A Japanese detective cosplays as Columbo while solving murders in the mountains. Yes, really.
The second in a series of Japanese TV movies about a police detective who has adopted the dress and mannerisms of famous American TV detective Columbo, based on a series of novels by popular mystery author Yasuo Uchida.
Acting
Terawaki's committed, weirdly endearing Columbo cosplay
Production
Togakushi mountain scenery as atmospheric co-star
Writing
Uchida's novel adaptation balances homage and Japanese sensibility
Director
Yuji Nakamae
Yasufumi Terawaki
Iwao Takemura
Yumi Aso
Yoko Takemura
Katsunori Takahashi
Kazuo Abe
Yoichi Nukumizu
Maruyama Ryousuke
Ken Aoki
Tachibana
Akira Hamada
Shishido Hirofumi
Yukijiro Hotaru
Miyazaki Yoshio
Yôsuke Kawamura
Kinoshita Shinji
Tetsuo Morishita
Ishihara Ryuuji
Ichirō Ogura
Noya Keiichi
Mitsuko Oka
Takeda Sachie
Yua Shinkawa
Noya Yuuko | Tendou Taki [Young]
Ryo Tamura
Tachibana Tomohiro
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Columbo franchise has bizarre global reach—this Japanese novel series began in 1984, decades after the original NBC run ended.
Author Yasuo Uchida wrote over 130 mystery novels set in Nagano prefecture, essentially creating a regional tourism industry through crime fiction.
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