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Many children around me seem to find growing up a virtue, and often desire to reach adulthood more quickly. However, just as there are some benefits to be gained by becoming and adult, there are also qualities that are lost when we let go of our sense of childlike wonder. This bring us to Pretty Boy Detective Club, a show about a 14 year old girl who is told that she must face reality, something all children are eventually told. On the night where she supposedly has to become an adult, she meets the members of the Pretty Boy detective club. Events transpire, and while ... she still has to give up on her childhood dream, she discovers that giving up on something does not mean giving up altogether, and she finds it within herself to dream again. Every arc that follows is thematically similar, a journey of self discovery and growth not in spite of, but with the help of childish optimism and imagination. In fact I was so enamoured by the first 2 episodes that I immediately went and bought all the light novels that were available in english.

Detractors are often looking for more grounded writing and logical puzzles, and when solutions to the mysteries does not feel satisfactory, they use it has a criticism of the show. They are missing the point. The main appeal of the mysteries was never about finding the most plausible solution; rather it was to revel in "child's play" and also to serve as metaphors for the thematic core of each arc, similar to the Monogatari series. Like Monogatari, the beauty of NisioIsin's writing allows seemingly mundane mysteries to generate philosophical questions, and such is the construction the story arcs that while your attention is directed toward solving the mystery, you do not realise how they are all interlinked with one another until the very end. As with the Monogatari series, SHAFT is behind it with Akiyuki Shinbou as the chief director of the series, and it shows. The shot composition and general direction of the show underlines and enhances the dialogue heavy storytelling, and the artistic stills and sudden but welcome shifts in art style serve certainly kept me constantly engaged and there were many instances when I was just left agape at the sheer beauty of it all. The sequence at the start of episode 8, or the entirety of episode 12 really shows that SHAFT went above and beyond for this adaptation. Seriously, I can unequivocally say that this show has the background art out of everything in their catalogue. Another element of the Monogatari series the show borrows is veteran voice actor Maaya Sakamoto, who was showed her immense talent voicing Shinobu Oshino and is able to bring out Mayumi's sarcasm and humour so that we never fail to be ceaselessly entertained by her monologues. (As with most of NisioIsin’s novels, not all running jokes and wordplay translated into the anime). If I do have one criticism of the show, it is that the cast outside of Mayumi (especially Hyota) felt underdeveloped and the show would have benefited from adapting more novels in more episodes, but then again I doubt we would have gotten such an astonishing production if SHAFT had decided to do that.

As we progress through each arc, Mayumi with all her strengths and insecurities are revealed to us, and at the same time she slowly becomes more confident and accepting of herself. The series also hints that each member of the club have something they want to hold onto as a boy and it is from there that we get a glimpse of why such a club was ever formed. For my money, the last arc is the best of the 5 arcs that are adapted. It is during this final arc that the stakes are high enough to threaten the very foundation of the Pretty Boy detective club. What is the solution? It is something so amazing yet so obvious in hindsight that I will leave you to find out for yourself.

Unlike many others around me, I was terrified of growing up, scared of turning cynical and world weary like many of the grownups I see. This show came to me at the point of my life when I needed it, and told me that is it it okay to grow up, and still be childish every once in a while. In fact even in adulthood, it is vital that we do not give up on the beautiful qualities we possess as a child. As Manabu would say, being a boy is not a matter of age, but a matter of attitude.

In short, Pretty Boy detective club leaves all of us with a reminder that young or old, we need to stay in touch with our inner child and treasure our everyday, such that we never lose sight of who we are. The show is not just wonderful to behold, it is also a beautiful experience

The first few episodes were amazing. Direction, visuals, Voice acting and characters were very well written; and the technical aspect of the show still remains top tier throughout the series. You can clearly tell a lot of care went into making this, which is expected for a Doga Kobo's birthday present to itself. However, it seems like the storyline was not well planned out, as in some episodes, the story went in different directions at the expense main plot line and the relationship between the main cast, which led to a mostly unsatisfying conclusion. It had a lot of potential to be the next Sora ... Yori. Still, if you just treat the show as a primarily a CGDCT and everything else as a added bonus, you will enjoy this show. I would compare this show to lycoris recoil really, in terms of how it started and ended