Edo Girl Detective

Case of the Golden Hairpins is the second of the three-picture Detective Hibari series from Toei. Each was designed as a showcase for superstar singer / actress Hibari Misora, one of the studio’s biggest stars. This is arguably the best in the series. The script by Torao Setoguchi and Tatsuo Nakada is a lightweight patchwork of comedy, action and songs designed to show the star at her best advantage. The characters (both continuing and unique) are interesting and the story is well told. The mystery is simply the thread holding the episodes together. Case of the Golden Hairpins opens at a beauty pageant in medieval Edo (Tokyo). Misori wins the competition. The top three winners each receive an antique golden hairpin. During the palanquin procession following the contest, one of the winners is murdered and her prize stolen. This gets Detective Hibari involved in the case. Aided by her comic assistant Shunji Sakai and drunken swordsman Chiyonosuke Azuma, Hibari unravels the mystery which involves a fantastic treasure, the fate of a clan and a gang headed by a treacherous clan official. The supporting characters are well etched with the swordsman’s blind masseur friend a standout. Azuma gets to show his martial arts skills in several well-staged fights and his comic gifts in a couple of nice sketches. The best is a drunken musical duet with Hibari in a tavern. Sakai is showcased in several nice comic bits and comes off well. As in the previous entry, Hibari sings several good songs, shows she can handle her end of a fight and delivers her dialogue with an easy charm. The highlight of the movie has her replacing a Kabuki star the lead role of Benkei, a male warrior monk. Director Tadashi Sawashima is good with actors and has a solid visual style. Case of the Golden Hairpins plays well at 85 minutes and is great fun.