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Yokoku Satsujin (Notice of Murder 予告殺人) is a 2019 Japanese TV film adaptation of the Miss Marple novel A Murder is Announced. Produced by TV Asahi, directed by Seiji Izumi with a screenplay by Hideka Nagasaka, it first aired on 14 Apr 2019.[1] An earlier adaptation by NTV was made and broadcast in 2007.

Synopsis[]

This is the third in a series of adaptations by TV Asahi featuring elite police detective Shōkokuji Ryūya and his subordinates from "s1s" as the lead investigators. The adaptation is very faithful to the original but is set in Japan in modern times. As in the original, there is an announcement of a "murder" in a news magazine, followed by an actual murder committed at the time and place stated.

Comparison with original book[]

(may contain spoilers - click on expand to read)

  • The major characters from the original are faithfully paralleled with minor changes to their backstories.
  • Unique to this adaptation, and like the other adaptations in this series, there is a focus on the "police procedural" aspect of the investigations. Shōkokuji and his team unearth various clues. Oniban also has a large team of detectives who all go off to do background checks and investigate various angles and contribute findings. In this case the information points to various people as plausible suspects but do not localise anyone. It is ultimately Shōkokuji who pieces the clues together and stage manages the final denouement.
  • Examples of clues which the police discover:
    • the other door, said to be locked and out of use but which has in fact been oiled recently (like in the original)
    • the Dresden lamp, "Adam" instead of "Eve", and a vase nearby, a burn mark on the table. Shōkokuji demonstrates how water from the vase on the switch can cause the circuit breakers in the house to trip. (again, like in the original, except there is no Tiglath Pileser. The inspector got the idea himself.)
    • The torch which Kyuzo used: Shōkokuji notices that the screw threads of the cover have been filed down. The cover would break open when the torch is dropped, causing the batteries to fall out and the light to go out. Since Kyuzo wouldn't think of doing this himself, it points to someone else who must have planned the event and planned to kill Kyuzo.
    • Oniban's detectives discover that someone has been using Kukuru's laptop to access the dark net and buy a Tokarev pistol (the murder weapon).
    • Forensics discover that the pills which killed Dora were spiked with a poison obtained from the roots of a plant. The plant is found in a garden planted by Rika. In her wastebin, police find a piece of root.
    • Police find the "Eve" lamp with a burnt out switch in a box of pottery scraps belonging to "Kenken".
    • "Kukuru" and "Kenken" were suspected to be "Shitzuho" (Pip) and "Enma" (Emma) but one detective checked up old graduation photos of arts colleges and spots his photo with his real name and spoke to relatives in his hometown and confirms that Momohata is the actual name of the brother and sister pair, thus closing off one line of inquiry.
    • Banpei also does extensive checks with various artist societies and learns that "Rika"'s real name is "Sunahara Enma". (In the original novel, Philippa Haymes is "Pip" instead).
    • Pyunko discovers that "Rika" was formerly a member of the Japan Self Defence Force (army) and knows how to handle firearms.
    • Ishigawa prefecture police confirm that Fumishi and his mother are who they say they are. Their names sound unusual but are actual. Fumiko had reverted to her maiden name.
  • Much is made of nicknames and unusual names in this adaptation. Everyone seems to have a nickname (which resemble the names in the original novel), and much dialogue is devoted to explaining the derivation of the nicknames. Nicknames do not, however, form part of the deductive process which leads to the solution of the case. In the previous episode Daijoyuu Satsujin Jiken (2018), the inspector links several people with unusual names and realises they are related.
  • In this adaptation, the backstories of Rika and Kenken are switched from the original. Rika is Enma (Emma) here and is the one who knows how to handle guns.
  • Fumishi (Edmund Swettenham) is the editor of the Asahi Times which carries the "Murder" advertisement. His mother who was helping with the business, is the one who received the order from Kyuzo (Rudi). In this adaptation, Kyuzo actually tells her it is from Reiri. Fumishi's mother actually checks with Reiri who says she did not order such a thing, but that it sounds like a joke, so carry on with the advert.
  • The Myrna Harris parallel tells the police much the same story as in the original.
  • Toto (Murgatroyd) and Hinchi (Hinchcliffe) are younger in this adaptation and therefore also plausible suspects as Shitzuho and/or Enma.
  • Michie (Mitzi) has a backstory which makes her a plausible suspect.
  • Toto (Murgatroyd) is killed before Dora. Like in the original, "Hinchi" was called away to pick up an abandoned cat for adoption. It is possible in Japanese to make a difference between "he wasn't there" and "she wasn't there" but Toto uses the gender free expression "That person wasn't there".
  • Side plots involving Burui (the Easterbrooks) are not depicted. It is not his gun which was taken--it had been purchased online.
  • In this adaptation, the real Kenken does turn up, having first sent a postcard.
  • The denouement takes place much as in the original with a staged accusation by Michie. While everyone is distracted by accusations pointed at Fumishi (he also has a plausible motive in that he owes Reiri money), Reiri goes to the kitchen and tries to kill Michie. In this case there is no Miss Marple hiding and mimicking Dora's voice. Shōkokuji plays back some home videos which Dora had recorded. Her voice causes Reiri to break down and confess. Hinchi is not the one who takes off Reiri's pearls--this is done by a policewoman.
  • Following Reiri/Rori's arrest, Inspector Shōkokuji gives everyone an explanation of the entire crime, and includes flashbacks of earlier scenes. In this adaptation, it transpires that Reiri deliberately invited Dora, Kukuru, Kenken and Rika to stay with her. This is to "affirm" her identity as Reiri.
  • Fumishi and Rika end up getting married. This is a blow to Inspector Shōkokuji who has developed a romantic interest in Rika.

Cast[]

Note: IMDb lists Japanese names in Western style as given name-family name. However the Japanese names here follow Japanese naming convention with family name-given name. This format is easier when searching for resources on the internet, especially those from Japanese sites. In the episode dialogue, characters are addressed in the Japanese format and this format is also used in the credits. In addition, it should be noted that the character names in IMDB are not exact.

Parallels are in brackets.

Investigators from "s1s" (First Criminal Investigation Division, Criminal Investigation Bureau, Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department)[]

  • Sawamura Ikki (沢村一樹) as Shokokuji Ryuya (相国寺竜也)
  • Ryo Arakawa (荒川良々) as Tatara Banpei (多々良伴平)
  • Ashina Hoshi (芦名星) as Tsukimi Usako "Pyunko" (月見兎左子)

Residents and Party-goers at the "小径の館" (Komichi-no-yakata - Little Hall)[]

Shibuya East Police[]

  • Murata Yuhiro (村田雄浩) as Onigawara Banroku ("Oniban") (鬼瓦胖六)
  • Ishigaki Yuma (石垣佑磨) as Dodo Genji (堂道元治)
  • Hino Yojin (日野陽仁) as Shibutame Yoshio (渋民義男)
  • Hinuma Sakura (日沼さくら) as Arikawa Akira (有川旭)
  • Miyazawa Daichi (宮沢大地) as Minegishi Tetsuro (峰岸徹朗)
  • Yamato Kota (大和孔太) as Nishijima Tokuta (西島徳太)
  • Torii Kotaro (鳥居功太郎) as Jujyo Ketsuji (十条潔司)

Others[]

  • Oura Ryuichi (大浦龍宇一) as Kurumai Kyuzo (車井久三) (Rudi Scherz)
  • Ohno Ito (大野いと) as Annaka Reina (安中礼仁奈) (Julia Simmons the actress)
  • Karaki Chiemi (唐木ちえみ) as Kuroiwa Reiri (黒岩怜里)
  • Nakayama Kokoro (中山こころ) as Harukawa Mana (春川真名) (Myrna Harris)
  • Kato Atsuki(かとうあつき) as Noda Tomako (野田とま子) (a nurse)
  • Natsuki Yoko (夏樹陽子) as Gedo Sutsu (外道寿津) (Belle Goedler)

Filming locations[2][3][]

  • Many scenes shot around Fujikawaguchiko
    • Shigeno Kawaguchiko House, Nagahama, Fujikawaguchiko Town, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture - "Koji-no-kan", Reiri's house, also Rika's painting studio. Road at the back of the house is where Michie sees Rika looking out from her studio.
    • Kawaguchiko Bridge - on the way to the crime scene
    • Wakahiko Tunnel - on the way to the crime scene
    • Area of farmshouses in portacabins at 3530'09.4"N 13843'03.7"E (difficult to confirm) - Toto and Hinchi's farm
  • Nogeyama Church of Christ, Yokohama - Hamon's church
  • Nishikatsura-cho Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Asahi Times office
  • Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters - external
  • Miss Paris Gakuen Beauty & Wellness Professional College, Yokohama - Asahikawa Seibo Hospital, Otaru Kita Hospital

References[]

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