Bishounen Tanteidan

“Because this is… child’s play, after all.”

Bishounen Tanteidan is an anime adapted from a mystery novel series by Nisio Isin, directed by Akiyuki Shinbou and animated by Studio Shaft. It’s literally Bakemonogatari. The end. Thank you for reading my Bishounen Tanteidan review.

That’s everything that I’d need to say if we were living in an ideal world. We’re not living in an ideal world. We’re living in a world full of liars. In this particular case, full of liars that lie about liking something that they can't even begin to understand.
Here’s a completely hypothetical example: if a person that doesn’t know how to read says that ... they like a certain book - that isn’t necessarily a lie. After all, the book might have some beautifully drawn illustrations of sexy girls, and “the pictures make my pp hard so I like it” is reasoning as rational as any. If the same illiterate person says that they dislike a different edition of the same book featuring beautifully drawn illustrations of sexy boys instead - that also isn’t a lie. “The pictures make my pp confused so I dislike it” is also reasoning as rational as any. But if that illiterate person then says that they are a big fan of the author who wrote those books, and they think that Book A has good writing, but a completely different Book A has bad writing - they’re a lying hypocrite. They can’t be a fan of a writer, being illiterate and all. Don’t listen to their lies.
Now, leaving the world of hypotheticals: Bishounen Tanteidan is objectively the same exact show as Bakemonogatari when it comes to things such as character writing, dialogue writing, psychological themes, comedy, artwork, animation quality, visual direction, and sound direction. Their differences are entirely superficial - one features a cast of pretty anime girls in high school, other features a cast of pretty anime boys in middle school. To a fan of Nisio Isin, Akiyuki Shinbou, and Studio Shaft such as myself that liked Bakemonogatari for all the things above - these differences might as well be different hair colors. To a fan of Watanabe Akio (Bakemonogatari’s character designer responsible for that show’s extremely fappable anime waifus, as well as for 99% of its commercial success), these differences are a deal-breaker. Not a problem, if only some Watanabe Akio fans weren’t lying hypocrites that pretend to be NisiOisiN/Shaft’s fans. Don’t listen to their lies.

Now, here’s why I can’t recommend Bishounen Tanteidan anime to anyone who isn’t a Shaft/NisiOisiN fan.
The Monogatari Series is a novel series that is completely unadaptable. That’s what Nisio Isin himself thought - and he was right. Even though Shaft’s adaptation both has a ton of artistic merit and is commercially successful (thanks, Watanabe Akio), it fails as an adaptation of the actual novels.
What makes the novels unadaptable is:
1) A metric ton of comedic banter that seemingly doesn’t advance the plot, but is irreplaceable as a tool for developing characters and establishing their relationship dynamics - the anime had to omit most of that due to the runtime limitations.
2) A metric ton of internal monologues that would amount to a guy staring at a wall and talking to himself in a visual medium - the anime team had to jump through hoops to make those moments look visually interesting, and they did a commendable job - but they also had to omit most of those due to the runtime limitations.
3) The novel series is incredibly long, with 28 volumes as of now, and it has an incredibly drawn-out myth arc (a myth arc is like a story arc, but for the entire series). Many fans of Monogatari will say that their favorite installment in the entire franchise is the so-called Second Season - and for a very good reason. The Second Season is the point where you can finally begin to make sense of what the entire story is really about when viewed as a single cohesive work of fiction, not just a collection of loosely connected individual arcs. The first episode of the Second Season is the 31st episode of the entire franchise - that’s an entire 2-cour anime + 4 OVAs you have to watch before you can even begin to understand what are you watching. And there is a reason why “it gets good after XX episodes” is a meme - because it never gets good. That’s just not how anime works. The fact those first 30 episodes are popular at all is an anomaly and has nothing to do with their artistic merits (thanks, Watanabe Akio).
By the way, this drawn-out style is not a fluke, that’s how Nisio Isin writes all of his series. E.g. Medaka Box is a 200-chapter-long manga that only starts making sense around Chapter 50, and is effectively a single “novel” that can’t be adequately judged on a per-chapter or per-story-arc basis.

What I’m getting at, the Bishounen Tanteidan novel series is unadaptable for all the exact same reasons. In many aspects, its anime has it even worse than Monogatari’s one. The Monogatari TV anime adapts its first five volumes (Kizu aside) in 30 episodes, Bishounen Tanteidan adapts its first five volumes in only 12. Based on one volume I’ve read (adapted as the first three episodes), Shaft had to cut virtually ALL the scenes that do not directly advance the plot. For example, they omitted the running gag of Mayumi repeatedly spitting out Bossman’s food because of how unbearably tasty it is - and him going through the five stages of grief in reaction. They’ve omitted another running gag of Bare Legs-kun trying to constantly peek under Mayumi’s skirt - and her doing her best reenactment of the “it’s like she was looking at walking garbage” meme in reaction. These character interactions are supposed to keep the audience entertained until the real meat of the story kicks in, and they’re supposed to make the audience empathize with the cast. But since the anime was forced to omit those in favor of telling its salad dressings of detective mysteries, for the first 9 episodes it appears to be a show about nothing. And the mysteries feel as if they have no stakes to them because there can be no stakes if the audience was not given enough reasons to care about what happens to the characters.
For a [real] Shaft fan the show still works as an art project - its opening dance animation is the best sakuga produced by the industry since Violet Evergarden, every keyframe belongs on an art gallery wall, and Sakamoto Maya’s (Mayumi/Shinobu’s VA) performance is as stellar as ever. For a [real] Nisio Isin fan the show still works as a source of more of his prose, plus they come equipped with the knowledge that stuff will happen eventually. But it doesn’t work as a novel adaptation and it doesn’t work as a stand-alone anime for a hypothetical viewer that doesn’t know who all these people are. This adaptation simply can't stand on its own legs without being supported by the reputation of its makers.
You do finally start to get glimpses of this series’ myth arc in the last 3 episodes, that is, the adaptation of the fifth volume. Turns out, Bishounen Tanteidan is a story about childhood, or rather, about growing up and dealing with that exact moment in one’s life where a child becomes a young adult, which in Japanese consciousness is conveniently marked by the transition from either elementary school to middle school or from middle school to high school. For the first 9 episodes, the cast of larger-than-life hyperbolic children engages in what, as the line used for the epigraph points out, is really nothing more than child's play. And then the games end, and they have to face reality - the reality of the adult world. I’m looking forward to more novels getting translated so that I can actually experience this story.

In summary, if you want to see a title that deals with the themes of a child becoming an adult that works in the anime medium, watch FLCL. If you are new to Shinbou’s aesthetics and Nisio Isin’s prose - I suggest you put this one aside, watch/read 20-30 works made by those creators, and return to the Bishounen Tanteidan anime afterward. Otherwise,

10/10 for “Bakemonogatari [with less fap material].”

Before I begin my review, I believe there is a thing or two about Bishounen Tanteidan that needs to be cleared up before actual scoring the show on its own merits, as it feels other reviews seem to miss these aspects.

Bishounen Tanteidan is inherently, unrealistic. The middle schoolers act like 20s bohemian adults. They go toe to toe with kidnappers, a possibly supernatural murderer, an esoteric artistic weirdo, a first grader who acts like an adult princess trying to save her dynasty through marriage, and somehow, a middle school casino racket done for very....dangerous purposes and reasons. Realism is completely lacking in this show.

And thats ... what it is supposed to be. The middle school setting of the story, is a way for nisioisin to focus on topics relating to growth and childhood, and using extreme situations to examine them. To put it simply, its intentionally ridiculous, but to the normal point of requiring suspension of disbelief. The middle school setting and age of the characters, is an aesthetic allowing Nisioisin to explore and admittedly have fun with situations of growing up, such as discarding your dream, your change in personal philosophy, and your habits. Basically, if you can suspend your disbelief for something like fantasy or science fiction, you should suspend disbelief here because this is similarly an aesthetic, just not one we are really used to, and if ever seen, usually done unintentionally(like western YA novels having kids talk like 30 year olds...is mostly unintentional bad writing. Nisio's trying for that here though).



Saying all that, the first arc is stupid. Too unrealistic even for suspension of disbelief. Almost dropped the show because of it. Thankfully, I didnt. Although Im not saying this show is a masterpiece or even great, its just a fairly enjoyable and fun show. Witty dialogues, charming philosophical conversations, great visuals. The pretty boys are all one note for the most part, with Mayumi being the only one with real complexity. Most of the time, or pretty much all the time, the mysteries are kind of no big deal, and you are left wondering as to why they are thinking so much about this(im talking about the esoteric artist weirdo arc). But it is through these frivolous adventures, that the show is trying to show us something important. Child's play and wonder. Even in small, even ridiculous things, there can be a sense of excitement, mystery and wonder. Sometimes its not even about solving the mystery, but just making something beautiful and having fun in the process.

Its not a classic show. I doubt this is one of Nisio's stronger works either(Ive only seen Monogatari and Katanagatari at the time of this review). But its a fairly fun seasonal show, and if you like shaft or nisio, you should watch it. Also, while I do give it an 8, if MAL allowed for .5 ratings, Id give it a 7.5. Definition of good and fun, but nothing too special.

First review time. You're probably not watching because of all the boys. What a mistake that is.

Now this is such an enjoyable anime. Every shot dumpsters every other anime currently airing - and I say that as an avid 86 fanboy. It really isn't even close. However, it's not like the show is only pretty visuals. The story is engaging. It is typical Nisioisin, where it's hard to understand and outright impossible if you're not paying close attention to what's going on. People that watch casually while scrolling through their phone or talking with friends are destined to hate this show, and the onus is ... on them. Not because the show is bad or that it has too many boys.

It frustrates me how seemingly no one is watching this, and are praising Higehiro, for reasons unknown. (Fanservice and sexualizing a teenager will do that, I guess.) This show is so much more than that. While I complained that Higehiro is a shallow, uninspired show, PBDC is the polar opposite; which is ironic because you could argue that the character's outlook of beauty borderlines on extreme shallowness... but when you look beyond the surface (or past the first couple episodes) it's so much more than that. I'm actually kind of blown away that Nisioisin branched off and something like this. It shows that the man is an unrivaled genius, and coupled with Shinbou, are a dynamic tandem and among my favourite in anime, period.

If I had to rate the show right now, both due to my own personal enjoyment of the show, as well as the laughably low score that is currently on display (7.19 as of the writing of this review), I would have to give it a 10. I won't score it yet since I tend to prefer to wait for shows to reach their climax before judging them fully. It's so completely different from Monogatari, but the writing style still gives me fond memories. It really gives me The Hardy Boys vibes. There is no other anime like this. PBDC is something I didn't know I needed, but it excels at making you love the characters and interested in what sort of mystery they will get themselves in next. Its splendor is only highlighted when you compare it to the cesspool of unoriginal, mediocre harem shows that get attention only because of the good looking half naked girls.

Can't wait to pick up the books. I will finish up the season first though. As usual, Shaft doesn't disappoint. PBDC is up there with 86, Vivy and To Your Eternity for anime of the season in my book.

Here it is, the most underrated anime of the season with one bang of OP.

I don't usually write reviews, but I think It's almost a moral choice to leave a review of such misunderstood gem of the season.

First of all, the anime is clearly SHAFT from start to finish, precisely the monogatari's SHAFT, so if you're familiar and/or enjoy those kind of direction cuts and style I think you will find this to be your cup of tea as well. The animations are always spot on and flawless 10/10.

Story wise I don't think I'll do any spoiler by saying that it's structured in story arcs ... of 2-3 episodes. We follow the members of the Pretty boy detective club in their investigations with an eye to the beauty and style and overall "prettyness" of the problem solving process and the characters.

If you're familiar with another SHAFT work such as Kubikiri cycle there are similarities in the themes and solving puzzles thing but, for it's multi arcs structure the way they unveil the mistery is way faster and simpler. Nonetheless It's still fun to watch how things will come out.

In the end. I will not recommend you to watch this show if it's your first Nisio Isin show or if you're looking for a challenging/complex detective story. But if you want something eye catching, a true gem that shines bright for style and beauty, and relax in the meantime, well, you can sit and click play.

To be part of the exclusive Pretty Boy Detective Club, follow these 3 rules: Be pretty; Be a boy; and most importantly, Be a detective.

The famed Monogatari novelist NisiOisin is back, as is studio Shaft together with chief director Akiyuki Shinbo, ready to tackle another series that the legendary novelist has concocted, namely the Bishounen series. Originally, this Bishounen Tanteidan (or the Pretty Boy Detective Club) group was supposed to appear in one of NisiOisin's earlier series that is aptly named the Boukyaku Tantei (or The Forgetful Detective) series, but during its story development, he decided that it could be made as an independent title ... separately. And yes, you could definitely see why that stems from the off-beat logics that NisiOisin is known for, mainly subverting his audience like an open book, keep things the same status quo, right until the end when it hits in the most ridiculously subliminal messages that at the end of the day, still makes total sense. And that's to top up with all the idiosyncrasies of its underlying thematics, that if you have watched Monogatari before, it makes complete sense and links up with the unorthodox and impeccable writing of NisiOisin, while keeping things constant, consistent and fresh with book novel-like cases spanning 2 to 3 episodes each.

Enough talking, let me showcase to you what the Pretty Boy Detective Club in Yubiwa Academy is made out of, in their glorious Bishounen gleaming beauty of light:
- The turquiose-haired 5th grader elementary schooler: Manabu "the Aesthete" Sotoin, leader of the club. Don't try to belittle this young leader, he exudes beauty through and through with his arrogant cheerfulness, and will not do anything that goes against aesthetics. Often recognised as "the Leader" of the club, he dishes out orders to the rest of the group in the most kid-like Bishounen style.
- The snow-white-haired 3rd year middle schooler: Nagahiro "the Orator" Sakiguchi, vice-leader of the club. He holds another position in the school as the Student Council president, mostly thanks to his beautiful voice and having marvellous imitations of vocal cords, while being soft-spoken with honor. Word goes around that he has a fiancé, but it's the stereotypical setting of his family being rich people, and cherry-picked for the best...with a 6-year-old 1st grader elementary schooler, and as such, is labelled as a lolicon for all the wrong reasons.
- The orange-red-haired 2nd year middle schooler: Michiru "the Epicure" Fukuroi, delinquent of the club. From his external appearance, Michiru stands out due to his easily aggravated behaviour, and is widely known as a gangster, both in and out of school with his fearsome nature. Deep down, he is anything but that, he is also a good cook and has a family-oriented side to him. And get this, his habit of satirical metaphors is what gives him an edge to stand out from the club in various ways
- The yellow-haired 1st year middle schooler: Hyota "the Adonis" Ashikaga, the angel and speed demon of the club. Being an ace of the track and field team, Hyota is largely noticeable for his long, bare, pure legs, that stems from the fact that he modified his uniform to make it look like he's wearing shorts. The beauty which comes from his well-developed face, as is looking the part like an archangel, this bare legs-exposing boy poses strength and speed when the situation calls for action.
- The black-haired 1st year middle schooler: Sosaku "the Artiste" Yubiwa, the expressionless artist of the club. He is a child prodigy with both financial and artistic talents, though expressionless and of few words, and that Manabu can only read his thoughts and interpret that to the T.
- Last but not least, the newest member of the club: Mayumi "the Seer" Dojima, the star-studded girl of interest. I hear you say: "Wait, isn't one of the rules of the club mention that to "be a boy"?" Yep, she was once part of the club's very first case of NisiOisin's introductory book in the series, titled "The Dark Star that Shines for You Alone", of finding a star that she has been searching for 10 years since young, of a dream that she wished she'd become, but to no effect. Following the resolution of the case, she often cross-dresses as a boy (though the other Bishounens know her true nature) to visit the club, and as the series progresses, be accepted as part of the elusive beautiful "Shine like a diamond" club. Her eyes are what captured the attention of the Bishounens, and with excessively-good eyesight, she usually wears glasses to suppress her "powers". She gives names to the Bishounens for easy memory: Mr. Leader for Manabu, Mr. Senpai for Nagahiro (after Michiru noticed that Mayumi is always calling him Sakiguchi-senpai, which is a mouthful), Mr. Delinquent for Michiru, Mr. Bare-Legs for Hyota, and Mr. Child Genius for Sosaku. There, this is as pretty as a picture as you can get.

This is an excessively beautiful team of boys, but without a specialized production team, how does one take this beauty to showcase it further? And that's where Shaft comes in with the help of in-house legendary director Akiyuki Shinbo, the chief director of the Monogatari shows from the last decade. Having an in-depth knowledge of how NisiOisin likes to rehearse and rephrase (or say, take a gander of) his works, Akiyuki Shinbo does the insanity of a engrossing and psychedelic work with his production team that rehashes all the intricacies of how a modern-day Monogatari adaptation would possibly look like, while keeping true to the testament of the now decades-old experience that he is known for. And it certainly looks great no doubt, I had the nostalgia of watching the many Monogatari adaptations before, and this show's niche themes just urge me for more of that coming-of-age, mystery theses of decorative compositions and motifs.

That prepossessing action alo trickles down to the OST, and the boy band sumika has done it once again to present a rock-solid OP that reminds me a lot of WotaKoi's iconic and highly memorable OP, one that's easily another magnificent and catchy song, no doubt. The Beautiful Bishounens come back to deliver 2 EDs, the former for being every ongoing case and the latter for the ending of each case. Personally, I prefer the latter as the most attractive of the 2, but still, both are lovely charming songs. Simply...delightful.

Bishounen Tanteidan a.k.a the Pretty Boy Detective Club is a very niche show, that's the obvious part. It's when the irresistible feel of watching those drop-dead gorgeous young boys do their action that it arrests you with its bonny aesthetics and fancible Shaft visuals to become one heavenly bewitching experience just to see more Bishounens mark with stylistic valour and grace.

Dang, I could call this show being the opposite of the overly common CGDCT formula, dubbed CBDCT: Cutesy (and Handsome) Boys Doing (en)Chanting (and Engaging) Things. A buffet treat for the ladies (and few men).

  I’m not even gonna make a opening let’s just start

Story.

The story fit episode by episode unless it’s a part 1 if so a new arc is starting. Every new arc seems to take place at a different time but that doesn’t really matter. The first episode works for the first episode and the story remembers where it went last so it doesn’t matter that the arcs take place at different times it’s more of a couple day thing. I think that it’s set up works for the type of story it is and can’t be done any better.

The story was a bit ... complex but I was able to understand it. It worked for me but on episode 9 I didn’t really understand it (I’m deducting one point for that.)

The story was unique and I loved it. In a first look seems like a reverse harem but Mayumi Doujima (the girl) hates all the boys. The pacing was good. There were no filler episodes just arc 1 arc 2 arc 3 etc. with nothing in between. Nothing felt rushed to me.

There wasn’t a lot of comedy but when there was I laughed. The mystery always is very interesting. I’m not good at noticing these things but I didn’t see any ecchi or fan service which makes me happy because i don’t like that stuff I only notice that kinda stuff when it’s very obvious though.every individual element was great.

The ending of each arc (but episode 9) makes sense. In the end of every episode they sold and explain the mystery. I couldn’t find any plot holes or things being forced.
9/10

Art
I love this series art

The art style is beautiful and very artistic. From the starry eyes and the well shaded hair to the shading and the way they draw the shoes. It’s unique and memorable I haven’t watched anything with the same art style.

It appears they were going for a dreamy art style. If so they did a great job achieving it. I think the part that makes it look the most dreamy is the realistic fabric and the anime look combined and the starry eyes. The dreamy look fits the story perfectly especially in the first three episodes because they are looking for a star and the main character dreams of becoming a astronaut. [thats not a spoiler don’t worry.]

They sometimes changed to a chibi style for a couple minutes but it blended in well. Although there’s only one season when it dissent change to look like that the style stays perfect.

The backgrounds are good. The details are beautiful they all perfectly work. There are tiny details and big details. The shading is great and so are the tony details. I love the anime itself but the background might add to it in a way.

The character designs are great. I see the character personality’s by just the designs but they aren’t completely personality based. All of the characters look unique.

Definitely 10/10

Sound

Note I watch the sub so if the dub is bad I’m talking sub

The characters voices where great for there personalities. I can’t really say much about the voice acting I don’t know much about the voice actors but when I could say one thing I did.

You don’t really notice the background music if your me but when you did it fits. The music you notice really enhances the scenes. I don’t see myself listening the music in the background for no reason because it doesn’t have lyrics but I still like it.

I didn’t really like the opening (it isn’t in episode 1) but I see other people liking it so I won’t take away a point. I love the first outro. It made its way into my playlist. I also like the other ending that ending plays when they solve a case.

10/10

Character

I’ll ask myself this like I’m interviewing myself because I’m having trouble writing this section.

Did the characters have flaws and strengths?

I would like to notice Yubiwa Sousaku for this question he’s A genius child. He is the successor to the Yubiwa Foundation, which is the management body of the Yubiwa Academy but he’s very quiet and people are surprised when he says something loudly and clearly and when he does things he gets overly absorbed in them causing Mayumi to interpret him negatively at first.

Did the characters react to situations realistically?

Most of the time everything they did felt pretty realistic. One thing that felt unrealistic was a middle schooler giving out homework to his club. If it was ever unrealistic it just kinda slipped past my brain.

We’re you able to relate to any characters?

Not fully but in a way. When I didn’t relate to them I still enjoyed it.

I got a big crush on a lot of the characters. I liked all of the characters a lot. The one I talk
about when I talk about me simping is Hyouta Ashikaga because he’s really cute but in relatability it’s a different case.

I will probably remember these characters forever 10/10

Enjoyment

I loved this series. others would probably enjoy it to it it was popular. I asked my non anime friend if she liked this while we watched it together and she said yeah. I will probably rewatch the whole thing a 100 times because it’s so good. I don’t notice things well so rewatching this would help me notice all the tiny details. I honestly don’t think it would change at all even though I know the answers about what happened. This is a series I will definitely remember. It unique it’s enjoyable it’s perfect.
10/10

Bishounen Tanteidan is a show that isn't as popular as I thought it would be. And I can somewhat see why that is so.

Story - 7
I have a thing for detective stories. I like the way they show the tricks on how things are done as well as the actual mystery-solving itself. While this has a hint of that, the story is surprisingly lacking.
The first three episodes center around a single arc, which makes me somewhat worried for the pacing of the show and each episode, but I've heard that the source novels aren't really long so there's that.
That being said, dedicating a single ... arc to the first three episodes is definitely a risky move, and I can see why some people got turned off by that fact alone. I certainly hope it gets better throughout the series.

Art - 10
It's beautiful. The sky, the scenery, the character designs, it's very beautiful.

Sound - 9
The OP is done by sumika, which is a strange choice, but eitherway it is an absolute banger.

Character - 7
I feel like the character is somewhat weak so far. All the boys are really just a single talent in a body so far, and though they are still entertaining, I hope to see them improve on this.

Enjoyment - 7
I enjoyed it when I first watched it, but looking back I begin to see more and more of its flaws.

Overall - 8
Its pretty nice, but is somewhat of a hit or miss.

In Bishounen Tanteidan, the real charm is in the mystery and beauty of the moments, not in their endings.


All this beauty and stylization does not have a purpose that goes beyond being beautiful and stylized. The anime empties everything that can be dramatic and logical, and focuses only on what the events themselves can provide. It is evident that the anime has an objective discourse and theme, but it also seeks to confuse the viewer about its real intention. Its narrative, logic and conclusion are empty, but the main theme is not.


If you think about some conventions and principles (or rules, as the more radical ... and limited ones insist on saying that they exist), Bishounen Tanteidan is an anime constructed in a “wrong” way. He proposes several mysteries and possibilities, but I haven't really completed any of them. The characters are not human, deep, complex or dramatized. Every anime relationship has a goal, and as he says, to be beautiful and exciting.


In this plastic and stylized construction proposed by the director, the sets, mysteries and characters are part of a very unique style that always seeks emptiness in relation to realism. So, there is no reason for the characters to have a deeper development or drama, in fact, they end up serving more as objects in this composition. Dehumanizing them makes more sense than making them human. The only personality that exists in them is the most illustrative one, which also distances them from reality.

The characters' vibrant color and color palette mix with those of the backdrops, making some interesting compositions. These plans also reinforce the idea of ​​treating both the characters and the scenarios with a unique and stylized importance.


The realism in Bishounen Tanteidan is seen as something ugly and frightening. The last episode brings realism as something to be feared. An existence that tries to subdue what is pleasurable by itself. That which explains; who reveals the truth – the ultimate meaning – in this last episode, he is a villain. An existence that explains how the mystery of the accident actually happened, and takes away the beauty that the mystery brought. The beauty is in the mystery, in the doubt, in the various visions and interpretations that may or may not be right, but what really matters is that they are beautiful. And in Bishounen Tanteidan, the truth doesn't matter. Truth and logic take the beauty out of the mystery of the universe. The magic is in enjoying the moments, not in actually understanding them.


By emptying what the characters are into a dramatic and human matter – and transforming them into objects in the scene, he removes the moral of the events and their characters. The last episode is also about that. Find and search for a star; investigate the secret of a casino; decipher the riddle of art paintings and a possible crime later; and all the other mysteries in the anime are fanciful, thought-provoking and beautiful, but when it comes to directly involved with something real and dangerous like death, no. If we go to see how all the mysteries happen, this last one of trampling is the one that comes closest to being a real crime, and therefore, its “morality” is realistically confronted. But it shouldn't.

Sounds like a very similar idea to Ortega's about art. S.S. describes: “Ultimately, 'style' is art. And art is nothing more or nothing less than various forms of stylized, dehumanized representation”. As if art were a disassociated view of the world, and unique in its own right. A view with which I don't 100% agree (not even Sontag itself), but which I appreciate here in the way it was confronted in the anime.


This can also be a very specific and direct comment on Shinbou's work in general (especially in relation to Monogatari). While some try to say what it is, and how it should be watched – in what order it should be watched – to understand what happens, they end up forgetting to enjoy the events for themselves. As if his anime didn't have a moral with reality, and in fact were ambiguous on this issue. A new universe that is apart from ours. So, bringing reality or a limiting interpretation to his work is the same as emptying his world – it's making him ugly and futile. As if: his real experience is in what happens, not why and how they happen. I am not here defending the moral and ambiguity of his works, but rather giving a possible interpretation of what he might be trying to express.

However, I don't think the purpose is to prevent possible interpretation, but rather “how” it should be interpreted. As the work makes clear, the mystery deduction must be beautiful and make sense, and not necessarily the truth, and that's what matters in the end. While some try to deplete the artistic potential of their work, few are really interested in preserving this mystery that so captivates the public.

This is just fine, nothing much to say. I don't know if I'm crazy or something but it gives me some monogatari vibes, it's kinda particular. One of the little things I have to say is that the art is so much good, it's really well made. The sound aspect is kinda good, nothing particular but it's good.The characters are pretty good, they're all eccentric and kinda weird and it's kinda cool. Overall it's kinda enjoyable, not the best you could watch but it's fine. Am I the only one who finds it weird that the fujoshi still haven't arrived to ruin this show? Idk ... it kinda feels like it's the kind of show that they would love.

This anime has one of the best art styles and production I've seen in a while without being a triple A anime. I could say that Bishonen Tanteidan is at the level of Top Tier animes on production. My favorite opening ever, Godly OST. Amazing Animation, cheers to my lads the animators and musicians.

The characters and the story are pretty average, average++ I'd say, some characters are much better than others, the main character is a 6.8. While others like the little president are a 7.5.

Pretty enjoyable, I didn't enjoy it that much cause it happened that I saw it after a masterpiece like Vinland ... Saga.

A show made for adults who can reflect back on their youth.

I have provided additional books as recommendations to help people better understand the true value of this series. It's clear that there are people who can't understand the brilliance of Pretty Boy Detective Club and I want to help illuminate them.

What does it mean to be a boy? Can anyone be a boy? What does it mean to be pretty? What does it mean to be curious?

These are the many questions we have as children yet we forget to answer them as adults. Nisio Isin takes a cerebral approach when analyzing ... several key themes in adolescence. The lenses which frames the arc based plot revolves around mysteries that are absurd in nature but completely obvious once solved. Doesn't that remind you of every test you've taken? It should if you went to school. And this isn't a normal school anime. Let alone what it seems to portray as a reverse harem or otome. I can confirm that the romance is non existent as our main character is completely a scum who doesn't even want to feel attachment.

Now does that mean our main character, Dojima, is a bad person? No, because just like the real world people are nuanced. Her problematic outlook is in fact more of a helpful trait than one that impedes.

ARC 1

The first arc is a beautiful story about letting go of your childish ways. The dreams that you held on to aren't what defines you. Its what you learn from it once you let it go. Also they define what beauty really means. And to spell it out loud would do it injustice.

- Read The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima

ARC 2

The second arc challenges the notion of fakeness and realness much better than any Kaika Monogatari monologue can ever. Because Nisio had time to flesh out his thesis throughout the years.

- Read Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard

ARC 3

The most challenging arc for many might be the one about art. What purpose does art have and how does one create their own art? Its a shame schools have systematically removed the arts from our curriculum because the damage is apparent. If you read discussions in forums you will notice how no one understands this arc. To help illustrate I want to recommend the following.

- Read Ship of Theseus a concept discussed by Heraclitus and Plato

ARC 4

Last but not least my favorite arc. This arc gets deep into the election politics that is rarely discussed in anime. With an attempted murder mystery looming in the background and discussions on nepotism, hierarchies, and democracy its certainly Nisio's bread and butter. There isn't much additional reading needing for this arc to understand its beautiful as we are surrounded by instances of politics everyday in life.

Overall SHAFT really stepped up with this one. Hajima Ootani who is the chief director of Assault Lily and storyboard/episode director of some of the finest shaft anime helms this series as the series director. With the assistance of Okada Kenjirou who is Sangatsu's series director, we were bound to see something visually awe inspiring. Its such an amazing pair that Shinbo works with that I am beginning to think that SHAFT is back to their prime. These 2 directors capture what Zaregoto attempted to be. I am blessed to have a strong anime exist in the pool of mediocrity that has been airing for the last 2 years.

I think it'd be pretty appropriate to do a short review summarizing the main divide of opinion on this anime.

This isn't an anime for those who seek a good mystery and like to theorize about the possible resolutions to problems the "detectives" face. The mysteries might as well be only a prompt for the characters to live around, being the fanciest they can. It's not at all meant to be realistic in any way, starting with the characters and ending with the solutions to the cases, which come mostly out of left field.

This is an anime (obviously catered to women, not a specific age demographic) ... to take you on a an elaborately dressed ride, entertaining you with some fun dialogue and silly situations which inevitably result in a poetic monologue with a line that's supposed to make you go "Ha! Got'em!" before the mic drops to the floor.

If you're not OK with that, just vibe to the opening and move to greener pastures elsewhere.

PS: It's NisioishiN and underage characters, of course there are some moments where you really want to make sure the door's locked.

Sometimes you just have to turn off your head and enjoy the chaos in front of you. Bishounen Tanteidan is a story full of childhood dreams and wonder, it feels nostalgic even. The number of chaotic elements rivals that of Alice in Wonderland, with the same fever dream-like charm. The central focus of the show is to be a child again, spending your childhood doing the things you like, not caring about how others view it, and look back on it with a laugh. I enjoyed this show quite a lot, it reminds me of all the child-like ideas and dreams I had when I ... was their age. After all, it's never too late to enjoy our life while we can.

If you're wondering whenever this is worth a try, look at the stats rather than the overall average here. Big majority gives this above a 7, and personally? I'm having an absolute blast watching this show.
It's fun, it's dinamic, neither the animation nor flow of the story is halfassed, even when there is just dialogue happening they do not allow the anime to feel static, the visuals will go the fuckoff as they follow characters thought process with pretty illustrations, even mundane gestures are animated dramatically lol they truly put effort here, to the detail. It's overall a great anime with characters and writing I'm ... actually engaged with. It's not an intense, super suspenseful mystery, but it's certainly not lazy on it's plot and how it unfolds, and same goes for the characters.

Bursting with Shaft visual flair, this show delivers witty NisiOisin dialogue in a low stakes fun loving show about childhood excitement.

As this is an adaptation of a NisiOisin work writing is the chief draw here. This show does not deliver the devastating character studies of something like Monogatari, but instead trades density for fun and broader appeal. Nutty characters bounce off each other with electric pizazz and short arcs keep the plot from getting bogged down. This does leave the show with a bit of a weak finale as it never sets up anything too powerful but still the view is enjoyable ... and its main character is a delightful take on the NisiOisin trademark self hating protagonist.

Visually the show is a riot of colors as Shaft brings in drastically changing art styles for monologues and fun visual gags to spice up the constant jokes. A light plot makes this show benefit from its non sequiturs instead of driving the story off topic, and the music is also fine with the OP being an explosion of pure joy.

I'd recommend this show for anyone who wants to enjoy both rich dialogue and a more laid back and low stakes show that's more pleasant than intense. That isn't a lot of people, but the few will enjoy it intensely. 7/10

Anime from the same creator of monogatari series. So at all times you see that he has a lot of personality that is very difficult to imitate. An incredible animation, very good character designs, visually it is beautiful, each chapter is like a caress to the eyes. Its animation is beautiful. The character development is very good, marking the personality of each character, you realize that each one is unique and when they get together they can do unique things. The soundtrack accompanies very well, I don't have much more to say. I think the best of the anime is the main plot but it ... doesn't seem so disastrous to me either, it becomes a bit repetitive but hey, it's a series of logical detectives who are going to go from one pot to another. It's the only bad thing I find in anime so if you want to see a bit of mystery with an incredible animation check out this anime.


En ESPAÑOL:
Anime del mismo creador de monogatari series. Así que en todo momento ves que tiene mucha personalidad muy difícil de imitar. Una animación increíble, diseños de personajes muy buenos, visualmente es hermoso cada capitulo es como una caricia a los ojos. Es hermosa su animación. El desarrollo de personajes es muy bueno, marcando la personalidad de cada personaje, te das cuenta que cada uno es único y cuando se juntan pueden hacer cosas únicas. La banda sonora acompaña muy bien, no tengo mucho mas que decir. Lo mejor del anime creo que es la trama principal pero tampoco me parece tan desastroso, se vuelve un poco repetitivo pero bueno es una serie de detectives lógico que van a pasar de un cazo a otro. Es lo único malo que le encuentro al anime así que si quieres ver un poco de misterio con una animación increíble mira este anime.

Bishounen Tanteidan is an incredibly stylistic show, it's quite unique and I definitely did enjoy watching it. The main cast, whilst obviously very exaggerated, are really fun and I very much enjoyed the mysteries within the show. To me the art and direction really stood out, you can absolutely tell this is done by studio shaft and they did it really well.

Speaking more about the art, everything is so bright and flashy that you're always kind of glued to the screen, and they don't drop this too it's really consistent - there are also some incredibly stylised shots that are just so unique and great ... to look at. The character designs are really cool, I love how they fit in with the environments too and I specifically love the way they drew Mayumi's eyes they're always so gorgeous.

The characters are definitely a ton of fun, I especially really liked Mayumi - she is a great protagonist and has a lot of really charming moments, often helped by all the crazy visual gags shaft do in their shows. The others in the cast don't stand out as much to me, but they all do their job in the plot and I didn't dislike any of them.

Overall Bishounen Tanteidan is a pretty solid show, it's definitely very dialogue heavy but it's worth a watch if you like mystery and its incredibly unique style because they do those both very well!

Pretty decent anime. Not much going on there. It has ok characters, decent sounds, meh storyline, and fine comedy. The only gem that is good is the art style which is a very attractive thing I would say.

If you like this anime, then its fine. It’s not like it gonna affect me anyways. Same thing when it comes to disliking it as it doesn’t affect me anyways either.

It’s based on personal opinions so pls. dont get offended. If you agree or disagree, then let me know by commenting on my account and I would love to know your thoughts either about my comment ... or to the anime itself.

This would be higher or lower or perhaps having a same score if a second season of this comes out, hell even a third season.

But for now, I will travel to another anime to review after the experience.

Off I go

Bishounen Tanteidan
Oh my God, that such a design of this anime, just for that I would give it a 10.
It's my first time writing a review, I never expected to write a review for this anime, but I just want to share that this anime is so underrated.

Story - 7
The detective story is not complex, it has many things that you will say: "How can this happen", "this does not make sense", but sometimes those unpredictable things are fun to watch, I admit that some parts can be boring, but the narrative is so good that you no longer feel like it is, plus ... each arc is more interesting than the other.

Art - 10 / Character - 7
The design is extremely beautiful and bright, the personalities of the characters are so funny, beautiful and jovial.

Sound - 9
The Opening and Ending are so pegasus, with a good rhythm, that it makes you want to repeat it and repeat it.

Enjoyment - 8
This anime is not the best of the season, and I know that this anime cannot be liked by everyone, at first it may confuse some things, they give the most well-known message of most anime about friendship, but they say it in such a beautiful way, with such emotional and interesting phrase and dialogues.

Overall – 8
In general it is a good anime, to be entertained by unpredictable things, and such striking mysteries.
Be beautiful, be a boy, be a detective and be a team.

To be a part of the club, you got to be:

1) Be pretty. 2) Be a boy. 3) Be a detective.

That certainly drew my attention, on the surface it looks like your typical anime made to attract people who love pretty boys. This is partially true however read on to learn more.

I would say the overall theme of investigating mysteries is pretty well-executed, a few of them had me thinking on my feet what was going on and such. The characters themselves were full of life and were well-developed as well as voice acted so I really enjoyed this aspect. So many characters to choose ... from!

The opening and endings were the highlights (especially the 1st ending), and I really found myself listening to them non-stop. The art itself is gorgeous and as mentioned above the characters were well-designed.

Give this a go, you will not regret it!