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BLACK SHOWMAN

Original Title

ブラック・ショーマン
BLACK SHOWMAN

Solving puzzles by any means necessary, with the grace of a magician.
Writer Keigo Higashino, actor Masaharu Fukuyama, and Kasumi Arimura.
Spectacular talents team up to bring you the greatest mystery entertainment of 2025!

INTRODUCTION

The original novel Black Showman and the Murder in an Obscure Town (published by Kobunsha) was written by the extraordinary hit maker Keigo Higashino, whose total number of printed copies has exceeded one hundred million.
Up to now, Keigo Higashino has created many attractive characters of various professions, such as detectives, physicists, private detectives, and psychics. The character he has created this time is a top-class magician.
The number of copies of the Black Showman series printed in Japan has exceeded 1 Million. Since its first publication in 2020, this mega-hit series has been translated into numerous languages and has gained popularity worldwide.
And finally, the long-awaited film adaptation of Black Showman and the Murder in an Obscure Town is coming to the big screen!

The highly eccentric main character, Takeshi Kamio, is a world-class magician known even in Las Vegas. With his keen human observation skills and money-conscious mind, he's a born liar who can lie without blinking an eye. Starring in this movie as Takeshi Kamio is the unparalleled national star, Masaharu Fukuyama. For many years, Fukuyama has been at the forefront of the Japanese entertainment world as an artist and actor. His expressions range from static to dynamic, from genius physicist to late Edo period samurai warrior.

Higashino says that what inspired him to write the novel were actually Fukuyama's words: "I’m interested in portraying a dark hero."
Thus, the project to make a movie of the work born of the bond between Higashino and Fukuyama had begun.

Higashino’s Galileo series, starring Fukuyama as the genius physicist Manabu Yukawa, was first aired on television in 2007 and ran for two seasons. It led to three movies, all of which became huge hits: Suspect X (2008), Midsummer’s Equation (2013), and Silent Parade (2022). The golden combination of writer Keigo Higashino and star Masaharu Fukuyama is back to create a dark hero of the new generation.

Another central character in this story is Mayo Kamio, the niece of Takeshi Kamio (Fukuyama). The murder of her father brings her and Takeshi together, as they become buddies in the search for answers and solving the murder. Takeshi's niece, Mayo, is played by Japan's top actress Kasumi Arimura, whose versatile and talented performance in everything from romance to comedy to historical drama earned her this role.

Fukuyama and Arimura will appear together for the first time in this movie. The chemistry between the two top stars of the Japanese entertainment world and the birth of a new and brilliant partnership will thrill all movie fans.

The director is Akira Tanaka, known for mega-hit series, such as The Confidenceman JP series and Ichikei’s Crow series.

Get ready for the greatest entertainment experience of 2025, brought to you by the greatest team in Japanese show business: Keigo Higashino, Masaharu Fukuyama, Kasumi Arimura and Akira Tanaka.

STORY

Former junior high school teacher Eiichi Kamio has been murdered by an unknown killer. Mayo Kamio (Kasumi Arimura), who is getting married in two months, rushes back to her hometown after the sudden news of her father Eiichi's death.
Mayo's hometown, once a thriving resort town, has been declining with fewer tourists since the pandemic. In this situation, a murder occurred.
Why was Eiichi, a popular teacher liked by many of his students, murdered?
Mayo was determined to find out the truth. It was then that her uncle Takeshi Kamio (Masaharu Fukuyama) appeared in front of her. Takeshi used to be a world-class magician who once ruled Las Vegas.
Takeshi, with his outstanding magical skills (including his light-fingered nature), along with his astute human observation and leading questioning skills on the level of a mind-reader, teams up with his niece Mayo to find out the truth about the murder incident that took the life of their beloved family member.