Don't Call it Mystery (Omnibus), Vol. 5-6

Don't Call it Mystery Omnibus #3

by Yumi Tamura, Caroline Winzenried (Translator)

An Angel of Mercy?

Kunou Totonou keeps finding himself right in the middle of mystery after mystery. After taking a tumble down a hill, Totonou is hurt and ends up in the hospital. There he meets a beautiful young woman named Leica. As he follows her coded instructions, he uncovers a disturbing urban legend about an “Angel of Embers” who’s made it their mission to save children. But who exactly is this “angel” and what are their true intentions?

Genres: Manga, Mystery, Comics, Josei, Contemporary, Crime, Graphic Novels

388 pages, Paperback

Published December 12, 2023

About the author

Name (in native language): 田村由美
Birth Date: September 5
Zodiac: Virgo

Tamura is an avid RPG videogamer - Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, etc. She also loves to read mystery books, and going on the computer to chat with her fans.

Reviews

[Beth]

This volume of Don't Call it Mystery has three different stories in it: two featuring Kunou, and then one more featuring a secondary character from a story earlier in the series.

It took a while for me to read this volume off and on, because the psychology in the first story didn't impress me at all. There are parallels to it in the third story, which also made that story melodramatic and unconvincing. Are we really that strongly influenced by parental figures, or the people we admire? Enough to make us even emulate their terrible crimes? Maybe if we live completely unexamined lives, that could happen. But otherwise, I'd hope we'd be able to escape at least some of that once we reach adulthood, and develop our own social circles and lives separate from them.

Something that struck me around the halfway point was Kunou's soliloquy on the (supposed) differences in attitudes toward abuse between the US and Japan: whether of children, or in #metoo-type situations, etc. Supposedly our systems here in the US have a zero-tolerance approach to these things.* I'm not knocking Tamura for this--an average person looking at a country's culture from the outside necessarily views it through a thick, almost opaque layer of their own cultural assumptions. Just think of how many young people glamorize Japan's culture, where this author is pointing out some of its worst flaws, while also painting our equally flawed systems in a rosy glow. It seems that in both the US and Japan, vulnerable people need a lot of luck to not be completely ruined by those with more physical or social power, or not be neglected by bureaucracy to the point that they have no hope.

* We don't show a fan running onto a baseball field on TV because others might emulate them? Is that really true?

For these reasons, this omnibus volume could have dipped down into a lower rating, but I've been enjoying the way Tamura has continued to weave elements from previous stories into later ones. The characters' dialogues are always interesting to read and think about as I go along, even if I can pick at some details, as I did above. Each story in this volume concluded in a way that was moving and cathartic, and made me interested to see where Tamura would go with these characters next. I hope we'll see the Yokohama detectives again. They were fun.

There's a "Missing Post Office" in the real world? That's great. I hope that it continues to exist long after its current curator is gone.

[vin .ᐟ (hiatus)]

me being that meme of the guy connecting all the dots rn

[Rebecca]

CW: child abuse

The Angel of Fire story line is the strongest in the series thus far - it's a blend of realism, wish fulfillment, and what happens to children who slip through the cracks. Then the story hops over to Garo, Totonou's missing friend (or is it "friend?") who is pursuing justice for his sister in ways that dovetail neatly with what Totonou is doing. I can wish the art was better, but it's Tamura Yumi - I knew what I was getting into on that front, and the storytelling more than makes up for it.

[Rod Brown]

The odd college student, Totonou Kunou, keeps falling into mysteries. This time he's tangled in a series of arsons that seem to be targeting abusive parents and a restaurant meal that feels off. As usual, his detective work comes off more like a series of therapy sessions.

On the personal side, he's flustered by a new potential romantic interest.

The back third explains why Garo Inudou sent Kunou a ring with a zodiac symbol by backing up in time. While Kunou was in Hiroshima working out the inheritance mystery, Inudou was trying to track down the reason his sister ended up on the bus ride that would lead to her death. His search crosses paths with an active police manhunt for a serial killer using the M.O. of Gento Hagui, a killer mentioned in one of last volume's short chapters.

Creator Yumi Tamura seems to be weaving all the loose threads into a larger tapestry, and there may be a big bad hidden in the pattern. It looks like Kunou and Inudou will be working together again in the near future.

The series has settled into a comfortable groove, but I'd like to see it pushing at its boundaries a bit more.


FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Chapter 8 (Part 1). The Angel Has His Say -- Chapter 8 (Part 2). Near and Far From the Flames -- Chapter 8 (Part 3). Disappearing with the Light Snow -- Chapter 8 (Part 4). The Frog's Flame Drawings -- Omake. Tamu Tamu Time [Afterword] -- Chapter 9. The Not-A-Date -- Chapter 2.5 (Part 1). They Still Haven't Found the Bones -- Chapter 2.5 (Part 2). The Box That Won't Open -- Chapter 2.5 (Part 3).The Curtain Fell Again and Again -- Omake. Tamu Tamu Time [Afterword]

[Goatllama]

Things are heating up!! Recommended review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[marcia]

Vol. 1-2 ★★★★☆
Vol. 3-4 ★★★★★

While the Angel of Embers case is far from my favorite of the series—I like the premise, but the way it resolves doesn't sit well with me—I was enthralled by the mystery that Garo is involved in, especially since it ties back to a case from last volume. There has been so much buildup to a larger conspiracy that I'm weary as to whether it'll live up to the hype.

[Rebecca]

My favorite volume yet, this installment explores some heavy themes regarding morality and life and death, while also introducing a fascinating overall mystery, and greatly deepening our understanding of both main and side characters. I'm very invested and am eager for more.

[Warren Tutwiler]

I find this series very interesting, the "mysteries" are intriguing and the characters are memorable. The artwork is somewhat uneven - sometimes very detailed, sometimes very simple - but this seems deliberate and is not too distracting. The stories are well-woven, and in this volume in particular, you get to discover that some things that were unresolved in earlier volumes will be revisited later to provide more clarity.

The one thing that may be a detraction from the overall enjoyment of the series can be seen as both a positive and a negative: the main character often presents his ideas on (somewhat) controversial issues, and these ideas are presented as "good" alternatives to the issues as they are being faced by other characters; however, these ideas are almost always wrong in some way and have a feeling of idealism and immaturity, and tend to lean heavily in a liberal direction. This is understandable as far as the character is concerned, since he is a university student and thus has a limited perspective on life and reality, but the fact that the other characters accept his ideas as proper and preferable, even though they are usually older than he, and may actually know better, is a bit unrealistic. Still, his pronouncements ARE thought-provoking and could lead to profitable reflection.

[Jennifer]

The overarching scheme with the zodiac symbols showing up is a little unbelievable, but each arc is interesting. This volume mostly focuses on an arsonist that “saves” kids, and then we get more of Garo or whatever his name was - his arc was set concurrently with an arc from the previous volume. You have a serial killer with a rather dumb fixation that he uses to pick his victims, and it ties that into a killer in the previous volume.

The villains are pretty horrible in this one, though Kunou does show a lot of understanding. He gives a bit of his own backstory as to why he feels the need to share his odd reflections.

[Cindy]

"I think we should give some thought to all of our surroundings. To reflect...and reflect...and reflect..and then share our reflections"

I think the scene truly encapsulates what Dont Call it Mystery is about. A boy who reflects and shares his reflections with everyone. He's a lonely kid as evident by his never going to K-BBQ but he's able to pick up on everything around him and isn't afraid to voice his thoughts. I can't wait to see how everything unfolds in the next volume!

[Samuel]

74%

Some of the mysteries were a bit slow for me imo, but maybe I’m just brainrotted idk. I liked the change of pace in the final quarter though. I assume that’s to reveal more of the star sign jewellery which’ll lead up to a big reveal or sumn. Anyway, this series is great for if I want an interesting, slower read.

[Amara]

3.75 stars

This volume showed how integral Totonou is to the flow of the story. Though it was interesting to see what else was going on at the same time. The cases discussed were okay, but not my favourite.

[yamzreads]

4.5 🌟

[Shae]

OBSESSESD!!!! EVERYONE PLEASE GO READ THIS SERIES!!!!

[Mindy]

3.75/5

[Kristen]

3.5

I wasn't as invested in the second half of this omnibus. A lot of this volume felt long winded and slow compared to the other stories, which flew by.

[reese]

it's really just uphill from volume one and volume one was mt. everest