G-Men '75 (Gメン'75, G Men nanajūgo) was a long-running prime-time popular television detective series in Japan.[2] It aired on Saturday nights in the 9:00–9:54 p.m. time slot on the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) network from May 24, 1975 to April 3, 1982. A sequel, G-Men '82, followed, as did the specials. It had also been broadcast in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Since Hong Kong was one of the filming locations, it was very popular there.[3] With several updates and cast changes, it ran for 7 years. Selected episodes are available on DVD.
| G-Men '75 | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Police procedural Crime drama |
| Starring | Tetsurō Tamba Yosuke Natsuki Gō Wakabayashi Yū Fujiki Maria Mori Mari Natsuki Hiroshi Miyauchi Gō Ibuki Takeshi Kaga Bunjaku Han Kyōko Enami Daijiro Harada Yûsuke Kawazu |
| Narrated by | Takayuki Akutagawa |
| Theme music composer | Shunsuke Kikuchi (ep.1-306) Pierre Porte (ep.308-355, G-Men '82) |
| Composers | Shunsuke Kikuchi (ep.1-306) Hiroaki Yoshino (ep.308-355, G-Men '82) |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language | Japanese |
| No. of episodes | 355[1] |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Teru Kondo |
| Running time | 54 minutes |
| Production companies | Toei TBS Teru Kondo Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | TBS |
| Original release | May 24, 1975 (1975-05-24) – April 3, 1982 (1982-04-03) |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | G-Men '82 |
The story revolved around a special detective agency, the eponymous G-Men. The principal character, who spanned the entire series (and continued into the sequel and specials), was Superintendent Tetsuya Kuroki, who was portrayed by Tetsurō Tamba. Kuroki directed the members of the group.
The original cast also included Yasuaki Kurata as Detective Yasuaki Kusano, trained in karate. Gō Wakabayashi joined in Episode 105, and remained to the end of the series (and the sequel). His character, Lieutenant Goro Tachibana, replaced a detective who was written out of the script.
Shunsuke Kikuchi wrote the opening theme songs. Various artists, including some cast members, wrote and performed the closing songs. For most years, the lyrics were by Junya Sato, set to Kikuchi's music. Veteran announcer Takayuki Akutagawa narrated the series.
The opening sequence featured the main cast walking along a runway with a "75" placed at the bottom, with an arrow beside it, as their characters were viewed in separate close-ups (with the name of their actors accompanying).[4] The placement of the arrow and the "75" logo were changed as the series progressed. It was intended to film the opening at Haneda Airport, but permission was not granted, so it was filmed instead at Yashio, a district of Tokyo's Shinagawa ward, and later openings at the JMSDF Tateyama Air Base.