Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru (also known as The Detective is Already Dead, or its shorthand, Tanmoshi) is one of those experiences that you just cannot describe. It's a shame that this absolute gem of a light novel has flown under the radar for so long, but no longer! An official localization recently released and anime adaptation to air in a couple of days are present as well.

(As of writing, this is a summative review based on my experience of reading all five volumes currently available in all languages.)

Story - 9/10

Looking at the plot or the synopsis, one may come into this LN expecting some kind of mystery novel. But it's not -- far from it, in fact. You can't really talk about the story much without ruining the entire experience of reading it, but what I will say is this: the way Nigoju connects each and every thread across a breadth of volumes is a joy to see come together before your eyes. The twists and turns all make sense, and the storyline is original yet still pulls in elements of other works and real life. The way the tale is told adds to this incredible experience -- it manages to deftly weave humor and heavy moments alike with perspective changes and flashbacks. Also, IT'S NOT A HAREM. However, having sung its praises, I still must penalize it for having one-too-many convenient resolutions, dei ex machina, if you will. While they don’t detract too much from the overall fantastic novel, it’s still something slightly frustrating.

Art - 7/10

The art isn't always the best in Tanmoshi, which is why I'm docking it. The color spreads at the start are consistently amazing but the black-and-white sketches at some points almost look unfinished. Thankfully, this issue solves itself by Volume 3. Other than that issue, Umibozu’s art is almost magical, really adding and punctuating the most important moments of the world Nigoju creates, allowing for a tandem that works just like their novel counterparts, Siesta and Kimizuka.

Characters - 8/10

Every character has motivations that are explained well by their slowly-unfolding backstories, with actions that fall in line with these pasts and clear connections between where they were and how they got here. It begins with the tale of our protagonist, Kimihiko Kimizuka, and as the world and the people in it expand, so do the variety of characters and their additions to the story. The author manages to avoid falling into cliches and tropes while also not being too outlandish.

Enjoyment - 10/10

As I've said before, reading Tanmoshi is an experience that... you just can't explain without ruining it for others. I promise you, it is worth going in blind and getting absolutely hooked on this series. It is a level of enjoyment that very few other pieces of art have *ever* provided for me.

In summation, Tanmoshi is a franchise that has its faults, as does any piece of media. But its faults pale in comparison to its splendid plot, natural characters, breathtaking art, and incomparably excellent reading experience.
OVERALL: 9/10.

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Reminiscing on the past is something we all do. We hold nostalgia for the past. But when something is over, it’s over. When it’s done its’ done, and when someone is dead, they’re dead. You may think fondly on your memories with them. Even try to reconnect in some way. Some visit graves, some pray to gods. But at the end of it all. What’s gone is gone. In this novel, we follow Kimizuka Kimihiko. As the assistant to the World Famous Detective, they travelled the world for three years, and lived unforgettable memories together. However, by the time the novel starts, the detective is already dead.

Let me start by saying that this is certainly an amateur novel. But it’s a damn good one. It’s got a lot of unique traits that set it apart from many other light novels. It comes together in an unforgettable way, on a rollercoaster of an adventure.

It’s a bit of a stretch to call this a romance novel. It’s certainly a harem, and definitely a mystery. The mysterious parts are not laid out in such a way that you could ‘guess’ something from the beginning. It’s more of a mystery in the sense that the characters are solving mysteries. The novel also has quite a number of action scenes, and I would consider that to be a core feature as well. They are typically well described, and well explained. This book includes many genres, and as the author describes it, it’s a mashup of all his favorite ones, and seemingly someone liked it because they let him make a book.

The translation I read was OK at best. The first volume has an official translation that is perfect, as expected, but the rest are a little choppy. Not impossible to follow, and I never felt like I was missing details.

The story is very good. It has lots of twists and turns, some good action, and some very heartfelt moments. The author does a good job at describing emotions of characters, and evoking emotions from me while reading. The characters say some cliche one liners, sometimes, but it works well. The banter is very reminiscent of the monogatari series, and is of high quality. After translation, and without many dialogue identifiers, it can be challenging to know who’s speaking when. Although I personally got used to it after the second volume.

Flashbacks in the story are frequent, and easy to follow chronologically. It lends to very good pacing with the revealing of details being steady enough to keep you in suspense.

The characters are also quite good. They have nice depth, and are each given the reins at least once so you can poke around in their head, understanding their motives better.

This is a very unique story, and I would certainly recommend reading it. It tugs at some heartstrings, and also packs a punch of action. The banter is plentiful, and rivals the monogatari series in it’s quality.

Apologies for terrible writing, nobody ever taught me how to write.

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