Flavours of life

"In the name of my grandfather"

I shall dedicate this post to satisfy my renewed obsession for Japanese mystery files, in particular the Japanese classic Kindaichi Shonen No Jikenbo which took a 13 years hiatus since it was last seen on television across Asia. I recalled myself following the series when I was a mere 10 year-old kid; Matsumoto Jun's rendition of the well-loved Kindaichi Hajime remained vivid in my memory. What an early maturity I had, watching such gruesome killings in my childhood, but I never regretted. Japanese mysteries have also captivated me with their sophistication and old-school cinematic effects which raised the horror and mysteriousness. What makes Japanese mysteries so much more worth the watch is their lesser reliance on technology when it comes to unraveling the case. True, in reality, forensics become an almost inclusive field for investigation, but I rather see the detective think through the motives and the elaborate, well-thought out plans of the murderer. Iconic to Kindaichi series, its the author's obsession for murder scenarios that makes the possible impossible, confusing the audience with its "sealed door murders" and reasonable alibi that never fails to turn the suspect to a harmless witness of a grotesque murder.

[ジッチャンの名にかけて] [謎はすべて解けた!!]　

Those are the catch phrases of the protagonist in the aforementioned - Kindaichi Hajime. I am really excited about Kindaichi Shonen No Jikenbo N (neo), especially following the 2 specials filmed in Hongkong and Malaysia since 2012. It's a new interpretation of the classic series and it's a refreshing reload to this long hiatus the series took. As the cast noted, a decade has past, filming techniques have improved drastically since then, hence viewers can expect more CG. I would not put a CG-reliant production on a pedestal, mostly because it sometimes compromise the kind of mysteriousness and horror factor that the previous seasons have promised. Technology is a double-edged sword isn't it. Moving on, (neo) supposedly hints the idea of a new interpretation as I earlier mentioned, conversely, I would borrow Yamada Ryosuke's (Kindaichi Hajime) interview who mentioned that this new series is much closer to that featured in the original manga. The first episode which was presented as a 2 hour special has proved his point with the blunt reminder of Hajime's pervertic inclinations and his flirtatious character. This was almost always highlighted in the original works, but was very much toned down in the series thus far until (neo) is conceptualised. In this sense, I am sure (neo) has lived up to the expectations of the author. There was a good balance between the previously neglected comedic elements and the tension revolving around the case. I'll credit the cast professionalism and applaudable acting skills for bagging home a high rating of 12.4% during its premiere on NTV last saturday 19 July.

Yamada Ryosuke has also lived up to the expectations and high repute set by its predecessors, namely the first 3 generations of Kindaichi Hajime and their interpretations. I must first confess that I have not always been a fan of Ryosuke, until the last 2 years when I first chanced upon him on cable tv where it was heavily promoting the Kindaichi special filmed in Hongkong. I admit I was skeptical and disappointed that the cast was different when the series last aired in my country, Singapore. It was Matsumoto Jun then. But familiar faces popped out during that minute promotional clip, and it was none other than Seungri and Wu Chun. I was aware of them, but I was mostly ambivalent towards the trio Ryosuke, Kawaguchi Haruna and Arioka Daiki whom I have never heard of. (It is understandable then as I wasn't into Jpop). I decided to give it a try since Kindaichi is my favourite mystery series, so why not? Then I set my eyes on Ryosuke who amazed me with his realistic acting. I did not stop there. I went on to catch his previous works and was truly surprised by the quality of work he has produced in every single drama he is casted in. I could see he is famous for his roles in mystery files and I could clearly see the reason why. His emotions are intense and his skill set positions him well as an aspiring detective. He progressed into the comedy realm, and I must say it is something refreshing and it definitely did not disappoint me. Kindaichi is perhaps one such work that allows him to test both his favourite genres into one. There was almost nothing I could pick on about him, maybe except that he looks really petite. If it is worth mentioning, I actually went on to support the group he is in, Hey! Say! JUMP, and found myself drawn to his soothing voice. An actor, singer, a man with words and good PR skills, he has it all.

In related topic, I have also been following Fukuyama Masaharu's Galileo, another highly-acclaimed Japanese mystery series. Compared to the Kindaichi files which features high school kids tapping into their logical, reasoning skills to unravel mysteries, Galileo uses the lense of physics and its theories to uncover the tricks of murderers. The latter focuses less on the humanistic motives behind the murderer's tough front, more on the mechanics of the crime. Amongst the many differences between these 2 series, one stands out evidently is the personalities of the lead characters - Kindaichi Hajime and Professor Galileo. The former is as mentioned, flirtatious, dirty-minded (aka hentai), performs poorly in academic sense and all things typical of a high school boy, except his inheritance of his grandfather Kindaichi Kosuke's elite observation skills and ability to uncover mysteries. In contrast, Galileo is a highly intelligent physicist at a elite university with an extraordinarily high IQ and a less than average EQ. Well, they are both imperfect in their own ways but their imperfection is what makes them a heart-throb among the female characters. I would love to mention how Hajime, despite his erotic thoughts, is really warm hearted. Most of the females who encountered him are attracted to his kindness and his commitment to protect those around him. What's more, he is very committed when it comes to true love cause there's only just one girl he keeps deeply in his heart, Miyuki Nanase, the heroine in the Kindaichi series. Galileo, on the other hand, is largely ignorant of love affairs. Typical of Japanese mysteries, though there are subtle hints about how the romance will work out between the protagonists of both series, these portion remains almost always an unresolved mystery. What an irony! Call me imaginative, but I have already settled that Hajime and Miyuki will progress as couples, regardless if it will be explicitly portrayed.

金田一少年の事件簿N(neo) episode 1 fmv - Video Dailymotion

Here's a video to end off my lengthy post which I wouldn't call a review entirely. Anyway, this is a fanmade video by me. Please read the disclaimers beneath the video, and do support Kindaichi Shonen No Jikenbo, currently on air on NTV Japan, every saturday 9:00pm (japan time)! Refer to this page for more information: http://www.ntv.co.jp/kindaichi2014/index.html

Till next time!

❤ ""In the name of my grandfather"" was Posted On: Thursday, 24 July 2014 @02:17 | 0 lovely comments ✿

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