The Long Goodbye

The Long Goodbye is a detective noir series set in post WWII Japan about a private detective called Banji (Asano Tadanobu) who becomes friends with Ayano Gou who is married to a famous actress. Something happens to Ayano Gou and Banji unwittingly becomes involved in something bigger.

WHAT I LIKED

+ Pure detective noir at its finest except for voiceover by the main character, from femme fetales to moody lighting/music to world weary protagonist who must do what he thinks is right. Noir at its finest.

+ Cigarette smoking is not overused like Mozu and there is no unnecessary posturing.

+ Beautifully crafted and shot. They really maximised their budget to recreate 1950s Japan. You can tell a lot of times they couldn't afford to use wide shots but that makes me like it even more.

+ I couldn't help comparing this with Mozu when watching but pacing is so much better and I was eager to find out the truth instead of fearing they would stuff it up.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

- Ending kind of left me with a meh. I was hoping for the show to outsmart me at the end but like HBO's True Detective, its more much a character story about the protagonist standing up against those in power. I would have liked to have seen more of the killer's past, especially considering the killer's condition.

SUMMARY

I can't give it a must watch cause it didn't blow me away just like True Detective but its a very well made piece of Japanese dorama. The Long Goodbye did a much better job playing to the strengths of its genre compared to Mozu. Very watchable and high recommended. Great job NHK!