[Manga] Kindaichi Case Files: The Third Opera House Murder Case

A little change of pace for me, I picked up a (somewhat) new Kindaichi manga (after haven't read the series like in forever), and am reminded why I like this series. Unlike Detective Conan (much as I like and prefer that series), Kindaichi (at least the manga) doesn't require you to be familiar with the series to be able to understand the case (in other words, each murder case pretty much stands alone). But I'm also reminded of a downside of the ability to pick up the series at any point, which is the relationship between the main leads kind of go nowhere (granted, Conan isn't doing much better in the romance department, but there is still some definite progress (the latest chapter, for example)). That isn't to say the interactions among the Kindaichi characters are not wonderful, by any means. It's more like a serial, where existing relationships must be kept pretty much static so new comers to the series are not lost.

( A little more on the case; no real spoiler because it's more fun to solve a murder mystery without knowing a solution beforehand. )

I suppose I'll be looking at the anime (it does exist, after all) and the drama next (especially the episodes having to do with this opera house; I guess I've become somewhat attached to it).

Kindaichi Case Files volumes are available in the US, although I'm not sure how easy it would be to obtain any volume because I don't recall having ever seen one sitting there in a local bookstore (have seen Case Closed (Conan) volumes, though). IMHO, the covers of the US editions are rather pretty, too. Anyway, Kindaichi is well worth the time to read and I don't know anyone who is disappointed with this series yet (sure, can't please everyone, but a mystery (and manga/anime) fan would most likely enjoy it).