Aibou TV Season 5 Episode 19 - Murder at the Cinema(殺人シネマ)

Subtitle: Murder at the Cinema(殺人シネマ)

 Kōichirō Orihaara(織原 晃一郎), the man who directed the masterpiece Strait of Rainbow(海峡の虹) in the 1960's, is stabbed to death during the showing of the movie. In an odd twist of fate, Ms. Tamaki and Inspector Ukyō also happened to be watching the movie, their twelveth viewing of this movie. Early in the investigation, Kayako Shima(島 加代子), a famous actress who starred in that film, comes up as a suspect. Did the actress murder the director?

Kaikyō no Niji(海峡の虹) - Strait of Rainbow. A (fictional) movie released in the late 1960s, directed by Kōichirō Orihaara(織原 晃一郎) starring Kayoko Shima(島 加代子) as a teacher who meets and falls in love with a man, but in the end chooses her students and teaching over her love. It is a peaceful movie without too many plot twists, and some had even criticized it for being too plain, but perhaps because of this, the climax at the end of the movie is even more dramatic, at least according to Inspector Ukyō.

Location

Asahi Kinema(旭キネマ) - The movie Strait of Rainbow(海峡の虹) was being shown at this theater.

Characters appearing/mentioned in the story

Kayako Shima(島 加代子) - Actress. Her stage name was Kayako Shima, but her real name is Shōko Kamiya(神谷 祥子). She doesn't like the press and hasn't given interviews since her retirement, when she married into a well-to-do family. Surprisingly, she talks to the press after the director's death. She appears on the television and declares that it's not surprising that Director Orihara was killed - he had hurt many people with his sharp tongue and had broken many women's hearts. One audience member at the showing when Director Orihara was killed recognizes the actress from that night and calls Sergeant Kameyama. Mrs. Shima says, however, that although she had visited the Asahi Cinema from time to time to see her old movies, she never ran into the director there. According to her, the last time she saw him was six months ago.

Superintendent Uchimura is huge fan of hers.

Kōichirō Orihara(織原 晃一郎) - He directed the 1960's classic "Strait of Rainbow(海峡の虹)." He was young at the time, and people expected further greatness from him, but he left the movie industry after Strait of Rainbow(海峡の虹)'s release and never made another movie. During the years, he had lost contact with his wife and children. Years of abusing his body had taken its toll: his doctors told him that he had six months to live.

While filming, he shouted at everyone, his bosses, the actors and actresses, etc. His kept his sharp tongue even after retirement, chastising Mr.s Shima for leaving the world of movies and marrying into a wealthy family.

He had refused requests for the movie "Strait of Rainbow(海峡の虹)" to be released on video and DVD because he believed that movies are supposed to be seen and appreciated in movie theaters, not in the relaxed setting of people's homes.

He was stabbed to death with a single thrust of a knife to the chest while his movie was being shown. He had been drinking recently and was also dead drunk when he was killed.

Nobuko Akai(赤井 のぶ子) - Member of the cleaning crew at the Asahi Kinema(旭キネマ). She appeared in the movie "Strait of Rainbow" taking on the roll of  a student using the stage name Kinuko Aoba(青葉 絹子). While on the set, she fainted from pressure and losing weight after weathering Director Orihara's constantly verbal abuse.

She was in the lobby when the director was killed.

Yoshihiko Emori(江守 義彦) - Manager of the movie theater Asahi Kinema(旭キネマ). He was in the projection room when the director was killed.

Masao Ebina(海老名 政夫) - Employee of the movie video company Star Home Video. He repeatedly tried but failed to convince Director Orihara to allow "Strait of Rainbow(海峡の虹)" to be released on DVD. He claims that the god of movies must have killed Director Orihara for not giving permission for the movie to be released on DVD.

He last saw the director alive at evening two days ago.

About a month ago, he heard the director say that if there were a god of cinema, the god would allow the director to die at a movie theater while he was watching his own movie.

Yamada(山田) - Ebina's fellow employee at Start Home Video.