Content Warning: Sexual jokes involving a highschooler.
Synopsis
Fictional detectives are always running everywhere. From the original Sherlock Holmes, to the ubiquitous Detective Conan, they run after criminals for miles without feeling short of breath or having to stop because their knees hurt. After just two hours of sleep and a cup of coffee, they’re awake and aware enough to unveil the villain with a flawless flourish.
Keiichiro Nagumo is… not one of these. A former famous teen detective, he’s past his prime at 35. He used to draw screaming crowds of fans every time he caught the villain. Now he now solves maybe a case a month. His office is empty and dirty, he’s behind on rent, and in the first few pages when he tries to throw on his overcoat and sprint from the office, he is assailed by back pain. Like a “gifted kid” who excelled in school but dropped off after graduating, his life is aimless and marked by mishaps and failure. Until one day, a highschool girl named Mashiro Nakanishi knocks down his door and demands to be his assistant.
What follows is a whirlwind case that he solves thanks to his new acquaintance. Who is Mashiro, and why does she seem to look up to Nagumo so much? Only time will tell.
The Good
It’s really funny! The idea of a washed-up once-great detective is already a goldmine for comedy, and the author Masakuni Igarashi delivers on the premise with well-timed jokes and the use of ultra-realistic art to deliver an even better punchline. As a comedy manga, Detectives These Days are Crazy! solidly does its job.
Igarashi balances the laughs by weaving some heartfelt moments into the later chapters of the first volume, hinting that the mysterious highschooler Mashiro has met the washed-up detective before, and that he likely saved her life. As much as the manga (and Nagumo himself) might make light of his failure to launch in later life, the reader is reminded that he has already changed people’s lives for the better. The result is a genuinely funny manga with some real heart behind it, a combination that ensures long-term entertainment for future volumes.
The Bad
Unfortunately, comedy can also be subjective, and a few jokes in the beginning rubbed me the wrong way. The moment that Mashiro (a highschooler) is introduced, Nagumo immediately looks up her skirt and comments on it. He then spends the next few pages commenting on her body and being a general sex pest. It’s genuinely creepy, and it’s annoying to have to slog through to the much better jokes. If perverted gags make you laugh, more power to you; you will love this manga from the get-go. If jokes like that make your skin crawl, though, you may want to skim that part or skip this one entirely.
In a later chapter, Mashiro blushes while being carried to safety by Nagumo. Hopefully this is just an example of Mashiro’s hero worship and not some kind of crush developing. If you want a better, healthier example of a relationship between an older professional man and a younger high school girl, I would skip this one and go play the original Ace Attorney trilogy.
The Verdict
Detectives These Days Are Crazy! is a solidly funny, fresh gag manga that is sure to get some laughs. As a worn out millennial with a glowing past and an uncertain future, I appreciate the good-natured jabs with Nagumo. While he doesn’t even understand what a smartphone is, he always muddles through somehow, and his positive effect on others is undeniable. Though the pervert jokes at the beginning are a little stale, they end after the first chapter, leaving the two protagonists free to grow in new directions. Nagumo and Mashiro make a good team and learn from each other throughout the first volume. It will be fun to see where this series takes them.
If you liked Detectives These Days Are Crazy! you may like…
- Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You
- Usotoki Rhetoric
- The original Ace Attorney trilogy
Detectives These Days Are Crazy! is available from Bookshop, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.
Credits:
Story and Art by Igarashi Masakuni
Translation by Emily Balistrieri
Published in English by One Peace Books
Thank you to One Peace Books for the advance copy for review. Receiving this advance copy had no effect on the reviewer’s opinions as expressed here.
The Good
- Very funny
- Interesting characters
- Well-balanced narrative
The Bad
- Sexual jokes involving a highschooler
- It's a little unbelievable that Nagumo doesn't understand what a smart phone is
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