Underplayed Gems

Mito Kōmon (1969)

Mito Kōmon poster
Original title
水戸黄門
Cast
Tani Kanichi, Satomi Kotaro, Ishizaka Koji, Nishimura Ko, Tono Eijiro, Harada Ryuji, Goda Masashi, Yumi Kaoru
Genre
Japanese television drama, Jidaigeki
Country
Japan
Length
3 seasons, 1227 episodes
Rating
10.0 of 10 from 1 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More series like this

How it feels

A retired lord travels incognito across Japan with his two samurai companions. They uncover local injustices, defeat the wrongdoers in a fight, and reveal his true identity to set things right.

lightheartedformulaicwholesomeslow-pacedold-fashionedmoralisticaction-packed

What happens

Mito Kōmon (水戸黄門; Japanese pronunciation: [mʲi.to (|) koː.moɴ]) is a Japanese jidaigeki or period drama that was on prime-time television from 1969 to 2011, making it the longest-running jidaigeki in Japanese television history. The title character is the historic Tokugawa Mitsukuni, former vice-shōgun and retired second daimyō of the Mito Domain. In the guise of Mitsuemon, a retired crepe merchant from Echigo, he roams Japan with two samurai retainers, fun-loving Sasaki Sukesaburō (Suke-san) and studious Atsumi Kakunoshin (Kaku-san). An episode typically starts with some injustice perpetrated by a corrupt official, a wealthy merchant, or a gangster. The travelers arrive incognito, discover the injustice and quietly investigate it. The episode concludes with a brawl in which the unarmed, disguised protagonists defeat a crowd of samurai and gangsters, culminating in the presentation of the inrō that reveals the hero's identity. Afterwards, the hero passes judgement on the villains, sets things straight with comments and encouragement, and then continues with his journey. The drama was adapted into a film in 1978. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.