Ranmaru: Kamino shita wo motsu otoko

Ranmaru is a detective with a well developed sense of taste, whose speciality is analyzing clues by licking them. This time, he takes on a case in a cozy village, that has hot springs and bottled water as its economical base.

The movie follows upon a TV series of 10 episodes with the same title. It begins with a long synopsis of the TV series, and introduction of the detective and his two side-kicks. So there is a solid transition with no questions unanswered.

The female side-kick Hikaru is an annoying wanna-be detective, who only contributes by spouting nonsense. This is even commented upon by the male side-kick Kanji, who also is the narrator, and the most funny character in this comedy.

The case is shallow and practically unsolvable, not because it is complicated, but because the motivation behind it is unnatural. It is hard to deduct who is behind it, just because the actions taken are not logical.

This was surprising, because the director Tsutsumi Yukihiko usually creates good mysteries, and good characters too. Actually, the weakness might be that the characters are not taken seriously as rational beings.

The dark history of the village itself is more interesting. Because of this, it is not a complete failure as a mystery. It is also lively with some funny moments, so it is not a complete failure as a comedy either.