Manga Test: KEISHICHOU TOKUHANKA 007

I thought of a new Monday feature I could have on the blog. It's called the Monday Manga Test, where I read the first few chapters of a manga and give you my initial thoughts on it, and if I would continue reading it. This week I read Keishichou Tokuhanka 007. It's catergorized as a shoujo romance, supernatural, and mystery manga.

From mangahere.com

The “Special crime investigation department 007″ includes the most capable and extraordinary investigators and Fuyuki, who also becomes one of its members, is very capable, to. And she is paired with Kuze, a cool and very bishonen detective. Their combination proves to be the most dangerous one the police headquarters had ever seen!

C'mon! Look at how long his neck is!!!

I read the first chapter of this manga, and my initial thought was that the art style was not for me. It reminded me of an old 90s anime style, even though the manga started in 2010 (translated anyways). I don't like how the characters are drawn, and for me, that's one of the most important parts of reading manga. I can't read a story if every time I look at the character it doesn't look 'right'. That's a bit vague, but I like the new way of manga and this old style with strange heads and really long necks don't do it for me.


The main female protagonist, Fuyuki, does not look like a seventeen year old girl either. She looks like a grown woman, but she acts like a teenager. It looks more like a josei manga, rather than your typical school girl shoujo manga. Kuze is a twenty-six year old male who is Fuyuki's partner in solving mysteries and crimes. So far, all he's there for is to protect her while Fuyuki makes rash decisions, and use her supernatural abilities to see the memories of a dead person. Their relationship has barely gotten anywhere, but you know they'll get together, and I don't have any investment in them becoming together.

L is unamused.

Don't go reading this, if you think it's going to be like a girl/guy Sherlock situation. It's not. First off there are supernatural abilities, and they don't analyze and rationally think and try to deceive like you would see in something like Death Note. It's much of a couple who finds clues, and tries to solve petty crimes-so far. I don't know, there might be supernatural crimes in future chapters.

The author and artist of this manga is Kaji Eiri is also releasing two other mangas at the same time. Maybe that is a reason why the plot seems bland to me...spreading his/her self too thin. Kainushi Wa Akuma is another manga of Eiri that sounds, honestly, lame. It's about a girl with red hair who lives in a town that hates it, and then a guy comes in and changes it all for her. I don't mean to be hateful, but I truly don't like the stories and the drawing, and it's just not for me. Maybe someone else would enjoy it, but it's not something I would recommend to any of my friends.

I'm not going to continue reading Keishichou Tokuhanka 007, because I hate the art style and the plot line seems pretty bland and nothing special. It doesn't give me any emotional investment in, and is alright for mindless reading, but I'd rather spend my time reading something else that I thoroughly enjoy.