Time flies, and it's now been a few years since Masakazu Tamura passed away in 2021.
When you think of Masakazu Tamura, he played all sorts of roles, but surely the one that stands out is Furuhata Ninzaburo.
Ask someone to do an impression of Masakazu Tamura, and almost without fail they'll do their Furuhata Ninzaburo.
Tamura has plenty of signature works, like Nemuri Kyoshiro, but the fact that everyone reaches for Furuhata is proof of just how beloved that role is.
Now, there's nothing new to say about Furuhata Ninzaburo at this point, but let me give a quick introduction anyway.
The TV series ran for three full seasons plus several specials, and it's basically structured like Columbo:
the culprit commits the crime at the start, then meets Furuhata, a battle of wits unfolds between Furuhata and the culprit, and right toward the end Furuhata throws down a challenge to the viewer, before heading into the resolution after the commercial break.
The scripts were by Koki Mitani, the genius who racked up massive Taiga drama hits with The 13 Lords of the Shogun, Sanada Maru, and Shinsengumi!, and who works across an enormous range, from the stage to film to even directing movies.
And the most indispensable topic this time around has to be Yusuke Honma, who handled the music.
Yusuke Honma has also worked on anime and tokusatsu series besides dramas, and most notably, he scored two of the Saturday 6 p.m. anime slot's legendary works: Yu Yu Hakusho and Ninku. Anyone who knows how popular Yu Yu Hakusho was will be surprised that the same person also scored Furuhata.
Now, let me introduce this soundtrack.
Furuhata's soundtracks must have been quite popular, because quite a number were released, including remix albums and the like.
This time it's a best album collecting 15 hand-picked titles from among them.
For fans of the show, every track is a highlight, but my recommended way to play it is to imagine your favorite actor making a guest appearance as the culprit, and listen while picturing them squaring off against Furuhata.
First up, track 1, "Main Theme (Opening Theme)."
This is the rock-solid main theme that plays after Furuhata addresses the viewer with something that sounds like a hint about the case, or something entirely beside the point.
And then track 5, "Estimated Time of Death," where the culprit commits the crime.
Look, your favorite has just gone and killed someone.
Eventually it develops into a full-blown case, and Furuhata Ninzaburo comes rushing in on his bicycle.
In the later part there were also some unlucky culprits who didn't deliberately commit a crime but just happened to be there.
Come to think of it, that detective whose name nobody ever remembers showed up around here too... what was his name again? I think it got revealed in the final episode...
His music is track 2, "City."
Track 8, "Not Guilty," plays out the exchanges with Shintaro Imaizumi, played by Masahiko Nishimura, a character you can never quite tell is useful or useless. In the later stretch, a new subordinate joined: Mamoru Saionji, played by Masanori Ishii of the comedy duo The Ant and the Grasshopper, who is quite capable and genuinely helpful.
It was hugely entertaining watching everyone treat the un-detective-like Imaizumi with such casual indifference.
Bit by bit, the culprit (your favorite) gets backed into a corner by Furuhata. The fierce battle of wits unfolds in track 7, "Deduction."
And then, the early part of track 15, "Furuhata's Theme," plays as Furuhata finds the crucial clue that cracks the case and throws down his challenge to the viewer.
Your favorite is defeated by Furuhata and confesses their "Motive," track 13.
Finally, the case is solved, and the latter part of track 15, "Furuhata's Theme," plays as everything around fades to black.
Naturally I can't introduce every single track, but if any of this caught your interest, do check it out and bring Furuhata Ninzaburo back to life again and again in your imagination, pitting him against your favorites.
