From 1975's 'The Bullet Train' to 2025's 'Exit 0'

──What is the cycle of mystery-genre hits that bloom in economic troughs? ①

I wrote about the camping boom last time, but
this time it is about mystery-genre films.

It just so happened that there was a video on Netflix promoting the release of The Bullet Train, and while the previous version of The Bullet Train was the origin,
Exit 0 is a huge hit right now.

Considering that, I asked GPT what the hit cycle for the mystery genre is and when they tend to appear.

The result was as follows.

Chapter 1: Economic Background and Trends

Looking back at the Japanese film market, especially at major mystery hits, a common point emerges.
That is the fact that they are concentrated not in the "middle of an economic boom," but rather when "descending from a peak to a trough" or "starting to climb from the bottom of a trough."

When the economy is doing well and is at a peak, people go outside to enjoy bright entertainment and leisure. For example, the camping boom, flashy youth films, and major action blockbusters are supported. However, when the economy worsens and hits a trough, people feel a sense of stagnation and begin to search for "answers" or "exits" within their hearts. This is when mystery films strike a chord.

• Trough period → Demand for "I want you to bring order to my anxiety"

• From the bottom to the climb → Demand for "I want to see an exit"

• Phase of having descended from a peak to a trough → Resonance with "a point where things won't get any worse"

In other words, a major hit in mystery films is a barometer indicating that "society is at a turning point," and not an indicator of economic growth itself. Rather, it is often a case reflecting that "anxiety has reached its peak."

In this article, we will trace the timeline from 1975's 'The Bullet Train', through the 2000s' 'The Devotion of Suspect X' and 'Confessions', the 2010s' '64' and 'Stolen Identity', to the 2020s' 'Detective Conan' and 'Exit 0', to verify the relationship between economic cycles and hits. Furthermore, we will use Yasunari Kawabata's 'Snow Country' and the camping boom as auxiliary comparison subjects to comprehensively review the linkage between people's psychology and the economy.

To briefly anticipate the conclusion, mystery films hit when either "entering the climb from the bottom" or "having descended from a peak to a trough" occurs. And at the root of that, there is a consistent psychology of "wanting to be liberated from anxiety."

Chapter 2: 1975's 'The Bullet Train' and the 2025 Revival──The True Identity of the "Shaking Symbol"

1. 1975: Japan having descended from a peak to a trough

The Japanese economy in 1975 was experiencing its first full-scale "trough" since the war.
The period of high economic growth was brought to an end by the 1973 oil crisis, and prices rose sharply. Household living expenses soared, and companies struggled as they could not make a profit.

Furthermore, the Japanese National Railways at the time was burdened with massive deficits, and labor disputes occurred frequently. Train operations were often halted by strikes, and even the railway network, which was considered the "artery of the country," had its reliability shaken. For the public, the Shinkansen was a "symbol of the future," but the National Railways itself was precarious, which instability of the symbol = anxiety of society as a whole was directly linked.

In terms of the economic cycle, this was truly the point where it had descended from a peak to a trough.
The era of continuous rapid growth had ended, and the public was facing the fear that "it might fall even further."

2. The film 'The Bullet Train'──Projecting real-world anxiety onto the screen

'The Bullet Train' was released in such an era.
A bomb is planted on a moving bullet train, and it will explode if the speed drops below 80 km/h. The audience is drawn into an extreme situation where 'if it stops, it's over.'

This premise was not merely entertainment; it overlapped with the national psyche of the time.

• The structure of 'if it stops, it's over' = the fear that if the economy stops, life will collapse fear

• Bullet train = an existence symbolizing the nation's future

• Bomb = invisible social anxiety (inflation, unemployment, organizational collapse)

Through fiction, the audience re-experienced the real anxieties they were holding, while pinning their hopes on the single point of 'whether the explosion can be prevented.'

While it was highly acclaimed overseas, its commercial success domestically was limited. But what is important is the point thatthe work symbolically captured the atmosphere of the era.

3. 2025: Japan searching for an uphill path from the bottom of the valley

Meanwhile, Japan in 2025.
On the surface, the economy is growing slightly and stock prices are hovering at high levels, but the actual feeling of daily life has not improved. High prices continue, real wages are falling, and household finances are actually being squeezed.

In addition, what is shaking is not the 'Japanese National Railways' but the 'Liberal Democratic Party administration'.
Issues of politics and money, factional strife, and the sense of distance from the public. The fact that the symbol of the organization is unstable is common with 1975.

However, the positioning in the business cycle is the opposite.

• 1975 = the bottom of the valley after descending the mountain

• 2025 = searching for an uphill path from the bottom of a long valley (movements to seek stability through a return to conservatism in the presidential election as well)

In other words, while both share the commonality of 'fluctuation of symbols,' they are in diametrically opposite phases in the cycle.

4. The meaning of the revival—symbolic substitution of anxiety

So why is 'The Bullet Train' being revived at this timing?
The answer is simple: it is because the symbol of anxiety has changed, but the structure remains the same.

1975: JNR = the symbol of infrastructure was shaken
2025: LDP = the symbol of politics is being shaken

A revival is not limited to the act of 'reminiscing about a past masterpiece.'
Past works are reused as a 'vessel' to project the anxieties that the audience is currently facing.

5. Contrast in the reality of daily life

Furthermore, when looking at the details of life, the anxieties of 1975 and 2025 overlap in this way.

• Prices: 1975 = The price surge of the oil shock, 2025 = Yen depreciation and high prices

• Organization: 1975 = Poor management of the Japanese National Railways, 2025 = Loss of trust in the LDP administration

• Psychology: 1975 = 'Will things get any worse?', 2025 = 'There is no way out at this rate'

It is clear that neither is a 'stable era', but rather a turning point phase.

In summary?

'The Bullet Train' was born in 1975, at the bottom of the valley after descending the mountain.
And in 2025, the same work is being revived because we are in a phase of looking for an uphill path from the bottom of the valley.

The target has changed from the Japanese National Railways to the Liberal Democratic Party.
But the essence is the same, bearing the role of **'projecting a swaying giant symbol onto the screen.'**

In other words, the hit or buzz of a revival is a sign indicating that 'society has moved away from stability and is at an unstable turning point.'

. 2008: 'Suspect X' in the valley immediately after the Lehman Shock

In September 2008, the world was hit by the Lehman Shock, and the Japanese economy cooled rapidly. Export industries were hit hard, stock prices plummeted, and layoffs and unemployment became social issues. People shared the fear of 'what will happen tomorrow,' and the entire society was truly in a dark valley.

Released immediately after that was 'Suspect X' (October 2008). Starring Masaharu Fukuyama and Shinichi Tsutsumi, and based on the novel by Keigo Higashino, the film became a major hit, recording box office revenue of 4.92 billion yen.

Reading the audience psychology at this time, it is clear that they were not seeking mere entertainment, but 'the peace of mind that order is guaranteed.' The reality under the Lehman Shock was filled with anxiety without answers. However, on the screen, no matter how sad the ending, 'the truth is always reached.' That structure attracted the audience.

In terms of the business cycle, 2008 was the moment of reaching the bottom of the valley and just before turning to an uphill slope.
It can be said that the big hit of 'Suspect X' accurately scooped up that psychological demand.

2. 2010: 'Confessions' due to the stagnation of deflation

In the following year, 2010, Japan was searching for a recovery from the Lehman Shock, but the real economy was slow to recover, and deflation was prolonged. Although the administration had changed to the Democratic Party of Japan, trust in politics did not recover, and a sense of stagnation drifted through society.

Released at this time was 'Confessions' (June 2010). Based on the novel by Kanae Minato, directed by Tetsuya Nakashima, and starring Takako Matsu. The story was a heavy one in which a middle school teacher confesses her revenge against the students who drove her daughter to death, but it recorded a major hit with box office revenue of 3.85 billion yen.

'Confessions' was a story where 'the truth is determined by being told' against a reality with no answers. While accepting the weight of it, the audience felt relieved that a conclusion was provided.

In terms of the business cycle, 2010 was the interval between the long stagnation of the valley and the approach to an uphill slope.
The reason 'Suspect X' and 'Confessions' were consecutive hits was because society was in a psychological state of 'starting to look for an exit.'

3. What the consecutive hits of 2008-2010 indicate

• 2008 'Suspect X' = Facing the bottom of the valley, and from there to an uphill slope

• 2010's 'Confessions' = Searching for an exit amidst the stagnation of deflation

What both have in common is that **"a society in a valley phase desires stories that inevitably lead to an answer."**
Precisely because answers are not visible in reality, stories that provide answers on the screen have supported people's hearts.

4. Connection with 1975 and 2025

The 1975 film 'The Bullet Train' appeared when the country had fully descended from the mountain into the valley.
Meanwhile, the 2008–2010 films 'Suspect X' and 'Confessions' werea series of hits during the phase of turning from the valley to an upward slope.

And as of 2025, contrary to half a century ago in 1975, we are in a stage ofsearching for an upward slope from a long valley.
That is precisely why mystery-genre works are being strongly supported again, and 'Exit 0' is becoming a social phenomenon.

5. Summary of Chapter 3

The two works from 2008–2010 reflected social psychology not as isolated incidents, but as a "series of hits."
When facing the valley of an economic downturn and approaching the upward slope from there, people need "stories with guaranteed answers."
This demand is the driving force that pushes mystery films, and it is directly linked to the situation in 2025.

Thank you for reading this far today.
From 1975's 'The Bullet Train' to 2008's 'The Devotion of Suspect X' and 2010's 'Confessions'—
we have looked at how economic valleys and exits have resonated with film hits.

Mystery films are not just entertainment; they are mirrors that tell us "where society is standing."
That is why there is always a background to the periods when they are successful.

Next time, I will take up 2016's '64' and 2018's 'Stolen Identity' to delve deeper into what happened when "descending from the mountain to the valley."
And I want to explore how that overlaps with the current hit of 'Exit 0'—and find the answer to that.