Come one, come all, to the week of Fugou Keiji’s metamorphosis! This week we have intrigue, mystery and a dash of murder. So without further ado, lets dive in.
Starting off, this week completes Fugou Keiji’s transformation from a comedic parody of rich superheroes to a legitimate detective series. Where once the money-based gags were front and center, they have since become the moments of levity between harrowing intrigue. And I am loving it. I said in prior posts that I preferred Fugou Keiji when it was a parody. At the time that was true. I wasn’t convinced at that point that the series could pull off a serious detective story. Daisuke was to ridiculous and the presentation to comedic. Which is I want to think its incredible just how well Fugou Keiji managed this slow tonal shift. Over the course of 3 episodes it toned down the comedy and dialed up the drama bit by bit. Until we got to where we are today, all without ever giving away the game until Daisuke blows up a car.
In fact, I want to take a moment to appreciate this slow transformation, because its rare a series pulls this off. Fugou Keiji starts by engaging us with some lighthearted comedy, knowing no one is engaged in drama immediately. It’s an effective hook and introduction to our characters and the situation. Only then it starts to slowly dial up the crime. Giving us a drug bust thats still largely dominated by explosions and buying entire buildings. This continues, giving us a train heist with boy bands, until we hit the big switch: episode 4. This is the line where comedy takes a backseat to drama. Where we get a serious dive into who our leads are as people and how they interact. Giving them their first real moments of growth, before diving head first into Presidential assassinations and corporate espionage. And I think Fugou Keiji pulled it off.
One example of a successful shift is Daisuke, and his current plot thread. His discovery of his limited access and pursuit of information on it contrasts nicely with his initial introduction of a rich, spoiled playboy. But it was episode 4, showing just how sheltered he was and how independent he desires to be, that bridges the gap between these two sides of Daisuke. It also sets up his complete disregard for the law early on, where he buys or steals vehicles like in episode 1. Only now he is hacking into them to frame people for crimes, just to bring them into the precinct where he as power. Its a great way to use what was originally presented as a silly character for a serious character conflict. The fact that I could believe Daisuke could actually be responsible for blowing up Imura’s car, despite being our MC, is fantastic!
Meanwhile, running parallel to Daisuke, we have the veteran a day from retirement, Cho. Throwing him into the mix was a great choice and he adds a lot to the intrigue. On Daisuke’s end, he is someone who doesn’t trust our MC. Someone who is willing to go to any means necessary to solve this case and catch those responsible. While for Kato he acts as a corrupting influence, pushing Kato’s sense of justice and what it means to be a cop. His willingness to blackmail suspects to get what he needs makes him effective, if morally questionable. And like a little cherry on top, Fugou Keiji even manages to give him a personal stake in it all. Tying his determination back to an old murder case involving, wouldn’t you guess it, the Kambe family. There are so many tangled threads here, I can’t wait to see how they unravel.
Speaking of Kato, we can’t forget him or how he’s handling this whole mess. His role is still pretty minor overall, but Fugou Keiji is setting him up for a lot. From his conflict of conscious over Cho’s methods to the suspicion of Daisuke, Kato is already knee deep in the intrigue. Right now he has this “Superman” style, black and white view of the world and police work. This idea that they can solve this and save everyone without breaking his moral code or betraying his friend. Kato is, effectively, a Lawful Good Paladin discovering that the world is a bit more complicated than he previously thought. It’s a very risky, but very rewarding type of character to include in a detective story like this. Because if Fugou Keiji handles him well, he has the potential to cause some fantastic confrontations. I only hope the series pulls it off.
All in all, it’s impressive how many threads Fugou Keiji managed to introduce and get up in the air. Last week we only had Daisuke’s access plot, with a dash of Cho’s suspicion. But this week brings the entire cast into it. From the First investigating Daisuke and the higher ups to Cho/Kato/Daisuke’s investigation butting heads with each other. It’s not doubt going to be a difficult task, keeping all of these plates in the air. Its a much more ambitious plot/story than I initially suspected Fugou Keiji was capable of. But where once the show was just something fun I checked into each now, now I am engaged. Now I am interested in what is happening the same way I am interested in Deca-Dence or Fujiko Mine. Don’t disappoint me Fugou Keiji, because you just shot up my expectations.
