Tantei Monogatari (1979)

As the non-conformist, scooter-driving private eye Shunsaku Kudo, Matsuda played what in the eyes of many Japanese is his most pivotal role. Playing the protagonist as a laidback dandy, dragging his heels with an approach to work ethics influenced by his stretch as a cop in the US, the actor injected a dose of humour into what might otherwise have been another stock hardboiled investigator. Over 27 episodes, directed by such luminaries as Yasuharu Hasebe (Stray Cat Rock, Black Tight Killers) and Yugi series helmer Toru Murakawa, Detective Story became one of the most fondly remembered dramas in Japanese TV history. For those who have never seen a single episode, one look at the actor in his full Kudo attire - black suit, white tie, shades, curly hair sticking out from under his hat (he was the only man in history who looked cool even with a perm) - would suffice to gauge some of the impact the character made on the nation at large. Edit Translation

• English
• magyar / magyar nyelv
• dansk
• Norsk