At one point though, he didn’t. Before “Bakuon Rettou”, “Blue Heaven”, “NeuN”, or anything else, Tsutomo created “Jiraishin”. Honestly, what’s here doesn’t differ from mainstream episodic cop shows like “Criminal Minds” at its core: Episodic mysteries with some detective work and action, most of which have little continuity with each other. Even from the outset though, “Jiraishin” separates itself from shows like that because it never really pulls punches. Moral characters will die, evil acts are never cut away from or sugarcoated, and our protagonist Ida rarely shows empathy or remorse for others. Of course, none of this is innovative, and none of it prevents “Jiraishin” from feeling underwhelming in its first half. Ida isn’t particularly interesting and doesn’t really develop as a character, and the unmemorable supporting cast doesn’t help either. The art gets the job done, but the soft style doesn’t fit gritty story. The episodic plots range from good to alright, and few have any actual mystery angle to them. “Jiraishin” starts out as an average manga with few unique elements.
However, something interesting happens. This should be apparent to the detectives reading, but “Jiraishin” improves. A new character appears, and Ida’s dynamic with her is far better than with other characters. The art not only becomes more dynamic and detailed, but also more fitting of the gritty tone. The plots of each case begin to tackle more interesting concepts and moral questions. Dialogue also improves a lot. “Jiraishin” becomes a pretty good manga, even held back by its slow start. Ida still lacks compelling characterization, and commentary on his role as a loose cannon could’ve been taken further. Even still, “Jiraishin” works well as a cool detective story and should be read by those who’ve enjoyed Tsutomo’s other works.
