Robot Detective - Episode 3 - "The Insanity Watch Scandal"
The first episode was strong but rushed, and the second episode was fairly weak and aimless. However, I'm proud to report that "Robot Detective" manages to turn itself around yet again. "The Insanity Watch Scandal" is the best episode yet.
We open to a kid (Takeshi) pulling the guts out of an old CRT TV. His father (Mr. Miyake) strolls over, and asks what he's doing. Apparently, the kid's trying to get a magnet out from within the tv so he can play with it. Now, that doesn't seem like something a kid would actually do (though who knows, maybe that's something kids in the 70's did do) but it's a thematically appropriate lead-in to our villain.
Mr. Miyake hops back in his car and revs the engine, but the car doesn't budge. Then, in his back mirror, he spots something bizarre. He hops out of his car, turns around, and-!
It's Jirikiman!
I absolutely adore his design. He's got the chunkiness and blocky look that Wakkaman had, but with a little dash of Tenagaman's alien-ness. And there's so many cute little elements to him. The N and S on his hands, the little yellow eyes that glow in the dark, the strange auger in his chest, the BAD logo slapped haphazardly on his breast. He's an absolutely gorgeous villain, and one that reads well both in light and in shadow.
Jirikiman launches a metal clamp that covers Mr. Miyake's mouth. He screams for help, but his son can't hear him. Then Jirikiman electrocutes him with a beautiful little effect. Takeshi sees what's going on and runs over, but he's too late. His dad slumps over in his arms. And to add salt to the wound? Jirikiman magnetically yoinks the kid's magnet and takes it for himself.
Jirikiman chases after the kid, but luckily Detective K just so happens to be here. He chases after the magnetic monster, the three of them stumbling into a dockyard. How convenient for filming!
The two then have a genuinely exciting tussle. Detective K and Jirikiman fight on the ground for a minute, wrestling and tossing each other around. They kick up a bunch of dust, and that combined with the impromptu usage of the environment makes this fight feel more energetic than anything that's come before it. Jirikiman is the first to run away, lobbing a metal pipe at Takeshi and using that opening to climb up a huge crane. How do they pull this effect off? Why with an insanely adorable little miniature wobbling around on the side of a prop crane of course!
Detective K jumps nearly a hundred feet into the air, and lands on the crane too. I guess this is something he can do now, cool. The two throw hands with a fairly exciting choreography, before Detective K grabs Jirikiman, and brings him down to Earth. The two fight a little more. But Jirikiman breaks out his magnet missiles - the huge magnet on his head rotates to aim forward, and shoot missiles out of the tips. He's so cool!
After the smoke clears, Jirikiman is gone. Detective K takes Takeshi to safety, and we cut to him, his mom (Mrs. Miyake), and Mr. Miyake all in a hospital room. Mr. Miyake is in a coma, and we don't know if he'll wake up. Takeshi runs crying outside, and Detective K follows to comfort him. Takeshi begs, tears in his eyes, to help Detective K catch the robot that attacked his father. And Detective K agrees. Detective Shiba tries to tell him off, but the scene ends before he can get too grating.
So far, this episode feels like a shot of adrenaline. What happened to the drip-fed minute-long fights? The dull back-and-forth arguing from Detectives Shiba and Shinjo? Jirikiman immediately jumps into the action, actually has a lengthy well-lit fight, and causes events that raise the stakes? Be still my heart.
I was worried after episode two that this would be a bad series to cover for my first real stint in episode-by-episode reviewing. I rarely saw "Detective K" brought up in tokusatsu conversations - though to be fair, I rarely see anyone talking about Showa era stuff period. Still, I was worried. Maybe I'd be better off switching over to "No.1 Sentai Gozyuger" or "Kamen Rider Gavv." But I'm ecstatic to be proven wrong.
This is what I want "Robot Detective" to be. And this is what I love about the Showa era.
We cut to the "Diamond Clock Shop" at night. A pair of square yellow eyes cutting through the dark of the night. We see a dimly lit clock repairman (Mr. Ohura) working away, as Jirikiman slides open the metal shutter covering the entrance. He clanks his way through the store, using his magnets to unlock each door he comes across. And eventually, he finds Mr. Ohura.
Mr. Ohura tries to scream, but Jirikiman's metal plate covers his mouth. He tries to phone the police, but before he can, Jirikiman shocks him. He collapses, as his family comes down to see what the commotion's about. Jirikiman exits the building, leaving a confused and terrified family in his wake.
Both Detectives Shinjo and K hear the police broadcast - Detective Shinjo was on patrol, and Detective K was sending Takeshi home after cheering him up. Detective K arrives in time to see Jirikiman once again, and the two have a brief scuffle.
It's poorly lit and hard to make anything out, but Detective K tries to restrain Jirikiman as he keeps finding ways to get away. Two two roll down a hill, fight down an alleyway, it's really a productive little chase. Eventually, Jirikiman hops off of a bridge, and lands on a passing truck. He's got away yet again.
Or has he?
Takeshi's sulking over Detective K's failed attempt to catch Jirikiman, but Detective K lets him know it was all to plan. See, if he caught Jirikiman now, there'd be no way to find the man who hired him. That's why, during that last fight, he put a tracking sensor on him.
Ignoring the fact that The Joker's radar only extends for one kilometer, the idea's actually pretty sensible and ties nicely into the detective theme of the show. I'm a fan.
After a brief interlude where Detectives Shiba and Shinjo interrogate the boss of Mr. Ohura, we cut to the Azuma Information Agency. Inside, Jirikiman has printed out photos of the two victims, drawn X's over their face in marker, and slapped them on the wall. The fiend!
We find out that these hits were organized by President Kadoi, head of a competitor to Orient Watches. He'd sent spies in to infiltrate the company and steal their secrets, but Mr. Ohura and Mr. Miyake caught them. So his plan? Hire BAD, kill the two men, and then blow up the clock factory.
BAD's leader even makes himself known for the first time, appearing as a trippy swirl on the wall. He reminds President Kadoi of the 50 million yen (roughly a million dollars in today's USD) price he's got to go pay, and Jirikiman shows off his clock-destroying powers by blowing up a wall clock.
And…cut to commercials.
I worry that I'm repeating myself, but I'm enjoying this episode far more than the last. Jirikiman actually has some personality and presence. He's a company guy, a bit of a smooth talker. He's not too bright, but he takes pride in himself. In BAD. And even that little sprinkle of character goes a long way to making a villain of the week really pop.
And the story is *gasp* actually kinda fitting for a detective. A corporate espionage that escalates into senseless revenge is a unique story. One that I don't think other tokusatsu series of the time could really tell. BAD actually feels like killers for hire here. They're not picking up a guy fresh out of prison, and strong-arming him into signing a murder contract. They're hired by an already shady company to do their dirty work.
As a result, the show just works. Detective K is able to be a detective. Detectives Shiba and Shinjo, while present, take up a "Tachibana" role. Where, outside of a little bit of info gathering and routine cop stuff, they're just letting Detective K do his thing. The story has natural intrigue. The fights have stakes. The drama is intensifying. Everything just works. And it's great!
After commercials, we cut back to Detective K eating breakfast with Mr. Miyake's family. Or more accurately, him watching everyone else eat.
Takeshi says he feels a bit bad. Everyone can experience his mom's cooking but Detective K. And to this, Detective K says that he's happy to watch. Watching everyone eat and have a good time is a fun treat for him. The family compliments him, saying he's "more than a metal man." At this, Detective K gets flustered, and moves to leave.
This is really cute!! Detective K needed this humanization, and while this arc means he's doing less detective work, giving him a normal suburban family to bounce off of really helps make him feel real. This isn't just a fancy computer or a smart beat cop, this is a hero. Someone worthy of being the center of a tokusatsu show.
We get a short comedy scene where Hell's Ear shows up, and tries to give a scoop to Detectives Shiba and Shinjo. But they already know all of the details. It's fairly inconsequential, so let's keep moving.
Detective K picks up a signal; Jirikiman is on the move! He quickly locates his car - a regular BAD mobile. Jirikiman realizes that he and President Kadoi are being tailed, and President Kadoi tells him to step on it. The two drive around for a little while, before Jirikiman says he'll deal with Detective K.
His plan? He hops out of the car, and uses his magnets to pull a guardrail across the road. Luckily for our hero, The Joker can fly.
Detective K sets his car down on the far side of the guard rail, but before he can get moving, Jirikiman magnetizes himself to the car and holds it steady. Detective K, the brain genius that he is, simply flies up into the air.
After a few screams and another cute usage of the Jirikiman miniature, he loses his grip and falls from the sky. Detective K has successfully eluded him.
Further down the road, Detectives Shiba and Shinjo pull President Kadoi over. They say he's under arrest for the planned murder of Mr. Miyake and Mr. Ohura. President Kadoi pulls the "what proof do you even have?" angle, to which another nameless cop runs up. Detective K has found evidence of the crime at the Azuma Information Company.
…Wait, wasn't he just dealing with Jirikiman?
Tenagaman drives out into the middle of nowhere, radioing for a BAD money transfer on the way. He hops out of the car, dressed in his silly little Dr. Shinigami robes, and when he sees the helicopter he waves them down.
The helicopter flies overhead, and drops two ropes beneath it. Tenagaman secures the suitcases to the ropes, and the BAD goons (no given term for them yet) hoist the suitcases up into the air. From the little glimpses we get, their designs are actually quite cool. They've got black trench coats and hats, with dark sunglasses that cover their eyes and tattered white cloth wrapped around their face, hiding any skin. They look formidable and a little scary, and that's good!
The jig is up. Using his xray vision that I guess he now has, Detective K cracks the company safe with ease. Inside? The BAD murder contract. Takeshi swings by the spot where the cops are holding President Kadoi, and Detective Shinjo mocks him by mentioning that his old man is still alive.
To this, President Kadoi responds that it's a shame Mr. Miyake is going to be out of a job soon. Everyone's shocked as he triumphantly shouts that Orient Watch's factory will be destroyed, and that there's no cops that could possibly change anything now.
Detective Shinjo smirks. Someone doesn't know about Detective K.
What follows is the best fight scene of the show thus far. Jirikiman tears his way through the security at the factory, ripping the front gate open and overpowering any security guard that tries to stop him. He powers up his magnet, and aims for the giant clock decorating the company building. He rapidly winds the hands until it explodes, fire and debris raining down from the facade.
The Joker flies through the night sky, and Detective K is ready to fight. Jirikiman's excited for a rematch, and Detective K says that this time, it's real. Queue his dorky little henshin sequence.
The two throw down in the building's parking lot. Jirikiman is fast, but Detective K is faster. He lands flying kicks, blocks Jirikiman's swings even while he's prone on the ground, and dodges his flying leaps. Jirikiman is outmatched, and he tries to run. Detective K chases after him.
The two end up near a pile of junk cars, and they're not afraid to integrate them into the fight. They jump on top of the pile, pinning one another against the other wrecks. it's a genuinely impressive scene, especially when the most exciting thing to happen in the last two episodes was a two foot jump off of a yacht's sail.
Jirikiman hops off of the pile, and turns his magnets on Detective K. Turns out that he's made of iron, and Jirikiman only just now thought about this. He's pinned to the cars, as Jirikiman throws jagged debris his way. All seems lost, however Detective K realizes he can use Jirikiman's magnetism to his own benefit.
He scrapes himself off of the car, and flies at him, wrestling Jirikiman to the ground. With a well placed punch he launches Jirikiman and damages his magnet, forcing it on. Jirikiman pulls all of the wrecked cars towards him, pinning himself under tons of scrap metal. Detective K breaks out his chest missile and fires.
Jirikiman is no more.
From here, the episode wraps up quickly. We learn that Mr. Miyake made a full recovery, and that his son is happier than ever. And we find Detective K, screaming "Mother!" out into the ocean. In the distance, Mother appears. The two look at one another as the narration tells us that Detective K is no normal robot. He has feelings, and he cares deeply for humans.
The end.
Final thoughts:That was so good!!
Not to sound like a broken record, but episode three was exactly what I wanted out of this show. The intrigue, the story, hell even the characters all landed this time. Jirikiman was an amazing villain with a fitting end, and even the slower parts of the episode felt deliberate. Everything fits together extraordinarily well.
Detective K finally got to feel not just like a detective, but a hero. Someone you really want to root for. And I'm really excited to see where this show goes.
9/10