Series synopsis
Furuhata Ninzaburo, also known as 古畑任三郎 is a Japanese drama crime television series that premiered on Fuji TV on April 13, 1994. It ended on January 5, 2006. It was created by Koki Mitani. It stars Masakazu Tamura, Masahiko Nishimura, Takashi Kobayashi and Masanori Ishii.
Furuhata Ninzaburō is a Japanese television series that ran periodically on Fuji Television from 1994 until its final episodes in 2006. It was written by Japanese playwright Kōki Mitani and is often referred to as the Japanese version of Columbo.
The series is a police detective drama starring actor Masakazu Tamura as Furuhata Ninzaburo and Masahiko Nishimura as his stereotypically bumbling sidekick, Shintaro Imaizumi. The program aired weekly and featured a guest villain each time, usually a f ...
Premise
Furuhata Ninzaburō is a Japanese television series that ran periodically on Fuji Television from 1994 until its final episodes in 2006. It was written by Japanese playwright Kōki Mitani and is often referred to as the Japanese version of Columbo.
The series is a police detective drama starring actor Masakazu Tamura as Furuhata Ninzaburo and Masahiko Nishimura as his stereotypically bumbling sidekick, Shintaro Imaizumi. The program aired weekly and featured a guest villain each time, usually a famous talent in Japan. Pop-stars like SMAP, television hosts like Sanma Akashiya and even sports figures like Ichiro Suzuki have been featured on this program. It was one of the most popular television dramas in the history of Japanese television, having spawned several seasons and TV specials.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Masakazu Tamura as 古畑任三郎
- Masahiko Nishimura as 今泉慎太郎
- Takashi Kobayashi as 向島音吉
- Masanori Ishii as 西園寺守
- Mao Daichi
- Yasuko Sawaguchi
- Masao Kusakari
- Toshiaki Karasawa
Supporting cast
- Masachika Ichimura
- Sanma Akashiya
- Misako Tanaka
- Koji Tamaki
- Masaharu Fukuyama
- Nenji Kobayashi
- Bunta Sugawara
- Kazuki Kosakai
- Akina Nakamori as 小石川ちなみ
- Takeshi Kaga
- Nana Kinomi
- Masaaki Sakai as 中村右近
Guest cast
Episodes
This series spans 5 seasons with 46 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 10 | April 12, 1995 | January 3, 2004 |
| Season 1 | 12 | April 13, 1994 | June 29, 1994 |
| Season 2 | 10 | January 10, 1996 | March 13, 1996 |
| Season 3 | 11 | April 13, 1999 | June 22, 1999 |
| Season 4 | 3 | January 3, 2006 | January 5, 2006 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Laughing Kangaroo A love triangle turns deadly during an awards ceremony in Australia. Unfortunately for the killers, however, Furuhata and Shintaro are on a well-deserved holiday in the same hotel. |
April 12, 1995 |
| 2 |
A Brief Parting The head of a flower arrangement clan murders her overbearing teacher and rival during a flamenco recital. The one thing Furuhata, who was in the audience, can't quite figure out is how the killer found her victim in the dark auditorium. |
March 27, 1996 |
| 3 |
The Disappearance of Furuhata Ninzaburo Famous detective Furuhata Ninzaburo has disappeared, so a TV crew decide to make a documentary about his career interviewing his associates and the killers he caught. |
April 9, 1996 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Message from the Dead On a dark and stormy night, Chinami kills her business partner in her remote manor house in the hills. Then the doorbell rings. As luck would have it, it's none other than Inspector Furuhata seeking refuge from the rain. |
April 13, 1994 |
| 2 |
The Moving Corpse After killing a woman in a hit and run, a famous Kabuki actor decides to kill the only witness, a theatre security guard, and stage it to look like an accidental fall. Only Furuhata Ninazburo is not convinced. |
April 20, 1994 |
| 3 |
The Laughing Corpse Furuhata is called to a scene where a woman has just killed a burglar but a chicken in the oven and a cigarette in the bin make the wily inspector suspicious. |
April 27, 1994 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Man Who Talks Too Much A successful lawyer kills his mistress and frames Shintaro Imaizumi for the murder. When the lawyer convinces Shintaro to plead guilty, Furuhata becomes suspicious. |
January 10, 1996 |
| 2 |
The Woman Who Doesn't Smile A hated, strict headmistress of an all-girls priory school murders a liberal teacher beloved by all the students. In order to catch her, Furuhata will have to play by her rules. |
January 17, 1996 |
| 3 |
Master of the Game A devious doctor manipulates a mystery writer into staging his own murder to look like a suicide. The doctor is surprisingly good at all kinds of games (darts, pool, chess etc.) but he is no match for Furuhata when it comes to mind games. |
January 24, 1996 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Rakugo Murder A rakugo comedian kills a fellow student and makes it look like a suicide by faking two alibis. Both take each other's places at different points of the day, leaving a complicated mystery for Furuhata to solve. |
April 13, 1999 |
| 2 |
The Hotel Murder A perpetually busy media director murders a politician in his hotel room while engaging in a phone call he would later use as his alibi. His meticulously planned schedule soon meets an obstacle in Furuhata Ninzaburo. |
April 20, 1999 |
| 3 |
The Murder in a Small Village Furuhata catches a cold and stops in a small village to recover with his colleagues, getting caught up in the entire community's attempt to cover up a murder. |
April 27, 1999 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
The Resurrection of Death Furuhata investigates a series of bizarre, seemingly random accidental deaths. He zeroes in on the suspected murderer, but loses faith in his instincts when the suspect is himself killed. However, in the end, he ends up solving three murders and catching the real suspect. |
January 3, 2006 |
| 2 |
A Fair Murder Ichiro Suzuki, a baseball player obsessed with fair play, murders a man who was blackmailing his brother who is none other than Furuhata's faithful friend Mukojima. |
January 4, 2006 |
| 3 |
Final Dance Kyoko Kagami is a pen name for a pair of twin writers. After one sister kills the other, their technical advisor Furuhata investigates. His investigation is complicated by his feelings for the surviving sister. |
January 5, 2006 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Fuji TV |
|---|---|
| First aired | April 13, 1994 |
| Last aired | January 5, 2006 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | ended |