東野圭吾×福山雅治！映画『ブラック・ショーマン』を観た感想
Welcome to Free Atelier Sei! This is Sei . I recently went to see the movie “Black Showman”! It’s a much-talked-about mystery film based on a novel by Keigo Higashino and starring Masaharu Fukuyama . To be honest, I felt a bit unsettled after watching it… If you’re feeling the same way, I’d be thrilled if you’d watch the video to the end. In this video, I’ll first talk about the good and bad points of the movie , and then I’ll explain why those who felt unsatisfied with the movie should read the original novel . The original novel contains many of the true charms of this story that weren’t depicted in the movie. Please watch until the end! From here on, I’ll share my thoughts with spoilers. If you want to know the contents of the film without spoilers, please watch the previously released video first! I’ll include a link in the description. Now, onto my main thoughts! First, let me start with the good points of the movie. Masaharu Fukuyama plays Takeshi Kamio and Kasumi Arimura plays Mayo. The pairing of these two was truly perfect! Fukuyama apparently trained in magic for over four months, mastering the coin roll and palm trick techniques faster than expected. I felt the subtle acting, where it was hard to tell whether Takeshi was a good or bad guy, was well-represented. Kasumi Arimura also meticulously portrayed the complex emotions of a daughter who lost her father, conveying Mayo’s feelings. I was particularly impressed by Raizumi Inagaki, who played Mayo as a high school student. I thought her voice was cute, and her middle school-aged innocence was perfect. Speaking of child actors, Yota Hiiragi as Kugimiya and Shinnosuke Nishiura as Tsukumi were also excellent. The cast was truly talented, and I thought it was truly impressive. As I mentioned in my previous review of the original novel, I thought that if Eiichi had asked the criminal to keep his motive a secret, he would have reluctantly agreed. As if to express those feelings, Mayo exclaims, “I didn’t even know that!” during the climax classroom scene. This line, which wasn’t in the original work, really struck a chord with me. The filming took place in Hachiman-cho, Gujo City, Gifu Prefecture (commonly known as Gujo Hachiman). Apparently, the area is also famous for the Gujo Odori, a Bon festival dance that lasts for over 30 days in the summer . Known as the “Little Kyoto of Oku-Mino,” the autumn foliage and townscape were stunning. The original novel ends with a bright outlook: “This town will surely be able to move forward without relying on Phantom Labyrinth,” and I felt the beautiful scenery perfectly suited that setting. I was happy to see the illustrations of Kugimiya’s manga, “Phantom Labyrinth,” which were only a fantasy in my mind in the original novel. The illustrations, drawn by the real-life manga artist Takahide Dekono, were fantastic! At first, I was surprised to see that the main character, Azuma Zeromonji, was younger than I imagined, but then I quickly realized, “It’s a shonen manga, so that’s about the right age.” I’ve been interested in the manga “She Is Beautiful,” illustrated by Takahide Tokono, because it looks interesting. As I’ve said before, there were certainly good points, but after watching it, I was left with a feeling of dissatisfaction. Actually, before seeing the movie, I had read some comments from viewers on a video reviewing the original novel, and they weren’t exactly praising the movie, so I was worried, ” Hmm, maybe it’s quite different from the original,” and my bad prediction turned out to be correct… I’ll explain each of the things that I found lacking ! But just one thing! I want to make it clear first that I have no intention of disparaging anyone involved! It’s easy to imagine the many people involved and the tremendous hardships that went into reaching the release date. However, this is my personal opinion, one that I felt as a viewer, having read the original novel. In the original novel, the setting was March 2021, and the COVID-19 pandemic was an important backdrop for the story. It could even be said to be the biggest factor. The impact of the tourism industry, changes in lifestyle due to telework, and travel restrictions… these social conditions were deeply connected to the characters’ situations and actions. In the film, the setting was shifted to 2025, and the core “COVID” element was almost entirely cut, resulting in a mere light entertainment piece. This film features many suspects. The trailer for the film featured a bold narrator stating, “Are they all lying!?” However, just watching the film, I didn’t understand why there were so many suspects. In the original novel, each character had a distinct role to play, but removing the core “COVID” element left many characters with no role to play… I’ll discuss the role of each character in the original novel in the “Why I Want You to Read the Original Novel” section. It’s said that the film’s script is broadly divided into three elements. The film’s main focus is the main task of “guessing who murdered her father,” with secondary elements including “Mayo’s relationship with her fiancé” and “the episode about the murderer.” However, each of these elements felt rushed. While these are all important elements in the original novel, it seemed a bit of a stretch to fit them all into a two-hour film. Regarding the “episode about the murderer,” author Higashino apparently requested, “Rather than wasting time on misdirection about the identity of the murderer, I want the story to properly depict the events that led up to the crime and the murderer’s feelings.” I felt the episode about the murderer was unusually long within the overall structure of the film, but after reading the pamphlet, I understood. However, I wonder whether it was necessary to include another element, “Mayo’s relationship with her fiancé.” The inclusion of this element midway through the film seemed to interrupt the flow of “guessing who murdered her father.” While this is an important element of the original work, when the film had to be condensed from a novel that could be written in depth to a two-hour length, I wondered, as an amateur, whether it would have been better to cut it out and instead delve deeper into other elements. The cast, including Fukuyama, Arimura, Nakamura Toru, Narita Ryo, Namase Katsuhisa, and Kimura Kon, were all talented actors, and they all gave truly excellent performances . However, my honest opinion is that I might have been more satisfied if I had watched it as a TV drama or streaming drama. Ayatsuji Yukito’s “The Decagon House Murders” was previously adapted into a Hulu original, but it consisted of five 45-minute episodes, wrapped up in four hours. While a similar length might have been satisfying, I felt that the film lacked the power to draw in the audience and deeply move them within two hours. At the beginning of the film, there was footage of a magic show that Fukuyama’s character, Takeshi, used to perform in Las Vegas. However, I wasn’t particularly captivated by this opening magic trick. I think this is a question of compatibility between film and magic. With film, you can cut and reconnect as many scenes as you want, right? So, I didn’t get the same “wow!” feeling I get when watching live magic on stage. The production team said it was “the most difficult part,” but I felt like the visual impact was a little lacking to justify their efforts. So, I’ve talked about the film’s shortcomings , but the original novel can help resolve them ! I’ll explain why I recommend reading the original novel, taking into account the differences between the film and the original novel. I mentioned that the film lacks the core element of the story, “COVID-19.” The original novel is set in March 2021 and realistically recreates the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic we all experienced. It’s a “COVID history book” that allows you to relive those experiences. For example, there’s Momoko, Mayo’s best friend. In the original novel, she is described as someone whose company went bankrupt due to COVID-19 and whose relationship with her husband deteriorated due to him switching to telework. I’m sure there are many people who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, or who have had to be careful at home because their family members have started working from home, which has worn them down. Momoko was a character readers could relate to. However, in the film, she was simply portrayed as someone who was separated from her husband due to a falling out with him. While I understand that Momoko’s husband was the one the victim was meeting in Tokyo, making her presence in the film ambiguous, I found it disappointing. Another character, Haraguchi, the liquor store owner, was someone whose business struggled due to COVID-19, which led to izakayas being closed or operating on reduced hours. Alcohol orders also decreased, making business difficult. The original novel had a clear reason for the large number of suspects. However, the film omitted this background information, leaving the impression that there were simply a lot of suspicious people. The only COVID-19-related character was Kashiwagi, the vice president of a construction company, who remained consistent in the original, portraying him as someone who was desperately trying to fill the gap left by the Phantom Rabbi House, which was canceled due to COVID-19. However, I think this is only valid because the story is set in 2021, one year after the COVID-19 pandemic began. It’s odd that the film is set in 2025, five years after the “Phantom Rabi House” construction was canceled, yet the film still focuses solely on Phantom Rabi. With that in mind, the film’s biggest flaw seems to be the fact that the story’s timeline shifted from 2021 to 2025. Was there a reason for it to coincide with the release date? Even if it was released in 2025, it would have been fine to depict it in 2021… Perhaps it’s because people would have to wear masks. Also , the original novel explains why relatives other than Mayo and Takeshi don’t attend the wake or funeral because “people from other prefectures are not welcome due to COVID-19,” and asks them to refrain from attending. It’s a small detail, but something that might leave you feeling uneasy just watching the film is clearly addressed in the original novel. If you’re left feeling confused by the film, I recommend you read the original! The original novel’s length of 514 pages allowed it to carefully unravel each of its many mysteries. However, the film attempted to leave most of the mystery unresolved, resulting in a disjointed two-hour screenplay. The original novel is structured around a recurring cycle of “investigation → information organization,” with Takeshi and Mayo’s investigations and the reveal of Takeshi’s deductions and magic tricks meticulously depicted. Throughout, the story unfolds , including the episode about the day Takeshi and Mayo first met and the story of Takeshi’s relationship with his victim brother, making the characters grow on me. While the film’s plot narrows the culprit down to one person before you know it, the original novel allows the reader to enjoy solving the mystery together. While the suspense may be lessened by the discovery of the culprit in the film, the novel is recommended for those who want to learn more about Takeshi and Mayo. Reading the original work, I think it’s clear why Higashino requested the film adaptation “detail the circumstances leading up to the crime and the culprit’s feelings.” The story of Tsukumi-kun, which had been told bit by bit as the story of Mayo’s first love, began to take on a different meaning once the culprit was revealed. Mayo and Kugimiya had visited Tsukumi-kun together. Because readers know this past, it’s especially heartbreaking to imagine Kugimiya’s father… Then, 90% of the way through the story, the story is told from Kugimiya’s perspective. As I mentioned in my previous video, I like the setting in which his motives are universal and unrelated to COVID-19 . It conveys the sadness of a human being who cannot let go of the glory they once achieved and makes an irreparable mistake. In this way, novels allow us to experience the characters’ emotions on a deeper level. It certainly feels like the movie “The Black Showman” didn’t capture all the charm of the original novel . However, there were many good things about the film, such as the charms of Masaharu Fukuyama and Kasumi Arimura, the beautiful filming locations, and the flashy magic effects . Masaharu Fukuyama was a perfect fit for the character of Takeshi Kamio, so next time I’d love to see it as a TV drama instead of a movie. If you were left feeling unsatisfied with the movie, please also read the original novel, “The Black Showman and the Murder in the Nameless Town”! We’re also looking for your thoughts on the movie in the comments! If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to our channel and click the like button. Thank you for watching until the end! See you in the next video!
ご視聴いただきありがとうございます！
（せい☃️）
🎥原作小説『ブラック・ショーマンと名もなき町の殺人』を読んだ感想
🎙️声
COEIROINK:晴星
（合成音声を使用しているため、イントネーション等におかしなところがございますが、ご了承ください🙇♀️）
🔖目次
🌱0:00 ハイライト・オープニング
🌱1:13 良かった点
🌱3:22 物足りなかった点
🌱7:27 原作小説を読んでほしい理由
🌱11:40 エンディング
🎞️映画情報
公式サイト：https://blackshowman.jp/
本予告映像：https://youtu.be/uMPRMo92pRU?si=GVap1-2y7HgKnEHH
原作：#東野圭吾『ブラック・ショーマンと名もなき町の殺人』（光文社文庫刊）
監督：田中亮（「コンフィデンスマンJP」シリーズ、「イチケイのカラス」シリーズ）
脚本：橋本夏（「１１９エマージェンシーコール」「降り積もれ孤独な死よ」）
音楽：佐藤直紀
テーマソング：「幻界」福山雅治（アミューズ / Polydor Records）
劇中漫画作画：凸ノ高秀
出演：#福山雅治 #有村架純
成田凌 生田絵梨花 木村昴 森永悠希 秋山寛貴（ハナコ） 犬飼貴丈 岡崎紗絵
森崎ウィン 丸山智己 濱田マリ 伊藤淳史 生瀬勝久 仲村トオル
稲垣来泉 柊木陽太 西浦心乃助
配給：東宝
©2025映画『ブラック・ショーマン』製作委員会
📚原作小説(PR)
📘『ブラック・ショーマンと名もなき町の殺人』東野圭吾（光文社）
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#観た感想 #ブラックショーマン #映画
#本紹介 #おすすめ本 #読書vlog
#ブックチューバー #フリーアトリエ晴星