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Japanese anime television series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace (乱歩奇譚 Game of Laplace, Ranpo Kitan Gēmu Obu Rapurasu, lit. Strange Tales of Rampo: Game of Laplace) is a Japanese anime television series produced by Lerche, directed by Seiji Kishi, and written by Makoto Uezu. The series aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block[3] from July 2 to September 17, 2015. The anime is inspired by the works of author Edogawa Ranpo and commemorates the 50th anniversary of his death in 1965.
| Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace | |
Key visual for the anime featuring the main protagonists, Akechi (top left), Kobayashi (right), and Hashiba (bottom left). | |
| 乱歩奇譚 Game of Laplace | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Mystery,[1] psychological[2] |
| Created by | Edogawa Ranpo |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Seiji Kishi |
| Written by | Makoto Uezu |
| Music by | Masaru Yokoyama |
| Studio | Lerche |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | Fuji TV, Kansai TV (Noitamina) |
| English network | |
| Original run | July 2, 2015 – September 17, 2015 |
| Episodes | 11 |
The story begins at a middle school where the murder and dismemberment of a teacher has taken place. Kobayashi, a boy who goes to this school and the lead suspect in the case, meets the genius detective Akechi, who comes to the school to investigate. After being cleared of the crime, Kobayashi takes an interest in Akechi and, in spite of his friend Hashiba's worries, volunteers to be Akechi's assistant.
The anime television series produced by Lerche, directed by Seiji Kishi, and written by Makoto Uezu premiered on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block on July 2, 2015. The anime is licensed by AnimeLab in Australia and New Zealand and is being simulcast on their website as it airs in Japan.[4] The opening theme is "Speed to Masatsu" (スピードと摩擦, Supīdo to Masatsu, lit. "Speed and Friction") by Amazarashi and the ending theme is "Mikazuki" (ミカヅキ, lit. "Crescent Moon") by Sayuri. The broadcast of the ninth episode was delayed one week due to a scheduling conflict with a sports program.[5]
| No. | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Human Chair,[lower-alpha 1] Part 1" Transliteration: "Ningen Isu (Zenpen)" (Japanese: 人間椅子(前編)) | July 2, 2015 | |
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Kobayashi wakes up in his homeroom only to discover his homeroom teacher's dismembered body. Being the only witness, and having been found holding the murder weapon, he is viewed as the primary suspect in the killing. Later, Kobayashi and Hashiba visit Akechi, where Kobayashi asks to be his assistant. Akechi agrees to accept Kobayashi as his assistant if Kobayashi can find the killer. At the end of the episode, Kobayashi and Hashiba learn that their homeroom teacher was a homicidal maniac who turned his victims' bodies into chairs. Kobayashi is arrested as a suspected accomplice after the police find murder weapons with his fingerprints on them. | |||
| 2 | "The Human Chair, Part 2" Transliteration: "Ningen Isu (Kōhen)" (Japanese: 人間椅子(後編)) | July 9, 2015 | |
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Kobayashi and Hashiba think about the logic behind the murder and conclude that the victims made into chairs had a romantic connection with the teacher. Kobayashi is cleared of suspicion when he points out that his fingerprints were only on the murder weapons and not the entire crime scene, which suggests that he was framed. Using these connections and a planted false clue, Kobayashi deduces that the murderer is a classmate named Hoshino, who explains that she had feelings for her teacher, but murdered him when he fell out of love with her and revealed he had feelings for Kobayashi instead. The case solved, Akechi takes Kobayashi on as his assistant. | |||
| 3 | "Shadow-Man" Transliteration: "Kage Otoko" (Japanese: 影男) | July 16, 2015 | |
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Akechi's next case is to capture a man who wears a bag on his head known as Shadow-Man, a thief who is accused of kidnapping several girls. Shadow-Man is revealed to be the benefactor of one of the missing girls, Sachiko; he stole in order to pay for Sachiko's medical treatment. Working with Shadow-Man to draw out the real kidnapper, Kobayashi disguises himself as a girl and gets kidnapped himself. It is revealed that the kidnapper is a fat man named Watanuki, who murdered several of the missing girls by encasing them in concrete; those he did not kill, he kept as members of his "family." Akechi and officer Kagami arrive on the scene to arrest him. | |||
| 4 | "Twenty Faces[lower-alpha 2]" Transliteration: "Nijū Mensō" (Japanese: 二十面相) | July 23, 2015 | |
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Akechi is tasked with capturing a vigilante called Twenty Faces, who kills murderers who have not been brought to justice, finishing them in the same way they killed their victims. Akechi orders child-killer Watanuki to be released from prison as bait for Twenty Faces. Just when Twenty Faces is about to kill Watanuki, Akechi arrives to arrest him and reveals his identity to be Kagami. | |||
| 5 | "The Caterpillar[lower-alpha 1]" Transliteration: "Imomushi" (Japanese: 芋虫) | July 30, 2015 | |
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Kagami tells his story about how he became the latest Twenty Faces. He once lived with his younger sister Tokiko that he cared for, but he would often come home late. He arrested a serial murderer named Sunaga, but Sunaga pleaded insanity and was admitted to a psychiatric clinic instead of being sent to prison. One day, Sunaga escaped the clinic and took revenge on Kagami by murdering Tokiko. Feeling betrayed by the law, Kagami took it upon himself to personally punish criminals who were not punished by the justice system, using the name and mask of a previous vigilante called Twenty Faces. Despite being arrested, he warns that Twenty Faces will live on. Elsewhere, the father of one of Watanuki's victims stabs him to death wearing the Twenty Faces mask. | |||
| 6 | "A Glimpse into Hell" Transliteration: "Jigoku Fūkei" (Japanese: 地獄風景) | August 6, 2015 | |
|
A cat, a bomb, a baby, and some extremists all turn up at Akechi's front door. With only 50 minutes to figure out what's going on, he has to disarm the bomb, find the baby's mother, and get rid of the cat (as he seems to fear cats). | |||
| 7 | "Strange Tale of Panorama Island,[lower-alpha 3] Part 1" Transliteration: "Panorama-tō Kitan (Zenpen)" (Japanese: パノラマ島綺譚(前編)) | August 13, 2015 | |
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Examining the timing and methods of all the murders credited to Twenty Faces, Akechi and Kobayashi determine that Kagami was the third person to act as the infamous vigilante. Akechi receives a challenge suggesting that the fourth Twenty Faces is ready to strike. | |||
| 8 | "Strange Tale of Panorama Island, Part 2" Transliteration: "Panorama-tō Kitan (Kōhen)" (Japanese: パノラマ島綺譚(後編)) | August 20, 2015 | |
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Two leaders involved with the construction of an amusement park have been found crushed to death by large mannequins. Akechi figures out that the deaths were caused by flimsy metal gears; those gears were ordered by Chiyoko, one of the park's engineers, to avenge her friend's death as a result of brutal working conditions. After returning to Akechi's home, Akechi tells Kobayashi and Hashiba that he is determined to capture all of the Twenty Faces because his close friend Namikoshi started the phenomenon. | |||
| 9 | "Terrifying Mistake" Transliteration: "Osoroshiki Sakugo" (Japanese: 恐ろしき錯誤) | September 3, 2015 | |
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Akechi gets a phone call from the next Twenty Faces. The target is the medical doctor Munakata and the fifth Twenty Faces is revealed to be Minami, whose brother was killed by him. Minami contaminated the food at an assembly Munakata was speaking at with the same chemical that killed her brother, though Akechi had replaced the food beforehand. However, Minami was just a diversion as Namikoshi, who Akechi believed to be dead, is the mastermind of the operation. Munakata is killed by a falling chandelier, thus leading to a crushing defeat for Akechi. | |||
| 10 | "A Desire for Transformation[lower-alpha 4]" Transliteration: "Henshin Ganbō" (Japanese: 変身願望) | September 10, 2015 | |
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Namikoshi kidnaps Kobayashi and brings him to the Shinjuku Tower. There, he explains his background to Kobayashi. He was bullied by other kids and abused by his parents and teachers leading to his distrust of adults. Thus, he took the initiative to bring his abusers to justice by having them killed through a series of accidents he orchestrated. Back in the present, Namikoshi has gathered his team of Twenty Faces at the tower with the intent to die, while Twenty Faces sympathizers riot in the streets. | |||
| 11 | "The Daydream[lower-alpha 4]" Transliteration: "Hakuchūmu" (Japanese: 白昼夢) | September 17, 2015 | |
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Namikoshi puts his plan into motion as the Twenty Faces who have gathered at the Shinjuku Tower begin falling to their deaths in five-minute intervals with the media broadcasting the incident across the country. As Akechi makes his way to the tower, he is impeded by Twenty Faces sympathizer. Shadow-Man arrives to keep the sympathizers occupied while Hashiba arrives on a motorcycle to escort Akechi to the tower. At the tower, Namikoshi agrees to end the fallings and instead, he and Kobayashi fall with Akechi saving Namikoshi while Hashiba saves Kobayashi. However, Namikoshi willingly lets go of Akechi's hand to fall to his death. Some time later, a new case arrives for Akechi. | |||
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