To commemorate the 35th anniversary of the popular omnibus drama "Tales of the Unusual," in which Tamori serves as the storyteller, "Tales of the Tales of the Unusual 35th Anniversary Special: Legendary Masterpieces One Night Only Revival Edition" will be broadcast on Fuji TV's "Saturday Premium" slot (Saturday 9pm) on May 31st. The program will feature five of Tamori's most famous works from the series' past.
"Tales of the Unusual" began as a regular drama in April 1990, with the first episode being "The Touch of Fear" starring Miho Nakayama. Later, it was broadcast twice a year as special episodes. A wide variety of stories have been told, including not only psychological thrillers, but also horror, mystery, surreal comedy, science fiction, and fantasy, with a total of 577 episodes to date.
The programs that will be broadcast on the 31st are as follows:
◇ "BLACK ROOM" (broadcast in 2001, starring Takuya Kimura)
Naoki (Kimura), who is studying abroad in the United States, returns to Japan after three years to surprise his parents. However, his family home has been transformed into a pitch black space. He reunites with his parents (Shiga Kotaro and Kiki Kirin) in the darkness, but there is something strange about them. Naoki is confused, irritated, and anxious about this mysterious situation, but soon an unexpected event awaits him...
◇ "The Night Train Man" (broadcast in 2002, starring Ren Osugi)
A mysterious man (Osugi) boards a deserted night train with few passengers and begins to eat his bento in silence. He analyzes each and every dish of seemingly ordinary food with unnecessarily keen insight, plans how much rice he will eat and the order in which he will eat it, and continues to eat. His appearance is strange, yet somehow captivating. Eventually, it becomes clear that there is a hidden intention behind his actions, and the story takes an unexpected turn.
◇ "Locker" (broadcast in 1990, starring Yuji Oda)
Satoru (Oda), an industrial spy, sneaks into a research lab to steal important data. However, while working, he is discovered by a staff member, Saguchi Kunio (Danda Yasunori), and after a scuffle, he ends up killing him. Trying to escape, Satoru hears the footsteps of a security guard and quickly hides in a nearby locker. His relief is short-lived, however, as the locker door will not open. Satoru is shocked to realize that the locker belongs to Saguchi, whom he has murdered. Outside, the security guard calls the police, and while an investigation into the scene begins, Satoru is isolated in the locker and gradually driven into a corner... And then, a shocking turn of events awaits.
◇ "Bijokan" (broadcast in 2005, starring Satoshi Tsumabuki)
Freeter Yuta (Tsumabuki) begins living alone after his girlfriend Haruko, with whom he lives, goes on a business trip. One day, he witnesses a different beautiful woman coming out of his neighbor's room every morning, which he finds puzzling. Intrigued, Yuta sneaks into his neighbor's room and discovers a can of beautiful women. When he tries it out, a beautiful woman named Fujikawa Saki (Asami Usuda) appears, and Yuta begins to bond with her. However, the can of beautiful women is hiding a certain secret...
◇ "Memories of Love, Don't Stop" (broadcast in 2019, starring Yuki Saito)
Singer-songwriter Murase Shiho (Saito) felt like she was at a creative dead end. One day, she wrote a new song based on a melody she heard in a dream, and it became a big hit. However, when she realized that the melody was a commercial song that was played during a local TV show she appeared on as a child, she began to worry about the possibility of plagiarism. Then, a strange event happened to Shiho...
