"Shintaro Imaizumi" is a series of short sketches featuring the bumbling sidekick of Furuhata Ninzaburo. It aired during the parent show's second season and most of the episodes in some way correspond to the events of that season.
The sketches were all set in the forensic laboratory of Shintaro's friend Kuwabara who provides the shoulder to cry on for the hapless sidekick. The plots of the episodes usually revolve either around Kuwabara's doomed attempts to explain to Shintaro the plots from "Furuhata Ninzaburo" or Shintaro's clumsy attempts to gain the upper hand on his aloof boss. Other recurring characters from "Furuhata Ninzaburo" also appeared including the conceited detective Haga, Shintaro's rivals for Furuhata's affections and officer Mukojima, the only man to whom Shintaro feels superior. However, Furuhata himself, although often mentioned never physically appears. He looms over the show like an unseen presence, a ghost, a force pushing Shintaro more and more towards neurosis.
Shintaro, on the other hand, tries his best to emulate his boss even going so far as to provide Furuhata-like intros to every sketch. A particularly funny gag sees Shintaro attempt to deliver an aside to the audience like Furuhata much to Kuwabara's bemusement. These kinds of "meta gags" are among the show's funniest along with writer Kôki Mitani's sparkling dialogue.
It goes without saying, of course, that Masahiko Nishimura as Shintaro is absolutely hilarious but the added bonus is Toshihito Itô as Kuwabara, the perfect foil and straight man to Shintaro's goofy antics.
The sketches are quite short, 7-minutes each, which means you can watch the entire show in a little over 80 minutes. It's a quick sit and a rewardingly witty one to boot. Any fan of "Furuhata Ninzaburo" will find more than enough to laugh at here even if some of the sketches are rather thin.
8 years later, an additional sketch named "Mysterious Case in the Sky" was made to coincide with "Furuhata Ninzaburo's" final special. Sadly, Toshihito Itô who had died a year before is not in it and his absence is strongly felt. This is one of the more lacklustre and rambly sketches but it's still worth a peek.
