"Akai Meiro" drama, episode twenty of 26 recap

 

 Air Dates: October 4, 1974 until March 28, 1975... Friday nights at 9:00 pm on TBS/Daiei

There's 26 episodes that are 46 minutes in length, this series is also known as Red Maze

 Once again the subs were done by GEO9875, fifth series I've recapped by them. This is the first of a long running RED series, there were a few more dramas and some TV specials.

The average rating for the drama was 18.9% with a high of 22.7%.

Main Cast: Thanks again to GEO9875 for doing the subs for this series, another classic that has been revived. This could prove to be a challenge for me and may write up 6-8 recaps before publishing any. The recent series I finished "Abunai Deka" had 51 episodes but all were stand alone stories. This drama is one long 26 episode story so don't want to have long gaps between the recaps, every now and again do need a break so that's where the challenge will be. Am writing most of this up after viewing two shows, know there will be much editing to the character's bios and a few new ones may have to be added in. But I am looking forward to this series and it has started off strongly, except for a pair of Sentai shows this is the oldest drama I've viewed. 

 This drama has such a strong cast, so many were stars at the time or became one. Ken Utsui is the older man above, he sadly died ten years ago but what a terrific actor he was. Playing his wife who died early on was Akiko Koyama, she'll be turning ninety this year and have seen her in so many older films, she was so classy and attractive. Momoe Yamaguchi needs no intro as she may be the most popular Idol in the history of Japan, recommend reading up on her. Yusaku Matsuda died at the age of forty in 1989, he was a star actor but could be known more for being the father of two current popular actors Ryuhei and Shota Matsuda. Some others in the main cast are also known, will talk about a few of them in future posts. Below on the left is Takeo who was killed at the end of the first episode, on the right is her old friend Yukiho and could that conversation be the key behind everything that will take place?

 Ken Utsui as Masato Yuki.... A psychiatrist who has just returned to Japan after spending three years in NYC as a college lecturer/professor about the minds of criminals. In Tokyo Masato works at Towa Medical University Hospital, he's the leader of a new section called Laboratory of Criminal Psychology and Medicine. Masato's wife was Takeo who was murdered early on, he's the father of the next character Akiko. He seems to be a calm and collected individual but does Masato have a secret past, such as did he have an affair with Yukiko? That never happened but in the fifth episode we did learn that Masato isn't the true father of Akiko, who is? The answer to that is in the final character bio.

 Momoe Yamaguchi as Akiko Yuki.... Masato's fifteen year old daughter who is a freshman in high school. She's also the daughter of the following woman and a major question is if Akiko is truly Taeko's daughter, will be doing much editing for this character. Which hadn't happened through ten shows but since then Akiko's role had grown and she could be the key figure to all of these incidents and mysteries.

 Akiko Koyama as Taeko Yuki.... Though she was murdered at the end of the first episode still have her in this section as Taeko is so important to the story. We will be seeing her in flashbacks as the main story is finding out who was her killer? While Masato was in America a huge question is was Taeko having an affair, she acted so secretly upon his return. Another puzzle for now is if Taeko is the birth mother of Akiko? No and that was revealed in the fourth episode but Taeko had raised her since birth.

Yusaki Matsuda as Jun Tsuzuki....  Jun is 26 in age and is currently unemployed, he had been a construction worker. He's the younger brother of the below woman, something unknown(for now) happened in Jun's past which has made him so dour and unsociable. At the end of the second episode he was arrested for the murder of Taeko but personally think he's innocent. In March 1971 his then girlfriend Fujiko had been raped and murdered by a middle aged man. Masato had done the evaluation on this man who he deemed unfit to stand trial which would be Jun's motive if he is the actual killer of Taeko. Jun was arrested again in the sixth episode for Taeko's murder but near the end of episode eight was released. The key bit of evidence had been his work helmet but according to the Forensics Unit it had been tampered with and who is trying to frame Jun? That is still unknown but Jun had zero to do with Taeko's killing.

Aiko Nagayama as Yukiko Sakurai.... Jun's older sister who is married but it seems to be a loveless marriage. Yukiko also has a few mysteries surrounding her, one is did she have an affair with Masato before he went to America three years ago? She had grown up with Taeko but the pair did drift apart, because of the affair? Or perhaps something else such as I'm thinking that Yukiko is the birth mother of Akiko!!!! The two women hold a very dark secret and have for fifteen years, that happens to be the age of Akiko! **** In episode five it was revealed Yukiko is the true mother of Akiko, the father's name is Egami who killed someone fifteen years ago and is still on the lam.

Ryoko Nakano as Kyoko Sonoda.... New clinical psychologist in Masato's criminal unit. Kyoko seems to be such a nosy woman but also very competent at her work, she is very attractive and wonder if she has set her eyes upon her leader Masato? Yes she does which many have noticed though not Masato, Kyoko had attended a university in Germany. Beginning with the 14th show began to wonder if Kyoko may be involved with all of these sordid incidents, if so that would make for such an interesting storyline.

 Makoto Sato as Yusaku Yanagida.... Prosecutor who is also Masato's lawyer, advisor and his best friend. The pair have known each other for decades and Yanagida seems to be a real decent man who is also trying to solve the mystery of Taeko's murder, that's him on the left below. He too once had the hots for Taeko but lost out to Masato though it never affected their friendship.

Masaya Takahashi as Professor Oyama.... He's Masato's superior at the university and don't know much about him to to date but he doesn't seem to like Masato and may not be trustworthy. That's Oyama on the right below, he cares more about the college's image than his own staff. In the fifth show some anger had arisen with the university staff because of Masato doing the evaluation of Jun, in a surprise Oyama has his back and will stand up for him. No longer as in episode ten Oyama will now be the leader of Masato's criminal lab and will take all of the credit! **** In episode 19 Oyama gave Masato back the leadership of the criminal lab again. But more importantly Oyama tried to run over Masato at the end of the show, it wasn't the first time he had tried that and Oyama soon drove his car into a bay at Izu ending his life.

 Here's a few others of the cast who we see now and again though don't have huge roles.

Goro Oshi as Goro Murai.... Owner of the snack bar seen often and Jun's best friend. Goro is also good friends with Misaki who visits his snack bar often and we do see him briefly in each episode. Misaki is a photographer and though not knowing Masato seems to dislike him immensely.

Goro Tarumi as Hidehiko Sakurai.... Yukiko's husband and owns a combo clothing factory and store. They had been in Yukiko's family for decades but had fallen upon hard times, Hidehiko has worked hard to make it profitable again.

Isao Tamagawa as Sakazaki.... Lead detective for Taeko's murder case.

Toshiaki Nishizawa as Masaru Egami.... We first learned of him at the end of the fifth episode. Over fifteen years ago he had been dating Yukiko in Kyoto and had gotten her pregnant. In March 1959 Egami had robbed and murdered a woman, since then he's been on the lam but is the.... true father of Akiko!!!! Many who knew of Egami thought he was dead but has now resurfaced in Tokyo, why as the statue of limitations ends in less than four months and could be have been involved in Taeko's murder? By the end of the eleventh show is doesn't appear so but it also seems as though an unknown man is trying to protect Egami from the police and Masato.

Previous recaps.... May be difficult to read many of them but if you've been following the story there would be no need. However much does happen in each show so don't have the time to explain everything that has taken place up until this point, some of the above is very informative but reading a few of these would definitely help.

 

Episode one .... Episode two .... Episode three .... Episode four

Episode five .... Episode six .... Episode seven .... Episode eight

Episode nine .... Episode ten .... Episode eleven .... Episode twelve

Episode thirteen .... Episode fourteen .... Episode fifteen .... Episode sixteen

Episode seventeen .... Episode eighteen

 

 This was the final episode to feature the main character of Jun. There are some reasons for his departure but let me wait until the next recap to briefly explain why he left the drama. So much took place in this show, perhaps more than any other episode, so need to devote this intro section to begin on what took place. Sure most have read the recap right above and it had such an unexpected ending. Masato's superior at Towa University Oyama had tried to run over Masato one evening with his car which failed, it wasn't the first time Oyama had tried to kill Masato. But this time he was seen and the guilt was too much for Oyama who drove his car into a bay near Izu. Oyama did leave a suicide note and that's Masato reading it above, in it Oyama fingered Misaki as the killer of Taeko!!!! One thing did bother me which was how did Oyama know that and it was never revealed how he knew, hopefully in a future episode. Because so much took place in this show was wondering what will be the story for the final six episodes but the ending did answer that question. Let's get to what took place in this episode and there was more action than in any other show.

 You have to remember fifty years ago the police didn't have the advantage of using hi-tech or cellphones to solve crimes, they had to do a lot of leg work. Which is what the Setagaya police are doing to find Misaki who has disappeared, that's him right above. There's two main things about this investigation, of course the first is finding Misaki but the other is proving his alibi wasn't on the up and up. October 4, 1974 is the date when Taeko's murder took place at a motel in Kawasaki, it's now the end of January1975 and at the time Misaki said he was meeting with a model and her agent which they verified. The main detective on the murder case has been Sakazaki though we haven't seen much of him for quite a while. He was able to prove this manager was lying and it was to cover up the fact he was having an affair with his model! Plus Sakazaki noted that Misaki had been doing many photo shoots at construction sites, him taking a picture of Egami was no accident. It also allowed Misaki to one day steal Jun's work helmet and gloves to plant them as bogus evidence but Jun has been cleared of any wrong doings. There were a few other minor things dug up and there's little doubt Misaki is the prime suspect in the murder of Teako. For many episodes Jun, Masato and the prosecutor Yanagida had felt Misaki was their man but could never prove it.

 With Misaki still on the lam Akiko's birth mother Yukiko dashed to her house and stay there to protect her daughter, to this Masato had no objections for a change. It was odd seeing the trio eat breakfast together and after Akiko left for school with police protection Masato told Yukiko what's been going on with Jun. Masato and Kyoko both feel he's suffering from a condition called Meningioma which is similar to a brain tumor. Jun won't enter a hospital for testing and Yukiko had no clue Jun was hurting that badly. He did visit Masato's house shortly after and Yukiko did try to talk some sense into Jun but no one can penetrate his iron wall. When Akiko went to school she was driven by Goro, Jun's best friend and the owner of he nearby Snack Village eatery. Masato would often visit there and trusted the man to deliver Akiko to school safely, that shouldn't be a problem as in the back seat with Akiko was a detective. But none of the three noticed on their route to school that they were followed by Misaki who had stolen a car and in the bottom screenshot above was viewing Akiko as she left Goro's vehicle.

 School was down a one way street though just two blocks away, Goro felt uneasy about letting Akiko walk there but having detective Suda with her what could go wrong? Plus there were many other students and teachers heading to school, Goro stayed where he was until he was sure Akiko was safe. Not staying in one place was Misaki who tore around the block and was able to go the correct way on the one way street. He zoomed his car at Akiko and for so long I thought Misaki just wanted to frighten and not kill her. Suda pushed Akiko out of the way and took the brunt of the hit but ended up being okay. Akiko had crumbled to the ground in a daze, Misaki jumped out of his stolen car and threw her in the back seat. He fled away but noticing was Goro who gave chase but Misaki was able to escape when Goro had to stop for a passing train, he immediately called the Setagaya police. Who of course notified Masato with what had taken place, he rushed to the station but for now no one has a clue on where Misaki may have taken Akiko but the police did put a tracker on Masato's phone should Misaki call up. They're hoping he'll ask for some ransom or even a trade of some sort but it never came to that.

 Goro went back to his Snack Village eatery and was beating himself up for what took place. He shouldn't have as it wasn't Goro's fault plus Akiko did have a police guard, joining him at the shop was Jun and Kyoko. Shortly after a call came in for Jun, of all people it happened to be Egami who wanted to meet Jun secretly which happened and it was the whole key to saving Akiko. Some of the conversation between Jun and Egami is right above, somehow Misaki had found out that Akiko was his and Yukiko's daughter. Much earlier than anyone else so Misaki was blackmailing Egami, Yukiko and as it turns out the murdered Taeko. Hopefully we'll find out how Misaki knew all of this in future shows and it was him who had been sending those threatening letters to Masato. Also hope to learn how Egami is positive, Oyama also, that Misaki killed Taeko and could either have witnessed her going into that motel with Misaki? Egami is still on the lam for his 1959 murder but the statue of limitations will be ending in about six weeks. He wanted to split but thought better of it, he may have a good idea on where Misaki went to and told Jun they had better rush. Five episodes ago Egami had set up a meeting with Misaki at an abandoned factory, Egami thought that could be where he's hiding out. Which was a bulls eye and the pair better rush for as Akiko was asking Misaki above is he going to kill her????

 Akiko had jo clue why Misaki had been targeting her and Masato, she proceeded to ask such a posing question. Which was why Misaki was so angry, she asked "If you kill me will your hatred disappear?" and what an excellent choice of words from a fifteen year old. But those words sent Misaki into a rage and it appeared he was going to choke Akiko but the cavalry arrived to save the day. That was of course Jun and Egami, Akiko was safe and Egami whisked her away and said to call the police, he himself had to flee before he was seen. Jun faced off against Misaki who tore away to the building's roof, all of this is right above. Misaki wouldn't answer when Jun asked why was he doing these violent acts, instead Misaki went to the ledge and it seemed he would throw himself off. However Jun gave Misaki a brief pep talk about living, it's true he'll be going to prison but after he would still have a full life to live and why throw it away? That was the second time in two shows Jun gave a speech such as that and why doesn't he listen to himself as Jun is throwing away his own life by not getting treatment!

 That talk worked, Misaki stepped back from the ledge and soon the police force was there dragging Misaki away but know we will be seeing much more of him. Right after that happened Jun had another one of his attacks in front of the main detective Sakazaki, this was the worst to date and Jun was rushed to the hospital. There are some screenshots of that above, Akiko was safe and sound so Masato had dashed to the hospital to see how Jun's condition was. Which was extremely bad, Jun's doctor told Masato there's really no hope for him and doing an operation would be futile so it's just a waiting game until Jun dies! The worst thing about all of this is that besides being unable to control his fingers and hands Jun is now.... Blind!!!! Jun knew the end was near when that happened, many did pay him a visit such as his sister Yukiko along with Akiko. Jun put on a brave face and smile but as he told Akiko in that bottom screenshot above this is goodbye and she wasn't sure what he meant.

 After leaving the hospital Masato visited his good friend Yanagida, he'll be the prosecutor at Misaki's trial. The two had a chat about that and will get to what was decided a little further down but during that scene Yanagida had received a call, Jun has disappeared from the hospital! This saddish scene which wasn't that long is right above and was Jun's final one in the series. Kyoko had been notified and she had a strong inkling on where Jun wanted to spend his final moments. Which was by the sea and the pair had made a pact to meet up there some episodes ago. The mini mystery was.... how did a blind Jun ever get there???? Jun was not in a state to talk well and just rambled a few incoherent words, his last request was to have a smoke and he would inhale at least a pack a show! Jun couldn't light his butt, Kyoko had to do it and it was a tad humorous as she's the only non-smoker among the main cast and did hack a bit lighting Jun's final butt. Within a minute Jun succumbed in Kyoko's arms and do wonder if the pair did end up loving each other, think the answer is yes though neither admitted it. Jun's role had been growing larger and he will be missed but sure his name will be brought up often. Back to that scene at Yanagida's office, Misaki has been charged with murder and Masato has a request for his friend.

 Which is that Masato and Kyoko be allowed to do the criminal evaluation on Misaki to see if he's fit for trial, if convicted he could go to prison.... or even face the death penalty! Yanagida was naturally at a loss with that request, could Masato really evaluate MIsaki fairly knowing he killed his wife Taeko? It was decided that Masato would be allowed to begin and when he visited Misaki the man knew this was going to happen! The testing didn't begin as there were only two minutes to go in the show and Misaki's final words to Masato were that the show is just beginning! In the final minute Masato had returned home, there had been a letter delivered that afternoon which Akiko read and it's the bottom two screenshots above. The note said Akiko's real father Egami is still alive and for the first time Akiko saw a photo of the man, she recognized him as she's met him twice. When the letter said 'He'll appear before you next month' I think is referring to when the statue of limitations for Egami's 1959 murder will expire and the show ended on that note. So what a finale to this show and by the looks of things it appears Misaki worked under the writer of that letter or was his accomplice, can now see how this drama can last another six episodes and who knows, Misaki may not the the true killer of Taeko!