Operation: Mystery is a mystery supernatural series produced by Tsuburaya Productions in 1968. It was filmed after the production of Fight! Mighty Jack. Tsuburaya Productions' official international title for the series is Operation: Mystery.
Rather than focus on giant monsters, the series focuses on paranormal phenomena and revolves around the exploits of the Science Research Institute (SRI) as they combat these threats.
Production[]
The two series proposals during the preparation phase of this series: Challenger and The Fearful Human.
This series primarily depicts the stories of members of the "SRI," who investigate mysterious scientific crimes that challenge modern society. Each instance of supernatural phenomena is revealed to be a result of human-engineered scientific wrongdoing, with the SRI tasked with solving these cases. The show also addresses heavy themes that raise questions about societal issues in Japan at the time.
By the end of 1967, TBS began preparations for a successor program to Ultraseven. Given the high production difficulty and resource demands of tokusatsu series, planning typically starts earlier than for other programs. Tsuburaya Productions historically confirmed production for its projects around ten months before the official broadcast, and TBS usually reserved a similar preparation period for such works.[1]
As the production of Ultraseven entered its second season, Yoji Hashimoto became the producer for TBS. At that time, Tetsuo Kinjo, the head of the planning and literary department at Tsuburaya Productions, was involved in the production of Mighty Jack, which prevented him from participating in the production meetings for Ultraseven. As a result, most of the meetings were led by Hashimoto. Filming for Mighty Jack began in early 1968, prompting Kinjo to assign the script for Ultraseven to Shozo Uehara and Shinichi Ichikawa. Despite his busy schedule, Kinjo left behind notes discussing ideas with Hashimoto and others. In a record dated January 12, 1968, Kaneko proposed a concept for the new program, defining it as a "scientific mystery" genre.[1][2]
At the time, Hashimoto believed that Tsuburaya Productions had gained significant recognition through works such as Ultra Q, Ultraman, and Ultraseven, and he aimed to create a new project that would establish a different style. He placed great importance on a narrative with literary depth, striving to convey a sense of realism in the characters, thereby depicting "humanity" itself in the new series. To achieve this goal, the new program centered on themes of science, horror, and drama, focusing on mysterious phenomena that modern science struggles to explain and exploring how human intelligence confronts the unknown terrors.[1][3]
As a means to express these themes, the show adopted the concept of "Mystery," incorporating a perspective that reevaluates humanity's relationship with technology to reveal the essence of fear within human nature. The target audience was children aged 3 to 12 and their families, and the structural inspiration was drawn from science fiction mystery films in which Eiji Tsuburaya participated, such as The Invisible Man Appears, The Invisible Avenger, The H-Man, The Secret of the Telegian, and The Human Vapor The narrative aimed to unfold a story that contrasts the forces of "good and evil," stemming from the darker side of science.[4]
The series explores how evolving science and the constant nature of humanity lead to new forms of terror, with SRI playing a key role in solving cases.
The project proposal featured a three-member scientific investigation team from the Science Police, comprising a 24-year-old hero, a 36-year-old scientific expert, and a 50-year-old elder with impressive physical skills. Without weapons, they relied on their intellect and resourcefulness to address challenges, emphasizing humanitarian values in a technologically advanced world and aiming to "restore forgotten aspects of humanity." Their opponents were depicted as cold-blooded criminals who used science for various crimes. Importantly, this series would not be part of the Ultra Q franchise and would avoid superheroes, monsters, or aliens, although there would be scientifically inspired creatures.
In meeting notes from February 27, it was advised that targeting older viewers could lead to a decline in overall ratings, suggesting the avoidance of puppet-like monsters. Instead, the focus should be on horror and bizarre elements drawn from observable scientific phenomena, prioritizing strange creatures and plants with an emphasis on realism and scientific accuracy. This led to the development of the Scientific Horror Series: Challenger , with the final outline completed in March. The story would explore complex events resulting from technological advancements, featuring three detectives—Hōi Himura, Kyōsuke Ryūzaki, and Eitarō Ikuma—who specialized in mechanical engineering, chemistry, and electronic engineering, respectively, under the leadership of the Science Police chief.[4]
As the project evolved, the formal proposal for the Challenger was established. The special task force was redefined as the SRI, a "free investigation agency," aiming to broaden the audience while still appealing to children. The goal was to create a program suitable for children but engaging for adults, leading to a focus on emotional interactions between the main characters and the public in the storyline. This framework informed the final proposal for the Modern Mystery Series: The Fearful Human .[4]
Due to the horror-focused direction of The Fearful Human, Hashimoto raised concerns and asked Mamoru Sasaki to create some inspiring scripts. Sasaki quickly delivered a completed script, impressing Hashimoto and leading to a decision to pursue this direction for the new series. In July 1968, the official title was confirmed as Operation: Mystery. By this time, Kaneko's script "Man-Eating Moths" and Uehara's "Man Through the Wall" had been finished, while Sasaki's "The Grim Reaper's Lullaby" was in production.[4]
In Hashimoto's vision, the production of Operation: Mystery would consist of two main pillars: episodes written by Kinjo and directed by Hajime Tsuburaya, and episodes written by Sasaki and directed by Akio Jissoji.[5] However, for various reasons, Kinjo's "Man-Eating Moths" was postponed to the second episode, while Toshihiro Iijima's "Man Through the Wall" was filmed first, becoming the inaugural episode of the series. This change disrupted Hashimoto's overall plan, and Kinjo did not participate in any further scriptwriting after "Vampire Hell", with Uehara taking over Kinjo's collaborative work.[4][6]
As filming began, Tsuburaya Productions tightened the budget, retaining only the core crew for the production, as the series did not require large-scale special effects. Despite this, the crew's lack of experience with special effects led to difficulties in Iijima's filming progress. On the first day of shooting, Iijima felt that filming could not continue and handed over the production work to the special effects team from Ultraseven.[4]
Although TBS arranged only a single filming crew, it supported the series with a production budget of 5.3 million yen per episode. Ultimately, Operation: Mystery achieved an average viewership rating of 22.0%. However, the standards for Takeda Koji were exceedingly high, and by the end of the first season, it was decided not to renew for a third season. Following the conclusion of Fight! Mighty Jack in December, Tsuburaya Productions faced deteriorating management, halted the acceptance of new program orders, and decided to implement significant layoffs on December 12, 1968.[7]
Synopsis[]
The SRI confronts enigmatic scientific crimes disguised as inexplicable incidents. An eerie moth that dissolves humans with phosphorous powder. A French doll wielding a knife and attacking people. A phosphorescent human fused with sulfur. Bizarre and unsettling incidents, along with the hidden human darkness behind them, are exposed through scientific investigation.
The advancements in science and the unchanging human psyche have given rise to new forms of terrifying crimes.[8]
Characters[]
SRI[]
- Tadashi Matoya
- Shiro Maki
- Kyosuke Misawa
- Hiroshi Nomura
- Saori Ogawa
Kaiju[]
- Flesh Eating Moths
- Vampire
- Murder Dolls
- Namakubi
- Samurai Phantoms
- Frozen Human Okazaki
- E-Bat
- Snow Woman
Cast[]
- Shiro Maki : Shin Kishida
- Kyosuke Misawa : Homare Suguro
- Tadashi Matoya : Yasumi Hara
- Hiroshi Nomura : Seiji Matsuyama (episodes 1-17, 19-26)
- Saori Ogawa : Reiko Kobashi (episeodes 1-5, 7-22, 24-26)
- Taizo Machida : Akiji Kobayashi (episodes 1-2, 4-8, 10-21, 23-26)
- Jiro : Hiroshi Nakashima (episodes 1-3, 11)
Staff[]
- Directors: Toshihiro Iijima, Hajime Tsuburaya, Akio Jissoji, Toshitsugu Suzuki, Tsuneo Kobayashi, Takashi Nagano, Tatsumi Ando, Shigeo Nakaki, Jun Fukuda, Kazuho Mitsuta
- Screenwriters: Shozo Uehara, Tetsuo Kinjo, Mamoru Sasaki, Bunzo Wakatsuki, Shinichi Ichikawa, Jun Fukuda, Tatsuo Takahashi, Keisuke Fujikawa, Torao Tanabe, Toshiro Ishido, Hiroyasu Yamaura
- Special effects directors: Toru Matoba, Jun Oki, Koichi Takano, Kazuo Sagawa
- Supervisor: Eiji Tsuburaya
- Producers: Koji Morita, Koichi Noguchi, Takaaki Toyako (Tsuburaya Pro) Ken Kumagai, Yoji Hashimoto (TBS)
- Music director: Naozumi Yamamoto
- Music: Hiroki Tamaki
- Assistant directors: Masataka Yamamoto, Seiichi Namba, Takehiko Ishii, Tatsumi Ando, Goro Takahashi, Sei Okamura, Shohei Tojo, Hiroshi Shimura
- Cinematographers: Yuzo Inagaki, Yasumichi Fukuzawa, Kiyoshi Suzuki, Yoshihiro Mori, Takeshi Nakamachi
- Art: Chikyu Iwasaki, Noriyoshi Ikeya, Tatsuro Fukada, Toshiaki Kurahashi
- Production cooperation: Kyoto Film (ep. 23 and 25)
- Sponsor: Takeda Pharmaceutical Company
- Production: Tsuburaya Productions, TBS
Music[]
- Kyofu no Machi
- Artist: Sunny Tones
Home Media[]
Operation: Mystery first released on multiple VHS and LaserDisc sets. In 2003-2004, it was released on six DVDs, each containing 4-5 episodes. Episodes were proportioned the same on a second series of DVDs in 2012-2013, which were also included in two box sets that released on September 21 and November 21 in 2012.[9][10] A Blu-ray set of the series in HD across four discs was released on March 6, 2019, with a fifth disc containing interviews and trailers.[11] The banned twenty-fourth episode is not included on any of the DVD or the Blu-ray sets.
German Dub[]
13 episodes were dubbed in German and aired in Germany under the name S.R.I. and the Sinister Cases in 1968. These episodes were released on DVD in 2013 by Pidax Film, along with a second volume containing the remaining episodes of the series with German subtitles.
Spin-offs[]
There have been three sequels/remakes of Operation: Mystery:
- Mysterious Incident Special Investigation Team SRI: The Sneering Man Engulfed in Flames : A TV special that takes place in the same continuity, which aired in 2004.
- Operation: Mystery - Second File : A 3-episode reboot of the series that aired in 2007.
- Operation: Mystery - Mystery File : A second reboot of the series that aired in 2013 with 4 episodes.
Manga[]
The series received a number of manga adaptions by various authors.
Novel[]
Puzzle-solving Experience Mystery: The Electronic Brain Exploder - inspired by Operation: Mystery is an interactive novel based on the series. It was written by Shin Kibayashi and released on January 10, 2015. Readers solve the novel's mysteries by finding clues at Miraiya book stores.[12][13][14][15]
Gallery[]
Images[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- This is the last television series Eiji Tsuburaya contributed to before his death.
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 7: Operation: Mystery / Horror Theater Unbalance, pg 4
- ↑ http://ichikawa.nkac.or.jp/interview/hashimoto/
- ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2017143/full/
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Ultra Tokusatsu PERFECT MOOK vol. 7: Operation: Mystery / Horror Theater Unbalance, pg 5
- ↑ https://ichikawataiga.com/2021/09/26/5andou/
- ↑ https://www.okinawatimes.co.jp/articles/-/26034?page=2
- ↑ https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/45795
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/videoworks/kaiki-daisakusen/
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-1481
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-1555
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/post-4924
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-2850
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-3078
- ↑ https://m-78.jp/news/n-3211
- ↑ https://tokusatsunetwork.com/2014/12/adventure-book-based-classic-series-operation-mystery-set-debut-2015/