"This killer is the most ingenious I've ever met," says Furuhata in his brief but intriguing introduction and yet the killer in question appears to be an 11-year-old boy! Well, not quite. The person performing the killing is in his 20s but he commits the murder using a plan he wrote when he was a schoolboy obsessed with detective fiction. It's a ludicrous plot but Kôki Mitani makes it work with his usual combination of wit and plotting brilliance. Like all the episodes of "Furuhata Ninzaburô", we are privy to the identity of the killer and the method of murder from the very beginning, and yet, in a very clever move, Mitani never lets us in on his whole plan so that as we watch it unfold we are as baffled by it as Furuhata himself.
What Furuhata says in the introduction is not entirely hyperbole either. There's a real devious ingenuity and shocking cruelty on display here which clashes somewhat with the jocular tone of the episode. Even though the Horibe family suffers a series of misfortunes and deaths over the course of this episode, all of its members remain curiously cheerful and pleasant throughout. There are very few hints of sadness or fear among them and yet no one ever comments on their frankly bizarre good cheer. The killer himself is the most obvious example as he doesn't even seem to bother masking his elation at the victim's demise. I don't know why Furuhata even bothered solving this one, the killer's joyful demeanour would be enough to convict him alone.
The killer is played by Tatsuya Fujiwara, best known for playing Light in the "Death Note" films. His character here is actually quite similar - a spoiled and conceited young man who refers to a notebook to kill. Sadly, the Furuhata vs. Light Yagami confrontation is nowhere near as exciting as it sounds. Fujiwara's character is fairly underwritten and the two share far too few scenes. In the end, there's almost no relationship between Furuhata and the killer, an element which is the definitive staple of this show. When they do appear together, there's no chemistry or animosity between them and consequently, very little tension is present in the episode.
A far more interesting character is the killer's overprotective teacher. He's played by the legendary Kôji Ishizaka and the scenes between him and Furuhata are actually far more charged and entertaining. Quite how the teacher fits into the overall plot is one of the mysteries that Mitani keeps under wraps until the very end. This twist is one of the series' very best.
"The Resurrection of Death" is not as good as the sum of its parts but the parts that work are excellent. The plot is far-fetched but endlessly intriguing and the piecemeal way in which Mitani reveals its many turns kept my attention throughout. I do wish that Keita Kôno's direction was more atmospheric so as to bring out the creepier aspects of the story to the forefront. Also excellent are the comedic scenes in which Shintaro becomes convinced that the Horibe family curse has passed onto him. This subplot gets dropped halfway through the episode, but the gags are expertly played as ever by Masahiko Nishimura.
Overall, I did enjoy "The Resurrection of Death" very much for its formal inventiveness and the excellent performances from Ishizaka and Nishimura, but I do feel that the episode would have been much, much better with a more interesting killer and more stylish direction.
What Furuhata says in the introduction is not entirely hyperbole either. There's a real devious ingenuity and shocking cruelty on display here which clashes somewhat with the jocular tone of the episode. Even though the Horibe family suffers a series of misfortunes and deaths over the course of this episode, all of its members remain curiously cheerful and pleasant throughout. There are very few hints of sadness or fear among them and yet no one ever comments on their frankly bizarre good cheer. The killer himself is the most obvious example as he doesn't even seem to bother masking his elation at the victim's demise. I don't know why Furuhata even bothered solving this one, the killer's joyful demeanour would be enough to convict him alone.
The killer is played by Tatsuya Fujiwara, best known for playing Light in the "Death Note" films. His character here is actually quite similar - a spoiled and conceited young man who refers to a notebook to kill. Sadly, the Furuhata vs. Light Yagami confrontation is nowhere near as exciting as it sounds. Fujiwara's character is fairly underwritten and the two share far too few scenes. In the end, there's almost no relationship between Furuhata and the killer, an element which is the definitive staple of this show. When they do appear together, there's no chemistry or animosity between them and consequently, very little tension is present in the episode.
A far more interesting character is the killer's overprotective teacher. He's played by the legendary Kôji Ishizaka and the scenes between him and Furuhata are actually far more charged and entertaining. Quite how the teacher fits into the overall plot is one of the mysteries that Mitani keeps under wraps until the very end. This twist is one of the series' very best.
"The Resurrection of Death" is not as good as the sum of its parts but the parts that work are excellent. The plot is far-fetched but endlessly intriguing and the piecemeal way in which Mitani reveals its many turns kept my attention throughout. I do wish that Keita Kôno's direction was more atmospheric so as to bring out the creepier aspects of the story to the forefront. Also excellent are the comedic scenes in which Shintaro becomes convinced that the Horibe family curse has passed onto him. This subplot gets dropped halfway through the episode, but the gags are expertly played as ever by Masahiko Nishimura.
Overall, I did enjoy "The Resurrection of Death" very much for its formal inventiveness and the excellent performances from Ishizaka and Nishimura, but I do feel that the episode would have been much, much better with a more interesting killer and more stylish direction.
