Trickster: Edogawa Ranpo "Shounen Tanteidan" yori

I have never written a review before, but the injustice this show suffers made me want to actually write one.

I binge watched this show in less than two days and it was a roller coaster ride the entire way! I have seen hundreds of anime by this point and I honestly have no idea why so many people hated on this show.

I love any work having to do with the Boys' Detective Club or Edogawa Ranpo, and this series did an excellent joke of drawing the audience in, keeping you interested, and appreciating it right to the very end.

Was it perfect? No, but what is ... nowadays? Did it have a great, coherent story line, well developed characters, thrills, spills, and chills? Heck yeah!

I've been really disappointment with the reviews of many shows lately. Shows that had amazing reviews turned out to be utter trash, and shows like Trickster, having awful reviews, turned out far beyond my expectations.

If you aren't sure about watching... Give it a go and see if you like it for yourself!!!

Most people i have noticed say that Kobayashi is the main even tho it kind of revolves around Sensei and Hanasaki because it drifts into Hanasaki's life with his fathers affection and the whole brother side which then created anoter path in the show which lead to Sensei and 20 Faces fighting at Hanasaki's Fathers company.

What im saying is the show doesn't just revolve around one character Kobayashi

Kobayashi want's to die
Hanasaki is supposed to help him die but gets side tracked by sensei refusing to help his brother.
Sensei wanting to be a badass and avoids helping and sticks to boring shi* jobs until ... his bitc boy Hanasaki gets taken by 20 Faces.

You put to much presure for this show to be good GOD IT ONLY HAS ONE GENRE
MYSTERY NOTHING ELSE NOT ACTION OR SOMETHING JUST MYSTERY.
we don't know about kobayashi or 20 Faces Yet JUST BE PATIENT!!!!!!!!!1

i don't know why people who doesn't like these genres even watched this...if you don't like these kinda anime series then do not watch this...you don't have to :D
i like these kinds of stories so i started watching this anime and i ended up enjoying this anime X)

story 8/10 : i liked the story...i love detectives working with weird stuff so i liked the story...main story is about a guy who can't die and he desperately wants to die...another cheerful guy finds him and make him wanna live again somehow :)
the only big problem was that the stories are not stable enough to be perfect...if ... they could have made it more stable and enjoyable it would have been more popular than this :D


art 9/10:art was beautiful to be honest...the reason of giving this 9 is because i saw a little more beautiful art than this :)

sound 8/10 : i enjoyed the soundtracks :) specially the first opening

characters 8/10 :i loved the characters in general but some of them needed more explanations to know them better than this.

enjoyment 8/10 : it was enjoyable to watch this anime for me...i watched the whole 24 episodes in two days...i have lots of anime series that i'm currently watching but after 5 or 6 episodes i got bored but i finished this in two days :D

*personal note*: one true fact that you can learn from this anime:nothing happens if you kill yourself...you are the one who loses your chance to live this life :)
i get that...i do really...but i don't care...life is meaningless without others for me XD
one thing that Yoshio realized was this...he got attached to Kensuke so he had something to live for :)

overall 8/10 : if you like a weird detective story with a lot of different characters this anime is for you...go on and try this :D
otherwise if you like an anime with beautiful art and soundtrack you can give this a try too :D
if you don't like these kinda stories don't watch this anime :)

I really enjoy this anime but I recommend it to people who are patient. This is not an anime for a person that likes the story to have a sense from the start. It is for people who like to watch and watch to see how everything is changing and how the MC has his moments but also the other characters. I am a bit angry that the MC is kind of forgotten sometimes but when I started to watch the first episode I would never think that the story will be so different from what I thought it will be. Sadly I wish they ... could improve the graphics, it's hard to watch it sometimes. If you don't watch it for the plot or graphics, watch it for the music. It is brilliant.

Trickster.. I found the very begining of the anime on social media. From just a minute video I was really interested in whole thing and couldnt wait to watch it.

If I would have to compare this anime to something.. I would say House MD. How can I compare these two?
Both are mostly focused on solving the cases. From time to time you get to know about characters.
Even though the anime is focused on so called Boys' Detective Club, you do not have to be interested in detectivistic anime.
I see it more as a mystery hidden behind all the characters. And I took a lot of ... interest in getting to know them.

The main character - Kobayashi - lost his memories. He dont know who he is, where is he from.. he just knows his name and that he cant control the power he holds. He also dont know the reason why at first place he has this power.
I couldnt wait to see the next episodes. It was definitely worth watching til the very end, because sometimes some actions might be predictable, but the end is totally a surprise to me. Its far different from what I imagined it to be.

I find this anime underrated and not really apreciated enough.
Personally I wish to see more of Trickster episodes. And after episode 24 I have no idea how to feel about the whole thing. But the one things sure. I definitely enjoyed it.

I actually liked Trickster quite a bit but there are a lot of flaws to this show. Don't have high hopes when going into it, the show is good but that's as much credit as I'm willing to give it.

The Story: The show is about these boys who are in a detectives club pretty simple plot, except one of the boys is an immortal due to the strange powers he has. The immortal character is the saving grace for the show's story, as the cases they solve are occasionally boring with only a few I can think of that I really liked. There are ... some really good episodes that I personally loved but you're going to be sitting through some boring ones to get to them.

The Characters: One of the biggest flaws of the show is the characters. There is only one good character of the show and that's Kobayashi as he I find he's the most interesting. The rest of the characters are either boring or seem kind of like jerks especially Hanasaki. The cast of characters was a little too big which results in under development for most of them.

The Art: I'm not sure if it was just me or what but I felt that the art style seemed to get kind of sloppy in later episodes, especially if you looked at some of the characters in the background.

Enjoyment: Despite how negative my review may seem, I really did enjoy the show, and will probably rewatch it again sometime. All in all, it's merely a good show not great but not horrible.

I must say, this Anime must be hard to review, given it's dichotomous nature. Half say it's terrible, worthy of a 1, and the other half say it's perfect and deserves a 10. I'll be among the few to analyze this anime holistically in a fair manner, and put aside non-quantifiable factors. (Ie. Kobayashi is Kawaii! As many would argue)

[BEAR IN MIND, AT THE TIME OF WRITING THIS REVIEW, I HAVE WATCHED 20 EPISODES WITH JAPANESE VA, AND I AM PRETTY SURE THE OTHER 4 EPISODES ARE LESS LIKELY GOING TO AFFECT THE ACCURACY OF THIS REVIEW TOTALLY, THEREFORE THIS REVIEW WILL NOT BE RENDERED ... USELESS AS THE SERIES ENDS.]

STORY - 7/10

The crux of any anime would be the quality of the story in terms of how it is written, how it was executed and how it generally made everyone feel. It would be unfair to say this Anime is totally terrible based on the first 7 episodes or so, because I must admit, the plot was developing very slowly at the time and often came to a standstill, making it quite boring at the start, however, as the series progressed, it definitely got better.

The story mainly revolves around the mysterious Kobayashi, and his journey to solve his existential crisis via suicide. Then comes the Boys Detective Club, and many more. Overall, the initial questions like "Who is Kobayashi? How did he get his powers? Why does he want to die?" often motivates anyone to keep watching and as the story develops and the truth starts being uncovered, it gets very interesting and you'll definitely say, "Man, didn't expect that coming." The subplots were far from being boring and often fed to the narratives pretty well, keeping the adventure intriguing and exciting. Sudden plot twists and the use of suspense in the ending of certain episodes will compel you to watch the next episode. I remember staring at the calendar, waiting for the next episode to air.

The story develops nicely, in a well-mannered pace. There was no signs of a forced conflict or forced resolution, and the pace of the story overall felt natural. It was not far from being simple, and you could never expect what's gonna happen next. It wasn't too complicated to the point that it puts you in a state of confusion either. Each episode kept feeding to the narratives consistently and the progression of the story felt fluid. It wasn't necessarily episodic, nor was it too shallow. Each episode satisfies the watcher with the mystery being solved, at the same time slowly develops the main plot in an unrushed manner.

The development of the story also didn't felt monopolized by the main character entirely. Subplots regarding other characters (ie. Hanasaki) were also VERY VERY entertaining and sometimes, you would feel more interested in watching the other character's story develop.

The setting being 2030 also felt realistically coherent with the premise of each mystery and the dependence of the detectives on certain tools were acceptably "cool".

All in all, the story was good in a sense that you are dying to know the secret of Kobayashi, and still enjoy the amazing abilities of the detectives and the villain.

ART - 8/10

Art was very good in a sense that it delivered what the Anime needed. A fresh vibrant design that feels youthful, depicting the nature of the Boys Detective Club, and at times, dark and creepy enough to display the vile and conspicuous nature of the villain, fiend with 20 faces.

There were no fluctuations in quality of the animation panels that were noticeable enough, and each episode delivered the same style consistently as expected, in very good quality.

The background was memorable enough to make you remember that the setting is in 2030, without you being directly reminded of that fact. The background felt realistic enough for us to buy that this might possibly be what the world looks like in 13 years.

SOUND - 8/10

First, lets talk about the themes. "Kimi dake no Boku de Iru kara (キミだけのボクでいるから)" by GACKT which was the opening theme in the first 12 episodes was in my opinion, really good and a little bit better than the second opening theme. It made the series feel exciting and adventurous, which is what you'd expect from the setting and the synopsis. The closing, "1HOPE SNIPER" by Azusa Tadokoro was also fairly good, and as I progressed through the series, I have never skipped it. It is not, however, so good to the point that it automatically earns a spot in my Itunes playlist. The second opening and closing themes, "Unmei Dilemma (運命ジレンマ)" by Azusa Tadokoro and Tsumi no Keishou: Original Sin (罪の継承～ORIGINAL SIN～)" by Gackt were okay I guess, as it didnt necessarily force me to skip or mute the video, which is quite a good sign given that most other anime don't earn this priviledge.

Second, let's talk about the background music. The sound team really did their job in making sure no scene felt dull, and all the background music help develop the emotions of the scenes without necessarily overpowering it. Besides, no one wants a fight scene with no action music, but no one wants a sad scene where the music is louder than the voices either. The execution of the background music was top-notch and the emotions of each scene was successfully delivered due to this.

Third, and arguably most important, the voice acting. Again, let me remind you I watched the Anime in Japanese Audio. So how was the Japanese Voice Acting? Solid. Each Voice Actor played into their role perfectly and naturally, emulating the intended traits of each character. Easiest example would be the villain, Fiend with 20 faces. His voice actor sounded so creepy and vile, which was good as this made the villain realistic and made me sympathize with the heroes in efforts to stop the villain. Kudos to Gackt!

CHARACTER - 8/10

As I mentioned before, character development was very good. Each character was given to show their traits and behaviors, without unnaturally forcing it. It felt real, and at what point, I felt so much pity for the protagonist that I wanted to personally help him die.

Also as mentioned, character development wasn't monopolized by one party, (needless to say, many Anime series only allow the main protagonist to develop) but everyone developed, whether in individual subplots, or in the major plot.

In a nutshell, the characters are very, very memorable and relatable. You can feel the agony felt by Kobayashi, and understand why he wants to die. You can also feel the pain felt by Hanasaki, so much so that you justify his wrong actions. The characters, as emphasized again and again, great.

ENJOYMENT - 7/10

We have arrived at the place where most would skip to. The discussion of whether "this anime is worth my time". Let me say this. YES.

The series felt enjoyable as at times I felt excited, at other times I felt sad and angry, which is expected from a good Anime. Needless to say, it doesn't matter whether you're into mysteries or not, this anime will definitely not disappoint if you stay till the end. The endeavors of the Boys Detective Club against the notorious Fiend with 20 faces will certainly occupy your time, and keep you at the edges of your seat as you wait for the next upcoming episode, and will make you wish they made more, when the series ends.

I see that there are many bad reviews about this anime, but really.. Please watch it till the end first.. Sure, there are some boring episodes in there, I didn't expect too much when watching the 1st episode. But I personally love the characters relationship development in this anime. Not because I'm a fujoshi that I love to see the boys interacting with each other, but more to their friendship, I guess? And that Kobayashi finally be able to...*spoiler*... Just watch it. Well, there are some unsolved mysteries left though I think. Like, what happens to the other characters after the last case.. They should've ... add some scenes about them in the end. Hope that they will make some additional episodes to explain those or Season 2 perhaps? I'll certainly watch them! Love Koba-chin! <3

First time reviewing anything on here but i have to do this show justice and its not getting it with the negative reviews. I have watched this show twice in a row and honestly its now one of my all time favourites.

The main story as well as the subplots are both enjoyable and quite emotional at points and makes all of the characters seem important in someway or another. The main characters are all well written and believable and the case of Kobayashi and Hanasake both have great character depth and development from the start.

My final comments are that this show ends ... well leaving and opening for a season 2 which i truly hope it gets and i would say this show is perfect for anyone who wants a great story with ups and downs. amazing characters and/or compelling mysteries

Now, I'm not much of a "reviewer" and let's just say I've never done this before but... I LOVE this anime so far! Yes, Hanasaki can be a little annoying when it comes to about the ninth episode and so on but my Lord! The story so far has been outstanding! The art is amazing and everyone I've recommended this anime to has loved it! Recently, we've just seen a bit of the main character Kobayashi's past after all this time and things are starting to pick up. So if you really want to review this anime wait till the end when you see why ... Hanasaki is acting this way and what Kobayashi's past is. Overall this anime is 9/10! Maybe not eeryone will love it and I'm not e professional when it comes to reviews but give this anime a chance!! You'll either hate it or love it to death!!

Story of Trickster revolves around a young boy named Kobayashi, who is immortal and wants to die. No matter how much he attempts, he can't do it, he has no will to live and no memories, but then he meets a boy named Hanasaki who makes it his mission to get him on right track. It's interesting concept and it's fun to watch, so I'd give this story a 7, I don't wanna spoil too much, so I'll leave the rest to you.

Art style of the anime is really awesome, I came to love it during the show, the character art design is incredible and ... I can only give it a 9.

Sound of the anime is fair, not bad, but also not really good, it's average at best, nothing amazing.

Now as for the great part, in my opinion, characters are really awesome, the character of Kobayashi is really interesting and the way he views the world through broken lenses, Hanasaki is really pushy, but well made as the mc, he is seriously precious and his morals are there, so it's an 8 for me. Other characters as main antagonist and the detective who pursues him are also well made and interesting and the character development happens during the show and makes them even more incredible, the only bad part about it is the fact that sometimes this can seem cheesy and a bit over the top, but the message of suicide being wrong is there.

I really enjoyed this show and overall it was an 8 for me, I'm really glad I found it and watched it, and I definatelly recommend it.

I really don't understand how can this masterpiece show has such bad reviews. Animes these days are not even that good and it has great reviews and this amazing show like trickster has mixed feelings reviews like what is this shit? I'm so fucking angry.

This show deserves a s2 srlys. The way it portrays the story and the character developments are crazy sick!! The plot is interesting the story is amazing even the characters? I fell in love with them. How can anyone hate this masterpiece anime?

I normally don't write reviews, but I had to on this one. If you think it's not enough, go ... watch it yourself! It may not be your cup of tea but it's worth watching than all the trash animes that are happening. (No offense!!) I just love this anime! ♡

Definitely would recommend!!