In his standard fourth-wall-breaking epilogue, Furuhata says: "This time, we needed a special two-hour episode for such a complex case". The truth is that "The Laughing Kangaroo" is not such a complex story at all. In fact, once it gets going it's a boilerplate episode of "Furuhata Ninzaburô". However, Kôki Mitani uses the extra length in two clever ways. First, the story boasts two rather devious twists which subvert our expectations and perceptions of what we thought we saw in previous scenes. The first is reminiscent of "Last Salute to the Commodore", the infamous format-busting episode of "Columbo" in which, for the first and only time in the show, the man we see hiding the body in the opening sequence is not, in fact, the killer. The second twist I won't even hint at except to say it is a surprisingly sad one.
The second way in which Mitani uses the additional hour is to develop his characters more fully. Especially well written is the character of Hikaru Noda, the victim's wife and the hypotenuse in the murderous love triangle. She is well played by Maki Mizuno who gives her an air of tragic sentimentality quite unusual for a "Furuhata Ninzaburô" suspect. Mitani gives her a striking monologue midway through the episode in which she recounts her abusive marriage. The scene in question is far more chilling than anything featured on the show before and Mizuno wrestles with the material heroically.
The third side of the love triangle is played by Takanori Jinnai who is, I suppose, this episode's primary villain. In good, old-fashioned "Columbo" style, Jinnai plays an arrogant mathematician whose biggest mistake is to underestimate the wily detective. He continually makes fun of him by challenging him to solve logical puzzles. Whether Furuhata's inability to do so is genuine or just a ploy to put Jinnai at ease is left for the viewer to decide. Jinnai does a decent job of playing his character's arrogance but the softer side of the mathematician is severely lacking. We never quite understand why Hikaru Noda is so madly in love with him and eventually, his arrogance becomes quite grating. Compared to Mizuno, Jinnai's performance is not one of the strongest on "Furuhata Ninzaburô".
This two-hour special was filmed in Australia but sadly little of the exotic location is actually seen. The action is contained in the (not particularly) swanky hotel in which everyone is staying and which could have easily been replicated in a Japanese TV studio. The Australian guest stars are also sadly underused with most of the story focusing on the Japanese characters. I think it would have been more interesting to focus instead on the culture clash between the Japanese characters and the Australian characters. Imagine an episode in which Furuhata goes up against a foreign killer on his own turf! This would add a nice obstacle to Furuhata's path to the truth.
Speaking of which, Furuhata solves this mystery with surprising ease. His deductions throughout the show have been nothing short of miraculous but in "The Laughing Kangaroo" he leaps to conclusions as if he's already read the script!
Despite several quite serious scenes, "The Laughing Kangaroo" is probably the most humorous episode of the show so far. Besides the usual, excellent comic relief in the form of Furuhata's sidekick Shintaro, there is also a running gag in which the Australian hotel staff continually misunderstand Furuhata's English. It is quite an obvious joke but it works surprisingly well and I was laughing all the way through.
The second way in which Mitani uses the additional hour is to develop his characters more fully. Especially well written is the character of Hikaru Noda, the victim's wife and the hypotenuse in the murderous love triangle. She is well played by Maki Mizuno who gives her an air of tragic sentimentality quite unusual for a "Furuhata Ninzaburô" suspect. Mitani gives her a striking monologue midway through the episode in which she recounts her abusive marriage. The scene in question is far more chilling than anything featured on the show before and Mizuno wrestles with the material heroically.
The third side of the love triangle is played by Takanori Jinnai who is, I suppose, this episode's primary villain. In good, old-fashioned "Columbo" style, Jinnai plays an arrogant mathematician whose biggest mistake is to underestimate the wily detective. He continually makes fun of him by challenging him to solve logical puzzles. Whether Furuhata's inability to do so is genuine or just a ploy to put Jinnai at ease is left for the viewer to decide. Jinnai does a decent job of playing his character's arrogance but the softer side of the mathematician is severely lacking. We never quite understand why Hikaru Noda is so madly in love with him and eventually, his arrogance becomes quite grating. Compared to Mizuno, Jinnai's performance is not one of the strongest on "Furuhata Ninzaburô".
This two-hour special was filmed in Australia but sadly little of the exotic location is actually seen. The action is contained in the (not particularly) swanky hotel in which everyone is staying and which could have easily been replicated in a Japanese TV studio. The Australian guest stars are also sadly underused with most of the story focusing on the Japanese characters. I think it would have been more interesting to focus instead on the culture clash between the Japanese characters and the Australian characters. Imagine an episode in which Furuhata goes up against a foreign killer on his own turf! This would add a nice obstacle to Furuhata's path to the truth.
Speaking of which, Furuhata solves this mystery with surprising ease. His deductions throughout the show have been nothing short of miraculous but in "The Laughing Kangaroo" he leaps to conclusions as if he's already read the script!
Despite several quite serious scenes, "The Laughing Kangaroo" is probably the most humorous episode of the show so far. Besides the usual, excellent comic relief in the form of Furuhata's sidekick Shintaro, there is also a running gag in which the Australian hotel staff continually misunderstand Furuhata's English. It is quite an obvious joke but it works surprisingly well and I was laughing all the way through.
