Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo. An anime adaptation of my favorite manga series of all time, and certainly a very underrated one. While the sequel, Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo Returns is being broadcast currently, allow me to convince you why you should watch this well-written mystery anime series.
The original manga series is known in Japan as one of the earliest manga series of the mystery genre. Its more kid-friendly, well-known counterpart Detective Conan (aka Case Closed) only began serialization 2 years after this one. In the early days, Kindaichi was better received in Japan than the latter, as shown by its sales numbers. Much of its
...
fans loved it for its whodunit mysteries, which I would explain below. In the late 90s, due to Detective Conan pandering to a wider audience, Kindaichi's popularity slowly plummeted, and now even though it is still considered a classic mystery series, it could no longer regain its former glory.
Onto the anime adaptation, it is definitely a pity that this anime series did not receive any release in the western world by any distributors. Online fansubs are also rumored to be rather terrible, with the first 20 or so episodes being watchable only. I would say that the series deserves a larger audience, because of the reasons that I would explain now.
Story: 9
The anime series of Kindaichi does not have an actual continuous story unlike Detective Conan. Each individual murder case takes up about 3-4 or even 5 episodes to resolve, usually involving a murder of about 3 people, 4 if longer, but rarely does it elevate to 5 or more (though there do exist such cases). One could argue that with the introduction of the criminal mastermind Takato Youichi in the 3rd season of the anime, the story became continuous, but I would argue that one could still watch each case individually or in a non-linear fashion, and would still not be confused.
Dissecting into the structure of each case, a Kindaichi whodunit mystery follows the same formula: Kindaichi goes to a place, meets a few murders, solves them, end of story. However, each case does not simply become boring because of this. Kindaichi's cases are well-known for their unique tricks used by the murderers in each case. The tricks may appear simple, but still have their own elements of surprise.
Furthermore, I would also recommend the murder cases to people who enjoy tragic, sad backstories. The murderers in Kindaichi's cases all usually have a well-justified reason why they want to kill their victims. And while you would probably not agree with their way of resolving things by murder, you would probably feel a sense of sympathy for them after you listen to their backstories.
Art: 6
As a 90's production, the art definitely leaves room to be desired. The animation does not flow well occasionally, and some characters may appear deformed in certain episodes. Nevertheless, the art should not bother you if you watch Kindaichi for the story.
Sound: 9
Kouji Wada does a great job at composing the soundtrack for Kindaichi. Each scene, whether be it conveying sadness, anxiety, happiness, has a well-composed piece to it. The two tracks that are particularly memorable are the one usually played when a body is found called "Jicchan no Nami Kakete!", and the one played during a heart-beating, nervous scene called "Nazo wa Subete Toketa!".
Character: 8
The main character, Kindaichi Hajime, is an IQ 180 genius who acts goofy all the time, but when needed can show a sense of justice. Along with him are his childhood friend Nanase Miyuki and the police officer Kenmochi Keibu. The series, being composed of standalone cases, do not show much character development for its main cast, but the characters interact well with excellent chemistry in each case.
Along with the main cast are a number of characters (the victims, suspects and the murderer) in each case. Like any other whodunit series, the characters need to be unique, well-fleshed out for an audience to truly enjoy the cases. Luckily, Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo does that well, providing enough screentime for each character before his/her ultimate fate.
Conclusion: 9
The series is not perfect, but I would still recommend it if you are a hardcore detective fan who loves long, well-planned murder cases with intriguing tricks and sad (sometimes tragic) endings. I would say it certainly deserves a lot more popularity and I wish that a distributor would meet up with this piece of gem and release it.
*Side-note: A list of my personal recommendations if you are too lazy to watch through all of the 148 episodes:
The Murders of the Fudou High School Seven Mysteries (Episode 1-3)
The Murders of the Gentleman Thief (Episode 10-12)
The Murders of the Trickery House (Episode 18-20)
Kindaichi the Murderer (Episode 24-27)
The Murders of the Magical Express (Episode 33-36)
The Murders of the Snow Demon (Episode 37-39)
The Murders of Reika's Kidnapping (Episode 47-50)
The Murders of the Computer Lodge (Episode 74-77)
The Murders at Snow Village (Episode 111-114)
The Murders of the Russian Dolls (Episode 139-143)
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Les Enquetes de Kindaichi, Young Kindaichi's Casebook, Kindaichi Case Files
Japanese: 金田一少年の事件簿
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
148
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Apr 7, 1997 to Sep 11, 2000
Premiered:
Spring 1997
Broadcast:
Mondays at 19:00 (JST)
Licensors:
None found, add some
Studios:
Toei Animation
Source:
Manga
Genre:
Mystery
Demographic:
Shounen
Duration:
24 min. per ep.
Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
Statistics
Ranked:
#6212
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#3998
Members:
31,478
Favorites:
253
Available AtResources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 7 / 7
Sort
Your Feelings Categories Aug 16, 2014
Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo. An anime adaptation of my favorite manga series of all time, and certainly a very underrated one. While the sequel, Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo Returns is being broadcast currently, allow me to convince you why you should watch this well-written mystery anime series.
The original manga series is known in Japan as one of the earliest manga series of the mystery genre. Its more kid-friendly, well-known counterpart Detective Conan (aka Case Closed) only began serialization 2 years after this one. In the early days, Kindaichi was better received in Japan than the latter, as shown by its sales numbers. Much of its ... Jan 2, 2012
I am horrified to find out that no one have tried to write a review for this anime. As far as mystery type of genre animes goes, Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo is definitely at the top. Even though this series have been frequently compared with Detective Conan, it was never as popular as Detective Conan because of its slightly milder themes. However, I am not here to debate on which is better, Conan or Kindaichi since Conan is longer running and will have a larger fanbase and better art. If you are an avid fan of the mystery genre, then read on.
... Mar 4, 2019
Typically in most reviews I've seen not only in this site but in general when one loves something they either turn a blind eye to all of it's faults or damage control them to high heaven using fancy words in order to gaslight the reader into believing what they're saying
I'll tell you straight up that I LOVE Kindachi Shounen no Jikenbo . Everything and I mean EVERYTHING that I look for in anime or Asian drama's in general this anime does it . Despite the innocent enough artstyle don't get it twisted this anime deals with some heavy taboo subjects and the good guy doesn't ... Apr 9, 2022
Do you like Detective stories with good characters and really good storylines, also a Teen Detective in the making??
Well this is most definitely one you will like. I could compare this to Detective Conan but this actually pre-dates that ( in the Manga ) by a few Years. Kindaichi wants to follow in his Grandfathers footsteps by also becoming Japan's greatest Detective. The best thing about Kindaichi is that it is more Adult themed as against DC's 6-7 Year Old's solving cases. The characters are ( The best part ) very similar in both cases. Miyuki is Kindaichi's best friend and potential Love interest ( Not yet though ) she ... Nov 2, 2017
Legit one of the best animes I have ever watched. Kindaichi is unknown in the USA, but I found out about it in a DS game with Conan and this anime is awesome. I'm so glad I decided to watch it. The show is funny and entertaining. The plot develops in ways you don't expect sometimes and the music is also great. The stories are not repetitive which is nice since it would be easy for a show like this to get stale. To me it's sort of like a Japanese Scooby-Doo with murders added. If murder mysteries are your forte - you'll love this
...
Jul 16, 2022
If you love detective stories, crime and mystery genre then this series is for you. Kindaichi Shonen no Jikembo tells you a story of Hindaichi Hajime, a grandson of Kindaichi Kousuke who is a famous detective, who end up encountering various mysterious cases and solving them alongside his classmate Nanase Miyuki who is also his childhood friend, Saki Ryuta; an underclassmen who loves to film using his video camera as well as Inspector Kenmochi and Superintendent Akechi who were both police officers from Tokyo Headquarters.
Things to note about the series is that, most of the criminals were portrayed to be sympathetic and pitiful who ... Apr 9, 2023
Story is about a high schooler who's the grandson of a famous detective and he and his friend always end up at the epicenter of some crime with a murder or multiple murders and the protagonist solves them.
At first I thought it was really good and interesting, but later on it became a real drag to watch. For the 40 episodes I've watched, I took two breaks from the show because I had zero desire to watch it. In the end I gave up because I realized I was forcing myself to watch it and not having much fun. Reason why I felt like this is ... |