I just started reading The Kindaichi Case Files, a Japanese manga series that Tokyopop is translating & publishing. I’m not a fan of manga in general, but I’m enjoying the hell out of this series (and it’s costing me a fortune).
The set-up is simple enough; it’s about a high-school boy and his childhood friend solving mysteries. It’s kind of like Encyclopedia Brown or the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew stories, if Encyclopedia Brown were a perpetually horny Japanese high school kid who was the grandson of a famous detective and frequently solved extremely grisly serial homicides. It’s a neat combination of implausible (but engaging) storylines and appealing character designs, with gruesome murder scenes and some genuinely creepy moments.
I’m not sure what the target audience for the series was – young adults? Teenagers? Everyone? Hopefully, it included big hairy gaijin in their early thirties, because as I said, I’m hooked. I haven’t yet been able to start one without finishing it that night. In any case, I’d recommend it – the stories are pretty much self-contained, so you can start at any point.
Anybody else familiar with the series? I’d be especially interested in hearing how it was targeted & received in Japan – according to the copyright notices, it’s over ten years old.