The Kindaichi Case Files
A long-time manga series
If you are into Anime and Manga, I bet you must have heard of The Kindaichi Case Files 金田一少年の事件簿. The long-time series is about a high school student who always got himself and his friends involves in different murder cases. The manga is mostly about how he use his wit solving crimes and mysteries. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the series.
There was a running joke about the manga series; wherever the protagonist Kindaichi went to, someone would die. What makes this funnier is that it was kind of a fact. But if you read the manga, you can tell it certainly has its charm. And if the franchise can last for 30 years, it must have something special about it.
I like the detective genre in movies, games or novels; such as Sherlock Holmes, or The Batman. I actually wrote a review of a text adventure game a while ago. A game called Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney was originally released on the GBA back in 2003. It was remastered and released on the Switch.
I think I knew about the manga at a very young age. My sister bought a bunch of them a long time ago. I still read them. What I like most about them is that the characters are fun and memorable. The manga is episodic; each of the case files has its own plot going on and can be viewed separately. But some of the characters are related throughout the series, and readers will get nostalgic if they recognize them. What I liked most was how Kindaichi solves mysteries, which is why the manga drew me in.
The mysteries and murder cases were all carefully designed and illustrated with very clear explanations. There’s always a moral to the story at the chapter’s end. The villain will confess his/her motivation for committing crimes, and they usually regret it. Sometimes, readers might find them empathetic. They have their own side of the story to tell. Whatever the stories are, the message of evil can't be against justice is always there. Even if sometimes it didn’t quite work, it was still a fun reading experience.
Recently, I bought a new manga series, 37 Years Old Kindaichi Case Files. In case you don’t know, Kindaichi stayed at the age of 17 for more than two decades. This new series was about him finally growing up, and the story was set 20 years after. I bought them because we are the same age, haha. I read the first three volumes. It has a bit more mature content in it. I guess the creator wanted to target readers who grew up with the manga series.
I also want to recommend a YouTube channel to you. Archipel, a channel creates documentaries about Japanese artists and creators. Again, if you like manga or anime, check that out.
I like reading manga or books in their physical format. You just can’t replace the experience of flipping the pages of a book. Manga usually printed on wood-free paper, which means they’re uncoated paper and it will turn yellow after some years. It’s called vintage.
I am still waiting for The Case File of Kindaichi 30th to be released. I guess I will probably buy it. Anyway, see you next time.
This is #Day74 of #100DaysToOffload.