mystery
Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
*Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange''
*Mystery, a seahorse that SpongeBob SquarePants adopts in the episode " My Pre ...
novel series written by and illustrated by Shizu Yamauchi.
Futabasha
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in , Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Futabasha is known for its manga works, and its 1967 magazine Manga Action first conceived of the manga category, decades before the other major companies tested th ...
have published twenty-three volumes since April 2015. A
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
adaptation with art by Ichiha Akizuki has been serialized in Futabasha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''
Monthly Action
was a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Futabasha.
History
''Monthly Action'' was launched on May 25, 2013, the anniversary of publisher Futabasha's founding. The magazine was formed from a merging of the editorial departments of the ...
'' from December 2017 to February 2024, later transferring to ''Web Action''. It has been collected in thirteen ''
tankōbon
A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...
'' volumes. An
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
television series adaptation by
Seven
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...
aired from July 9 to September 24, 2018, on
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.
Synopsis
There is an antique selling and government-licensed appraisal shop named "Kura" in Kyoto's Teramachi Sanjou shopping district. High school girl Aoi Mashiro unexpectedly runs into Kiyotaka Yagashira, the grandson of the shop's owner, and ends up working part-time at the shop. Kiyotaka is called the "Holmes of Teramachi Sanjou", and he and Aoi solve odd cases connected with artwork or antiques brought to them by various clients.
Characters
;
:
:Kiyotaka is a 22-year-old graduate student at Kyoto University and an apprentice at his family's antique shop "Kura". He is handsome and seems very gentle, but he is strict with himself and those around him. His nickname "Holmes", while a pun off his surname, also stems from his amazing deduction skills, as shown when he is able to discern a fake antique from a con artist.
;
:
:Aoi is in her second year of high school and has moved from Omiya in Saitama to Kyoto, which has caused a strained relationship with her friends back at home. She currently works part-time at Kura. Honest and straightforward, Aoi was hired by Kiyotaka, who is convinced she has good intuition with antiques, can see their true value and can determine if the articles are genuine or not.
;
:
:A novice actor, but gaining popularity. He is very handsome, and because of the light color of his hair, has an aura like a half-Japanese person. His father, who recently passed away, was a famous author. Even though he grew up in Kyoto, thanks to the influence of his parents he speaks standard Japanese. No matter what, he is very agreeable, but he sees Kiyotaka as his rival for Aoi's affections.
;
:
:He is said to be a genius art counterfeiter. He entered the priesthood, but began counterfeiting again when after learning that Kiyotaka was exposing counterfeit artwork. He has shaved his head and wears Japanese style clothes. He is extremely nimble-fingered. He is good at sports and has a good eye for things. After he is first exposed by Kiyotaka, he takes the name "Moria" (as in "
Professor Moriarty
Professor James Moriarty is a fictional character and criminal mastermind created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to be a formidable enemy for the author's fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. He was created primarily as a device by which Doyle could ...
",
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
' nemesis).
;
:
:Kiyotaka's grandfather and the owner of Kura.
;
:
:Kiyotaka's father and Seiji's son. He is a novelist and the manager of Kura, but he leaves the actual management to Kiyotaka.
;
:
:Aoi's classmate and the younger sister of Saori. Due to her family's financial issues, her sister being chosen as Saio-Dai caused a great strain on them due to the overwhelming costs of preparation needed to transform one into the Saio-Dai. To persuade her sister to turn down the role, she wrote her a threatening letter telling her to not be the Saio-Dai, but in the end she is convinced it would be the best for her sister to become the Saio-Dai after all.
;
:
:Saori is a university student who was chosen to be the Saio-Dai for the Aoi Festival. Because of her strained relationship with two of her former friends, their relationship took a darker turn when she was chosen as the Saio-Dai, thus she began writing threats to herself in the hopes her friends would worry for her.
;
:
:Yoshie is the girlfriend of Kitoyaka's grandfather. Although in her 40's, she looks much younger.
;
:
:Rikyu is Yoshie's son, a cheeky little boy who has been studying abroad in France. Because he looked feminine from a very young age on, he started to train his body and studied judo in France. His respect for Kiyotaka is over the top and he judges Aoi strictly.
Media
Novel
The novel is written by Mai Mochizuki and illustrated by Shizu Yamauchi.
Futabasha
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in , Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Futabasha is known for its manga works, and its 1967 magazine Manga Action first conceived of the manga category, decades before the other major companies tested th ...
have published twenty-three volumes since April 2015. During their Anime Expo Lite panel,
J-Novel Club
J-Novel Club is a publishing company specializing in the translation of Japanese light novels into English. It streams light novels and manga in regular installments before publishing finalized e-books. As of August 2021, J-Novel Club has licens ...
announced they have licensed the novel.
Manga
Written and illustrated by Ichiha Akizuki, it has been serialized in Futabasha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''
Monthly Action
was a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Futabasha.
History
''Monthly Action'' was launched on May 25, 2013, the anniversary of publisher Futabasha's founding. The magazine was formed from a merging of the editorial departments of the ...
'' from December 2017 to February 2024, later transferring to ''Web Action''. It has been collected in thirteen ''
tankōbon
A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...
'' volumes.
Anime
An
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
television series adaptation by
Seven
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, supers ...
aired from July 9 to September 24, 2018, on
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network. The series is directed by Tokihiro Sasaki, with scripts handled by Kenichi Yamashita, and character designs by Yōsuke Itō. The opening theme is by AŌP, and the ending theme is by Wagakki Band.
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...
streamed the series.
Discotek Media
Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
History
Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retr ...
licensed the series and released it on home video in July 2022.
Episodes
Reception
Previews
Anime News Network
Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...
(ANN) had five editors review the first episode of the anime: Paul Jensen felt the first antique appraisal wasn't engaging and lacked "emotional involvement" for the viewers but praised Aoi's appraisal for delivering "a much better story" with both personal and emotional stakes, saying the subject matter being used for character development was a "novel concept" and is worth seeing more of the show; James Beckett praised the "lush, colorful aesthetic", Aoi and Yagashira's characterizations and their "undeniable chemistry" elevating the "potentially dry material", concluding he expects the antique mysteries to stand alongside the slice-of-life elements with intriguing threads; Theron Martin praised Yagashira's character work and both the Aoi romantic angle and counterfeit story arc showing potential but was critical of the "measured pacing" and limited "visual variety" making the show fall "a bit on the dry side", concluding the show will find its audience and encourage more to watch it. Rebecca Silverman commented the show's set-up of appraising Japanese antiques will depend on the viewers' interest in subject matter, concluding "if you're a fan of slice of life, it may be worth checking out." The fifth reviewer, Nick Creamer, wrote that: "''Holmes of Kyoto'' offers a surprisingly natural mix of mystery, pawn shop drama, character drama, and slice of life atmosphere. Making natural use of its Sherlock Holmes gimmick and offering a satisfying narrative even within this first episode, it's a low-key but confident and engaging production. Holmes gets a thumbs up from me."
Series reception
Silverman and fellow ANN editor Amy McNulty chose ''Holmes of Kyoto'' as their pick for the Worst Anime of Summer 2018, the former calling it disappointing with its "tedious mysteries" and "slow-burn romance" causing the show to feel unfocused and conflicted with the billing of its main genre, and the latter saying it suffers from "poor story choices and bad characterization" that makes it come across as "melodramatic" and "strain credulity." Silverman chose the series as her pick for the Worst Anime of 2018, saying that despite the Aoi-Yagashira relationship being "fun to watch" she criticized the overall premise for lacking in quality mysteries and neglecting the counterfeiter subplot, concluding that "as far as an anime series goes, this alternately bored and frustrated me, which is not what I'm looking for in my entertainment." Tim Jones, writing for
THEM Anime Reviews
THEM Anime Reviews, otherwise known as THEM or T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews, is an anime review website that writes about current and past anime in any form, including OVAs and ONAs. The website offers reviews, editorial content and hosts forums.
...
, wrote that: "''Holmes of Kyoto'' isn't a bad show, but it's largely forgettable. It has decent leads, but the side characters are either underutilized or obnoxious. The art is solid, but the animation is bare-bones. It has a lot of stories, but few of them are particularly engaging."