Ataru is a man with ‘savant syndrome’ – something similar to autism/aspergers. Through this illness, Ataru has heightened abilities to see through and deduct things that nobody else can. Due to this ability, the FBI recruited and trained him to solve difficult cases under the guidance of a Japanese man named Larry. However, Ataru missed Japan after staying in New York and came back home where he was found wandering the streets by Ebina Maiko, a police woman who becomes his friend. In this movie, a young woman named Madoka who has the same abilities as Ataru and was also recruited by the FBI before she was put in prison for a series of murders returns to Tokyo and sets about killing a number of people. She sets up Ataru to be the main suspect by the police and he is sent to jail. Can Ebina and Detective Sawa find and capture Madoka whilst also trying to free Ataru from jail?
Ataru was a popular drama series that aired on Japanese TV during 2012. It’s popularity spun off 2 TV specials and a movie. Unless you’ve seen the series and especially the 2nd TV special it would be unwise to see this movie as it carries on from the conclusion of the special where the character of Madoka is introduced and to the crimes she committed in the US which involved stabbing various people to death in the same style as crucifixion (a knife stuck to the wrist, side of the body and foot). There is no introduction to the characters so a person with no knowledge of the show is likely to be confused as to what is going on. This movie really doesn’t feel like one to myself, it’s more like an extended episode. The storyline is rather long-winded and drags for a good 20-25 mins too long. With a bigger budget, some of the scenes are shot in Las Vegas (outside the Belagio Hotel) and on Route 66 where the climax takes place. All of the regulars in the series come back with the addition of one new character in Detective Sawa’s ex-wife (or that’s who I think she is though it is never specifically mentioned) who is in charge of the police investigation for several murders around Tokyo. She has lost her legs due to an accident so she is mostly seen in a wheelchair.
I really enjoyed this quirky series as it featured a new slant on the usual police dramas by using a man who rather than have supernatural abilities had other means to help the police solve crimes. There are various funny references dotted throughout the movie to SPEC (another Japanese drama) and AKB48. You might be wondering why AKB48 is mentioned? The reason being is that one member of the group (Haruka Shimazaki aka Paruru) has a minor role as a beautiful policewoman. Part of the plot sees Madoka trying to bring Ataru over to her side and it seems she does have some kind of mind control over him. It’s also revealed that she’s in love with Ataru and was really sad when she was separated from him many years ago. In a clever plot twist, the viewer is made to think that Ataru may have switched sides to align himself with Madoka. Even Sawa and Larry start believing that Ataru is guilty of crimes which infuriates Ebina. She even goes as far as slapping Sawa and Larry in the face. I laughed as Ebina tells Sawa to f**k off in English the morning after their argument.
A big part of why this drama series worked so well was due to the interactions between the characters especially the three main leads in Nakai Masahiro, Chiaki Kuriyama and Kazuki Kitamura. SMAP member Nakai is excellent as Ataru (nicknamed Chokozai by Ebina) who tends to swig tomato ketchup and mayonnaise and likes to watch a TV show about a Western female synchronised swimming detective. The series reveals more about his background and his parents. For some reason the English translation for Chokozai comes up as Mr Bugger which is a stupid nickname for the character (I’m sure something has gone wrong in the translation somewhere!). Ataru sees bubbles appearing in front of his eyes (part of his condition) whenever he gets a lead on a case. The biggest surprise in this movie and indeed the series is Chiaki Kuriyama. I’m sure the majority of Western viewers including myself have never seen Chiaki doing any kind of comedy before as she usually plays violent or weird characters. The viewer gets to see an entirely different aspect of her acting here. She’s quite good in playing the goofy Ebina who was recruited not for her policing skills but rather as a poster girl to recruit more officers. She quits the force in the series to set up her own detective agency to handle cases the police don’t want to deal with. Her chemistry with actor Kazuki Kitamura is an integral part of the show/movie as they bounce off each other extremely well. Kitamura’s role is that of Detective Sawa (Ebina’s boss) who is rather vain and likes to play about with his hair until it is just right. At first he doesn’t believe in Ataru’s skills but over the course of the series he comes round to the fact that he’s a valuable asset to solving cases. Maki Horikita is Madoka, the villainess of the movie. All dressed in black, Madoka’s appearance is like Jaws from the James Bond movies in that she has metal teeth. She knocked out her real teeth in jail by repeatedly smashing her mouth on the bars of her cell. Madoka’s motivation for killing is fuelled by the treatment she had as a child at the FBI and Detective Sawa even attacks Larry for making Madoka the person she is today. I don’t think it helped that Madoka was abandoned at a church when she was a child and raised by the nuns. It’s plain to see that Madoka loves Ataru very much and thus being separated from him made her turn to the dark side. The climax sees Ebina and Sawa rushing to save Ataru after he and Madoka head to a place on Route 66 in which they solved their first case together. They make a promise to be together forever as they are the same with Madoka aiming for the pair to commit suicide with a gun. Maki Horikita who at the beginning her career mostly played nice characters in dramas has done very well in portraying several evil people over the last couple of years. I actually think she performs better when she takes on a darker persona in a drama/movie.
Overall, this was a satisfying conclusion to the whole drama series although I felt the ending was a bit of an anti-climax. Given that Ataru was popular with Japanese viewers, I’m wondering whether a second season or even another movie might be commissioned. I’ll guess we’ll find out in the future. For fans of the drama, this is a must-see.
Sadako’s Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
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