Review of Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo - Legend of the Vampire

As a Kindaichi manga fan, I'm quite satisfied with the storyline by which maintains its usual standards. Given the fact that I have not read the manga for this particular case, I found that I enjoyed it much better than the previous drama series and SPs which I knew the cases beforehand. I guess for someone who had read the manga first, the level of anticipation and excitement while watching this SP will be much lower. In this case, I'm thankful that I didn't lay my hands on the manga first or else I would be nitpicking the problem areas while viewing.

I won't provide a synopsis or talk much on the storyline because this is a mystery/suspense story. Saying too much will only spoil the fun for you.

As for the cast, I am not very satisfied with the 3rd generation lineup. It's not really a matter of whether they can act well but it's got more to do with the essence of the characters which they failed to convey. For example, Kato Masaya looks horribly untidy and unkept which is totally from the Kenmochi in the manga. No doubt Kenmochi may be a middle-aged man, he was never unkept like what Kato showed in this SP. Besides, after seeing Kato Masaya in dramas like "anego" when he was a handsome and charming man, seeing that look of him in this SP is not something you can get used to. And he certainly does not have the ojisan look yet.

As for Kamenashi Kazuya, he was kind of boring in the earlier stage but things improved slightly when he started to investigate the case. Of course, you may argue that the setting and background of the SP is kind of different from the other 2 generations' works so Kamenashi may not appear very appealing in the beginning. In fact, I was put off by his frivolous appearance and his eagerness to shake off any links to his grandpa because he wasn't sure about his strengths or what he wanted to do in life. However, my point is that he did not exude the aura of Kindaichi Hajime's confidence even while he was cracking the case and I thought it was a pity since that segment is the best method to show his acting skills and the charm of Hajime. Just like what Amagi Seimaru-san, the manga's author said, Kamenashi is very different from the Kindaichi in the manga be it in terms of looks or how people feel about him as compared to Domoto Tsuyoshi who was the best match to Kindaichi. For someone who had been following the manga from Day 1, it's difficult for me to accept someone as radically different like Kamenashi to fit into the image of Kindaichi I have in my mind.

On the other hand, for Ueno Juri's character Nanase Miyuki, I think she did not have enough airtime to show the different sides of the role. She seemed to be a damsel in distress most of the time when I thought it would have been better to show her as someone who can be of help to Kindaichi. Ueno's image doesn't give the impression that she needs help at all. As such, it wasn't convincing enough for me to accept her as Miyuki. Besides, in terms of looks, she doesn't look so compatible to Kamenashi.

Now that I'm on the topic of the cast, let me tell you how I feel about the previous 2 generations' lineup:

1st generation:
Kindaichi - Domoto Tsuyoshi
Miyuki - Tomosaka Rie
Kenmochi - Furuoya Masato

2nd generation:
Kindaichi - Matsumoto Jun
Miyuki - Suzuki An
Kenmochi - Naitou Takeshi

I'm happy with the combinations of Kindaichi and Miyuki for both generations even though Domoto and Tomosaka looked much closer to the actual characters in the manga as compared to the Matsumoto-Suzuki combination. They have their strong points and there was chemistry in their interactions. To be frank, I still like Domoto's potrayal of Kindaichi after all these years. He's like the standard for future generations to attain but I've not seen anyone who can act as well as him in this role so far. As for Tomosaka, she's got that clever girl look and can show the strong and weak sides of Miyuki very well. If not for the fact that they are not young enough to play high school kids, I guess it would have been better to let things remain as status quo. Furuoya-san...image-wise, Kenmochi is a bit plump in the manga but his acting made it easy to accept him in this role despite the physical difference.

On the 2nd generation, Matsumoto's Kindaichi is more stylish than the manga character. The focus seems to be on the kakkoii side of him. The less academically-inclined side of Kindaichi wasn't as evident. Suzuki matched the requirements of Miyuki but her strength was more in the cuteness of the role. As for Naitou, he's a closer match to Kenmochi's image in the manga and his comical side makes him the best for this role so far.

On the whole, I enjoyed the SP more for its story as compared to the cast lineup. As such, I will give it 7 out of 10.

The following content may contain spoilers. Do not read further if you have not watched the SP or do not wish to read anything which gives the outcome away.

Actually, it's easy to guess the culprit in the drama versions as compared to the manga. This is because the culprit is played by a more well-known actor/actress as compared to the rest of the supporting cast. It is logical because they need a big name to play such an important role. However, this works against the drama since it will give the game away easily. Just look at the characters in each case and it's evident that the biggest name among them will usually be the culprit. In the manga, this problem is not an issue which makes it much more enjoyable. That is probably why I do not enjoy the drama versions as much as the manga or anime besides the fact that I've read through all volumes of the manga and know the storylines pretty well.

In this drama SP, we have 2 notable names i.e. Hoshino Mari and Nakamura Shunsuke. Even though I did not read the manga for this case, it's evident that either one of them must be the culprit. And another giveaway clue for Kindaichi cases is that the culprit is often someone who looks harmless or somebody whom you can never imagine to be the murderer. I think this is extremely easy for you to guess whom I'm talking about.

It's been some time since I saw Hoshino Mari in a drama. The last time should be in Ooku of 2004. She looks slightly mature and is still rather pretty. However, there are lots of other actresses who have similar traits so she seems to be having some difficulty getting leading roles of late. Maybe that's why she appears to be not as active in the drama scene. Seeing her in this SP was a surprise but as a supporting character, it does not offer too much room for her to show her acting skills. That's a pity in my opinion...