Detective Story

The title is Detective Story, but it's equally a coming-of-age tale. Naomi (Hiroko Yakushimaru) is a rich girl set to go study in the US. Her absent father hires detective Shuichi (Yusaku Matsuda) to watch out for her before she goes. She discovers him, and both don't like the situation, but she soon becomes intrigued by him. Shuichi, has other troubles – his ex-wife is involved in a mob murder. Naomi helps protect her and helps Shuichi figure out what really happened. That leads to close encounters with unsavory types and close encounters between the detective and his client. This is Yakushimaru's film, produced by super producer Hiroki Kadokawa, the man who made her a big pop idol. He must have had a lot of influence, getting Matsuda as the detective (he was the star of the TV series Tantei Monogatari, which had no connection to this story) and got well-regarded actress Kyoko Kishida to play the housekeeper. The movie had its moments, but not that much action. Both leads were a bit bland, though Yakushimaru was spirited like a spunky 19-year-old should be. The camera lingers on her and Matsuda a little longer than usual in their quieter scenes. There are a few sexy bits, mainly involving Akikawa, who also sings a fairly bad cover in the cabaret.