

 

The series, called 臨床犯罪学者 火村英生の推理 (Clinical Criminologist: The Deductions of Himura Hideo, 2016), started as a ten-episode extravaganza, adapting the following plots:

1. "The Castle of Screams Murder Case" (short story, 2001, collected in the volume of the same name)
2. "The Strange Visitor" (short story, 2000, collected in Dark Lodgings)
3. "Ransom of the Associate Professor" (short story, 2004, collected in The Moroccan Crystal Mystery, originally called "Ransom of the Assistant Professor")
4. Dali's Cocoon (novel, 1993)
5. "Break the Display Window" (short story, 2014, collected in The Suspicious Store)
6. A Study in Vermillion (novel, 1997, part 1)
7. A Study in Vermillion (part 2)
8. "The Knife of Apollo" (short story, 2010, collected in Murder in The Bodhi Tree Estate)
9. "Execution in the Cellar" (short story, 2001, collected in The White Rabbit Runs Away)
10. "Logical Death Game" (short story, 2010, collected in The House of Long Corridors)

Immediately after the conclusion of the TV run, Hulu started airing additional episodes, entitled "Another Story":

1. "The Sleuth and the Young Age" (short story, 2012, collected in Murder in The Bodhi Tree Estate)
2. "Waiting for Jack the Ripper" (short story, 1997, collected in The Persian Cat Mystery, part 1)
3. "Waiting for Jack the Ripper" (part 2)

 In 2019, the series returned with the TV special:

1. "The ABC Killer" (short story, written in 2001 for an anthology of The ABC Murders pastiches, later collected in The Moroccan Crystal Mystery)

Once again, the season then moved to Hulu:

1. The Hunter's Nightmare (novel, 2017, part 1)
2. The Hunter's Nightmare (part 2)

There have been no new episodes since then.

 

Noridzuki Rintarō

There has been only one attempt to bring Rintarō the writer' Rintarō the sleuth on screen: the TV special called 誘拐ミステリー超傑作 法月綸太郎 一の悲劇 (Abduction Mystery Super Masterpiece: Noridzuki Rintarō, The Tragedy of One, 2016), adapting the novel of 1991.

Hasegawa Hiroki stars as Noridzuki, supported by Okuda Eiji as his police dad

Weirdly, the changes included in the adaptation completely demolished the meaning of the original title.

Ashibe Taku

There has been an attempt to bring Ashibe's attorney, Morie Shunsaku, on screen. Strangely, the decision was made to rely mostly on the original stories...

弁護士・森江春策の事件 (The Cases of Attorney Morie Shunsaku, 2009-11) ran in three special episodes.

Kabuki-trained Nakamura Baijaku II plays Shunsaku

First episode was based on the Lay Judge anthology of 2008, but the remaining two were done with the plots not authored by Ashibe!

Thankfully, he had more success on screen when he made a career of an official sequel writer for Ranpo's Akechi Kogorō and Yokomizo's Kindaichi Kōsuke franchises. These produced two TV adaptations:

1. 金田一耕助VS明智小五郎 (Kindaichi Kōsuke vs. Akechi Kogorō, 2013), based on a pastiche of 2002 with a slightly different name "Akechi Kogorō versus Kindaichi Kōsuke";
2. 金田一耕助VS明智小五郎ふたたび (Kindaichi Kōsuke vs. Akechi Kogorō, Once Again, 2014), based on the 2013 work "Akechi Kogorō versus Kindaichi Kōsuke, Once Again."

Yamashita Tomohisa (Yamapi) as Kindaichi, Itō Hideaki as Akechi

 

 Ooyama Seiichirō

We  conclude this post by one of the best currently living short story masters, who has been staggeringly adapted twice.

The TV series 犯罪資料館 緋色冴子シリーズ『赤い博物館』 (The Crime Records: Hiiro Saeko Series, The Red Museum, 2016-2017) is based on the "Red Museum" cycle. There are two specials, jointly adapting three stories.

アリバイ崩し承ります (Alibi Deconstruction, At Your Service) was just released in 2020, containing seven episodes plus two more streamed at AbemaTV. It does not only adapt the book of the same name completely, but also adds one more story that has just had its journal premiere.