Manga Review: Case Closed, Volume 61, by Gosho Aoyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2017

Volumes: 92+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 58. 62.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A precocious high school super sleuth trapped in a kid’s body solves baffling crimes and mysteries while working on his toughest and most personal case—finding who put him in his miniature state.

Jimmy Kudo, the son of a world-renowned mystery writer, is a high school detective who has cracked the most baffling of cases. One day while on a date with his childhood friend Rachel Moore, Jimmy observes a pair of men in black involved in some shady business. The men capture Jimmy and give him a poisonous substance to rub out their witness. But instead of killing him, it turns him into a little kid! Jimmy takes on the pseudonym Conan Edogawa and continues to solve all the difficult cases that come his way. All the while, he's looking for the men in black and the mysterious organization they're with in order to find a cure for his miniature malady.

Serena’s eccentric uncle has a new plan to catch the elusive Kaito Kid, baiting the master thief with a pair of priceless high-heeled shoes. The Kid is one step ahead, but with Conan on his heels he'll have to toe the line!

Meanwhile, danger lurks in Conan’s own backyard. While the diminutive detective tries to crack a code found on a series of paper airplanes, he’s matched deduction for deduction by the mysterious man renting Jimmy Kudo’s long-vacated house. Is Subaru Okiya the mild-mannered engineering student he claims to be, or is he hiding a dark secret?

Review:

Every time I get a new volume of this series, I'm reminded why I like it so much. And it really just makes me want to catch up on the anime or manga, which I'm so behind on both of.

At the start of the volume, we're in a case about the Moonlight Magician, who I believe is a thief that Conan has run into several times before. He's just as smart as Conan, and while Conan seems to figure out his tricks, he still hasn't quite won their competition. I like the Moonlight Magician quite a lot, though. He challenges Conan more than most people.

Next there's a case about this snobby guy who dies when his car explodes. This goes on for a couple of chapters, and it's obvious from early on who it is. There's this other kid here, though, Anita, who I don't remember but is I guess staying with Doctor Asegawa, and she seems smart for her age but she dislikes Conan.

Before the cliffhanger, there's a short mystery about these paper airplanes with Morse code on them. Conan, as Jimmy, goes against this guy staying in Jimmy's house. Mostly, I liked seeing how Conan worked to make sure that Rachel was safe, and how worked up he got. They're so cute.

While I do quite love this series, no matter how cheesy it is, I do wish that Conan would turn back into Jimmy. I understand that that's the main tension and it's so played up that they would want to end the series with it. But I would like to see mysteries with Jimmy as the main character, and see his relationship with Rachel. I'm a fan of them.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Black Butler, Volume 23, by Yana Toboso

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: November 2016

Volumes: 24+

Spoilers?: Some.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 22. 24.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In the heart of London stands Sphere Music Hall, a venue that enjoys immense popularity amongst the populace. However, the fervour with which its visitors return causes consternation in the mind of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria, who suspects the organisation of cult practices and sends Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his impeccable butler, Sebastian, to infiltrate the hall. They are met with none other than the disgraced erstwhile prefects of Weston College and an otherworldly fortuneteller called Blavat, who takes one look at Sebastian and divines his true nature without faltering...!

Review:

There's a suspicious party going on downtown. Normally this wouldn't cause concern, but people from all over are attending all the time, and once they start, they don't stop. And now people are going missing.

Ciel and Sebastian go to investigate, and meet a fortune teller, who can immediately tell that something is wrong with Sebastian and kicks him out. Ciel is playing at being a poor kid, and stays around to investigate what's actually going on.

One of my favorite scenes in this was when Sebastian gets kicked out and meets some women at a bar. And before that, he finds a cat. The biggest problem regarding the party and the fortune teller, though, is that Lizzy was going and is now missing, either from being taken or “running away”. It's awful.

This volume was a lot of fun. A nice mystery going, with some good humor mixed in. We get a pop culture element, as we meet an idol group, which is odd in the setting. Mostly I'm worried about Lizzy, though, because I love her and don't like the glimpses we've seen regarding her. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Manga Review: Case Closed, Volume 58, by Gosho Aoyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Sunday (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 2016

Volumes: 88+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 57. 59.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Jimmy Kudo, the son of a world-renowned mystery writer, is a high school detective who has cracked the most baffling of cases. One day while on a date with his childhood friend Rachel Moore, Jimmy observes a pair of men in black involved in some shady business. The men capture Jimmy and give him a poisonous substance to rub out their witness. But instead of killing him, it turns him into a little kid! Jimmy takes on the pseudonym Conan Edogawa and continues to solve all the difficult cases that come his way. All the while, he's looking for the men in black and the mysterious organization they're with in order to find a cure for his miniature malady.

Kir, a captured agent of the Men in Black, lies comatose in a hospital, her location a matter of international security. When the Men in Black discover her whereabouts, Conan needs help from the professionals. Time for the pint-size detective to team up with the FBI!

Conan, Agent Starling and the mysterious Agent Arakai hatch a plan to transport Kir to a safe location. But can they stay one step ahead as the Men in Black descend on Tokyo and the Metropolitan Police join the fray? The biggest, most explosive, most game-changing case in Conan's career is underway!

Review:

It has been a long time since I’ve read any of this series, and I’m way behind in the anime as well. But I’ve always been a fan of Conan, so I was excited to get this volume.

We’re in the middle of a long-standing case, it seems, as we start this volume. Conan is helping the FBI, and a CIA agent, and they’re trying to uncover a syndicate group. This comes to a temporary conclusion, where Conan stumbles upon a murder case, but it seems like Conan is waiting for another opportunity to out the syndicate group, though the cliffhanger is quite bad for a friend of Conan’s. (Also, it’s possible the leaders of the syndicate are the ones who turned Jimmy into Conan? Unless I’m wrong?)

I should definitely be following this series more. I’ve always had a soft spot for Conan, though I think I’ll have to continue the anime before the manga. I think the anime is easier to watch, whereas the manga has a lot more wording. Not that that’s a bad thing, though.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: School Judgment: Gakkyu Hotei, Volume 1, by Nobuaki Enoki and Takeshi Obata

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: February 2, 2016

Volumes: 3.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In order to curb the crime running rampant in the elementary school system, a new solution has been enacted in the form of the School Judgment System. Now the young students themselves will be responsible for solving the issues that befall them. But are they up for the task?

At Tenbin Elementary, there is only one way to settle a dispute—in a court of law! All disputes bypass the teachers and are settled by some of the best lawyers in the country…who also happen to be elementary school students. The accused this time is a boy named Tento. His crime? Murder of the beloved class fish Suzuki! Luckily for him, the state has sent him a defense attorney, Abaku Inugami. But is this wild young lawyer skilled enough to argue his client off the hook?

Review:

I thought this sounded cute, and with Obata’s name on it, I was at least intrigued. Plus, I like me some mysteries.

I have to admit, though, that I had a hard time distending my belief enough for middle-school lawyers. Not to mention baby judges. And given that they have real training, and their judgments have real consequences? I just had a hard time believing in all this.

The main character is Abaku, the defense attorney. He’s rather closed off and rude to his classmates, but it’s hinted that he’s witnessed a real murder. A massacre, even, and he has plans to avenge it maybe. There’s the average school boy who befriends him, Tento, who’s just a nice kid in the end. There are a few side characters, friends to the main ones, and a crazy teacher. Abaku’s real enemy is the prosecutor, a girl who puts on a cute face to win people over, and her minion who likes her rough side.

It’s an interesting cast of characters, and I like the hints to what happened to Abaku. The trials are interesting to see, and the mysteries are okay, though not very surprising in the end. Mostly, I have a hard time believing in the whole set up.

I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I probably won’t be picking up more.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Sherlock Bones, Volume 3, by Yuma Ando and Yuki Sato

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: January 2014

Volumes: 7

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 2. 4.

Goodreads Synopsis:

MURDER ON THE GREEN At Takeru's first game at a real golf course, he has the fortune of meeting Hanabusa, a pro golfer who just won the Japan Masters. He agrees to play a round with Takeru and his father. Little do they know he is there for more than a game of golf.

Review:

I’ve been slowly trying to collect this series, but I must say that my attention is waning.

There were two cases to solve in this volume, with the start of a third. One about a golf-player who kills a competitor, and another about a teacher who kills one of her students. Then they start one about two students running for president, only for the guy to make a slanderous poster about his female competitor.

The characters are all right. Takeru is okay as a hero, but Sherdog is definitely a bit more gullible, or maybe just written to be a little dumber, than I think he should be. I like Miki, or at least I like the possible romance with Miki. The artwork is good, and I like the way they draw the villains, the murderous looks they give are a nice contrast to the rest.

My biggest problem is the actual mysteries and detective work. The stories are okay, but a lot of the time they’re written rather cheesy, maybe because Sherlock is a dog. And mostly, the way that Takeru interrogates the suspects—for one, he doesn’t really have a leg to stand on, being a high school kid, but for another, every point he brings up to make them slip-up just seems like he’s pulling at straws. Most of his points are so unnecessary, with clear excuses to be made for them. It made it hard to believe, especially with how fast the suspect gives in. Plus, they aren’t very intense or exciting.

I really want to like this series, but I’m not sure if I do at this point. I think I’d rather be reading Case Closed.