"Detective! Night Scoop" (ABC TV, Fridays at 11:17 PM) is a popular variety show where "detectives" tackle outlandish requests and worries submitted by viewers. On May 8th, the show's ace detective investigated a 4-year-old who wanted to catch a swallowtail butterfly. Special Director Takanori Nishikawa, Assistant Director Yasushi Ishida, and Secretary Saori Masuda appeared on the show.
The request came from a 31-year-old woman in Osaka Prefecture. Her 4-year-old son, Issei, is obsessed with catching insects. Last summer, he went insect hunting twice a day, in the morning and evening. The insect Issei wants to catch most right now is the swallowtail butterfly. When he can't catch one, he cries and screams, and in desperation, he releases all the insects he has caught, and finally snaps at the woman who accompanied him, saying, "Mom, you can't do it! I'm not going to let you off the hook anymore!!"
Despite his usual antics, Issei managed to catch a swallowtail butterfly on his own last year, something his entire family couldn't accomplish despite their best efforts. It was a miraculous event. Since then, swallowtail butterflies have become something Issei "absolutely wants to catch again."
Just the other day, we spotted the first swallowtail butterfly flying this year. At that moment, Issei muttered, "It's a swallowtail butterfly... Here it comes," and gripped his net with a look that belied his four years of age. However, swallowtail butterflies are too fast. He was completely outmatched and has yet to succeed in catching one.
Before going to sleep, he seriously wonders, "I wonder if I'll be able to catch one tomorrow," and even talks about swallowtail butterflies in his sleep. It's an passion that you wouldn't expect from a four-year-old. I know it's still too early in the season and it will be difficult to find swallowtail butterflies, but I wonder if there's any way I could let him catch one again.
The client, Issei, and Detective Ace immediately headed to the place where they usually catch insects. They spotted a swallowtail butterfly right away, but it was small. Issei chased after it, laughing and getting angry at the same time, and managed to catch it, much to his mother's delight. However, because they caught it so quickly, Ace grumbled, "I wish it would let go. I want to catch a bigger one."
To capture the butterflies, they called in "Butterfly Expert" Chotaro. Chotaro then lectured them on several key points for catching swallowtail butterflies. The group then headed to an orange grove that met the conditions. Swallowtail butterflies immediately began to fly by, but Issei said, "I'm already bored."
