Once upon a time, everybody tuned into the TV detective drama series “Taiyo ni Hoero!” (literally, “Roar at the sun”) every Friday.

This vastly popular prime time show aired from 1972 to 1986 with 718 episodes, registering a viewer rating of 40 percent at its zenith.

For us kids, all the cops at the fictional Nanamagari Police Station were veritable heroes.

Detective “Macaroni,” played by Kenichi Hagiwara (nicknamed Shoken), would mutter with a wistful frown on his face, “Looks like Boss is hardly the type to go up the totem pole.”

Detective........

© The Asahi Shimbun