KuiTan, Gluttonous Detective!

Crime fiction is one of my favorite genres of TV. And then when you make a detective show revolving around food, I’m a taker!

KuiTan, (short for kuishinbō tantei, meaning ‘gluttonous detective’ in Japanese), is a show about an eccentric Sherlock or Patrick Jane type detective, whose kryptonite is food. He is hungry almost every waking hour of the day, and has the superb ability to recite the contents of your last meal merely by sniffing your breath.

A still from the show

His main area of expertise, however, is solving cases using his experienced taste buds, as he compulsively eats evidence (ie. any food) he finds at the crime scene.

I came across this comical Japanese show in this article (no. 9) about food-centered Japanese cartoons, and sampled the first episode today, (along with a few episodes of some of the other cartoons mentioned). You can watch the first episode on YouTube, if you’re interested.

Apart from being generally amusing, the show also gave me quite a few insights into Japanese food. I'm looking forward to watching more episodes!