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My Dear Detective: Mitsuko's Case Files #3
My Dear Detective: Mitsuko's Case Files, Vol. 3
Mitsuko is Japan’s first woman detective in the turbulent 1930s! With the handsome college student Saku as her assistant, the two continue to tackle mysteries at the Ginza Detective Bureau while uncovering glimpses of Saku's past. Join Mitsuko and Saku as they solve cases, explore the changing cultural landscape of early Showa-era Japan, and perhaps grow a little closer in this fashionable mystery series.
174 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 9, 2023
3 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
October 18, 2024
This manga is so so so charming
April 13, 2025
the art? scrumptious! the stories? so good i need someone to make me a character in the series (actually nope i cannot live in a time where every second of what mimi does is questioned, because she's a woman.) we got to know more about saku in this volume as well! ahh this is one epic duo (≧∇≦)ﾉ
September 20, 2024
Toujours un plaisir de suivre ce duo dans des mini enquêtes !
October 2, 2024
J’adore le duo de détectives, les dessin absolument superbes, les petites enquêtes proches du quotidien des gens, une série pleine de bienveillance 💖
March 24, 2025
They do look good together and have the perfect understanding. Also, I enjoyed the case with the two police man . Quite wholesome
October 21, 2024
3.5/4 stars. More mysteries and more cute interactions between the characters.
November 2, 2025
Mitsuko 🤝 Shindoh: being in love with their golden retriever ass partners
June 15, 2025
I'm getting used to the fact that the "mysteries" in this series are really just a variety of human-interest stories. And the ones in this volume were pretty good.
The two-part conclusion to Saku's family drama was lovely. I mean, a bit silly...it's extraordinarily obvious that their department store dad is an extremely kind man who adores both his sons - biological and adopted - and would wholeheartedly support their dreams.
But I suppose that's part of the true issue for Hitoya; it's not necessarily that he's afraid of his father's reaction. He's afraid of hurting and disappointing him. Because his dad's believed Hitoya "wants to be just like him" and has talked for years about how much he's looking forward to working together. Except Hitoya doesn't want to run a department store business...he wants to go to Paris and learn how to design dresses...
There's still some impracticality in the storytelling, like their family just leaving the whole "who will inherit the business" stuff hanging, while Saku continues to play detective with Mitsuko. It's pretty obvious he's the right person for the job and should really be getting some proper training in...but oh well. His dad's letting him run free for a while. He's still young and needs to get some things out of his system.
Which is sort of the theme of the next case, an extremely short-lived story about an aristocratic young woman falling in love with a shoeshine boy but deciding to continue with her arranged marriage, in order to uphold her family's honor and standing. (Plus, she had no particular dreams or ambitions of her own, so going with the traditional flow was the best course of action.)
The reality is that a girl with that little inner driving force would not have been happy married to a poor, undereducated boy of the streets anyway. But it's still a bit sad, because he seemed very kind, and had been crushing on her from afar for a while. (He should obviously just date his friend, the flower vendor girl.)
The next case was surprisingly great - a deeper dive into the relationship between Mitsuko's policeman rival, Shindoh, and his underling, Kujoh. Kujoh is sensitive, observant, and - as a grumpy, politically minded cabbie tells him - exactly the kind of policeman they need more of. He's in the job because he genuinely cares about people and wants to help them.
The cute discovery that the "important file" he'd lost was actually a family pudding recipe that Shindoh was trying to make for him was super cute and put Shindoh in a better light. I like them, even if Mitsuko continues to hate Shindoh and his overall attitude.
The final case does yet another cliffhanger-til-the-next-volume pattern, and so far I'm a little bit meh on it. If a woman is hiding her identity to enter the imperial university, she uh. Wouldn't be painting her fingernails bright red. And she would've cut her long hair, rather than just sticking it under a cap. But we'll see how it plays out.
I did very much like Saku's hatred of the weight loss ads and his completely genuine assurance that he doesn't give a fig how much Mitsuko weighs - she should enjoy herself and eat whatever she likes, and she'll be beautiful regardless. He's a really good person. A lot of people in this series are, and that's what's making it a nice comfort read.
The two-part conclusion to Saku's family drama was lovely. I mean, a bit silly...it's extraordinarily obvious that their department store dad is an extremely kind man who adores both his sons - biological and adopted - and would wholeheartedly support their dreams.
But I suppose that's part of the true issue for Hitoya; it's not necessarily that he's afraid of his father's reaction. He's afraid of hurting and disappointing him. Because his dad's believed Hitoya "wants to be just like him" and has talked for years about how much he's looking forward to working together. Except Hitoya doesn't want to run a department store business...he wants to go to Paris and learn how to design dresses...
There's still some impracticality in the storytelling, like their family just leaving the whole "who will inherit the business" stuff hanging, while Saku continues to play detective with Mitsuko. It's pretty obvious he's the right person for the job and should really be getting some proper training in...but oh well. His dad's letting him run free for a while. He's still young and needs to get some things out of his system.
Which is sort of the theme of the next case, an extremely short-lived story about an aristocratic young woman falling in love with a shoeshine boy but deciding to continue with her arranged marriage, in order to uphold her family's honor and standing. (Plus, she had no particular dreams or ambitions of her own, so going with the traditional flow was the best course of action.)
The reality is that a girl with that little inner driving force would not have been happy married to a poor, undereducated boy of the streets anyway. But it's still a bit sad, because he seemed very kind, and had been crushing on her from afar for a while. (He should obviously just date his friend, the flower vendor girl.)
The next case was surprisingly great - a deeper dive into the relationship between Mitsuko's policeman rival, Shindoh, and his underling, Kujoh. Kujoh is sensitive, observant, and - as a grumpy, politically minded cabbie tells him - exactly the kind of policeman they need more of. He's in the job because he genuinely cares about people and wants to help them.
The cute discovery that the "important file" he'd lost was actually a family pudding recipe that Shindoh was trying to make for him was super cute and put Shindoh in a better light. I like them, even if Mitsuko continues to hate Shindoh and his overall attitude.
The final case does yet another cliffhanger-til-the-next-volume pattern, and so far I'm a little bit meh on it. If a woman is hiding her identity to enter the imperial university, she uh. Wouldn't be painting her fingernails bright red. And she would've cut her long hair, rather than just sticking it under a cap. But we'll see how it plays out.
I did very much like Saku's hatred of the weight loss ads and his completely genuine assurance that he doesn't give a fig how much Mitsuko weighs - she should enjoy herself and eat whatever she likes, and she'll be beautiful regardless. He's a really good person. A lot of people in this series are, and that's what's making it a nice comfort read.
November 12, 2024
Ce manga est clairement devenu un de mes préférés. Dès le premier tome, je suis tombée sous le charme. Qu’est ce que j’aimerais une adaptation en anime de ce manga ohlala. J’adorerais voir cette histoire adapté. Ce que j’aime avec ce manga c’est bien simple c’est tout. Que ce soit l’ambiance, l’histoire ou les personnages, tout me plaît dans ce manga. J’avais hâte de dévorer ce troisième tome et je me suis régalée. Dommage que l’on doit attendre pour avoir la suite, j’aimerais tant dévorer tous les tomes les uns après les autres.
Dans ce troisième tome, Hitoya, l’aîné de Saku, a été victime d’un accident de train… et a perdu la mémoire. À l’hôpital, la montre à gousset qu’il tient précieusement attise la curiosité de Mitsuko, qui, une fois encore, a le nez fin : l’héritier des Yoshida cache bien quelque chose ! Le duo d’enquêteurs découvre que le convalescent a menti à sa famille… Il est en réalité allé retrouver une certaine Élisa Huppert lors d’un défilé de mode à Paris ! Et M. Hirose, le majordome de la maison, semble être son complice… Pour quelle raison ces deux hommes ont-ils imaginé une telle supercherie ?
J’ai particulièrement aimé la première partie du manga. Celle qui va se consacrer au frère de Saku. J’ai trouvé ce moment vraiment très touchant et plein d’émotions. Non seulement ça nous permet de mieux comprendre son grand frère mais ça nous permet également de découvrir un peu l’enfance de Saku finalement. J’ai vraiment adoré ce moment qui nous prouve que la communication est tellement importante dans une famille. Et pas que dans une famille d’ailleurs. J’ai beaucoup aimé la réaction du père de Hitoya. J’avoue que je ne pensais pas qu’il allait réagir de cette manière. Le duo Saku & Mitsuko fonctionne du tonnerre. J’adore la dynamique entre ces deux là, les voir ensemble c’est parfois si drôle d’ailleurs. J’adore les voir mener leurs enquêtes. Mitsuko est une jeune femme si brillante! J’aime trop la voir à l’oeuvre, elle a l’oeil et repère parfois des petits détails que personne ne voit. Bref, je suis fan de son personnage.
Encore un tome que j’ai plus qu’aimé lire. Vraiment, je tombe sous le charme de cette histoire un peu plus à chaque tome que je lis. J’aime les personnages, la dynamique qu’il y a entre les deux. J’aime énormément le côté enquête de l’histoire, parfois ce sont des enquêtes qui se révèlent être tellement mignonne. Bref, maintenant j’attends le prochain tome avec grande impatience!
Dans ce troisième tome, Hitoya, l’aîné de Saku, a été victime d’un accident de train… et a perdu la mémoire. À l’hôpital, la montre à gousset qu’il tient précieusement attise la curiosité de Mitsuko, qui, une fois encore, a le nez fin : l’héritier des Yoshida cache bien quelque chose ! Le duo d’enquêteurs découvre que le convalescent a menti à sa famille… Il est en réalité allé retrouver une certaine Élisa Huppert lors d’un défilé de mode à Paris ! Et M. Hirose, le majordome de la maison, semble être son complice… Pour quelle raison ces deux hommes ont-ils imaginé une telle supercherie ?
J’ai particulièrement aimé la première partie du manga. Celle qui va se consacrer au frère de Saku. J’ai trouvé ce moment vraiment très touchant et plein d’émotions. Non seulement ça nous permet de mieux comprendre son grand frère mais ça nous permet également de découvrir un peu l’enfance de Saku finalement. J’ai vraiment adoré ce moment qui nous prouve que la communication est tellement importante dans une famille. Et pas que dans une famille d’ailleurs. J’ai beaucoup aimé la réaction du père de Hitoya. J’avoue que je ne pensais pas qu’il allait réagir de cette manière. Le duo Saku & Mitsuko fonctionne du tonnerre. J’adore la dynamique entre ces deux là, les voir ensemble c’est parfois si drôle d’ailleurs. J’adore les voir mener leurs enquêtes. Mitsuko est une jeune femme si brillante! J’aime trop la voir à l’oeuvre, elle a l’oeil et repère parfois des petits détails que personne ne voit. Bref, je suis fan de son personnage.
Encore un tome que j’ai plus qu’aimé lire. Vraiment, je tombe sous le charme de cette histoire un peu plus à chaque tome que je lis. J’aime les personnages, la dynamique qu’il y a entre les deux. J’aime énormément le côté enquête de l’histoire, parfois ce sont des enquêtes qui se révèlent être tellement mignonne. Bref, maintenant j’attends le prochain tome avec grande impatience!
November 19, 2025
3,5
Un altro volume molto carino e che sa intrattenere. Viene risolto il caso relativo alla situazione interna alla famiglia Yoshida - Mitsuko ci aveva visto giusto, il fratello di Saku non aveva perso la memoria, e alla fine la situazione si è risolta nel momento in cui padre e figli si sono parlati a cuore aperto (con il maggiore più interessato al mondo moda, mentre Saku, con il suo modo di fare spigliato, è più adatto a lavori che gli possono permettere di venire incontro ai bisogni degli altri - dopotutto, ha tratto ispirazione dalle parole di Mitsuko, anche se le non l'ha ancora capito 😅).
È stato interessante leggere anche il capitolo dedicato alla disavventura del sottoposto di Shindoh, il poliziotto che non sembra avere molta simpatia per Mitsuko (anche se sospetto che, sotto sotto, provi anche un certo rispetto per lei) - Kujoh è un altro agente impegnato a prendersi cura degli altri e, anche se un tantino impacciato, ha trovato la professione giusta per servire la comunità.
Il terzo volume si chiude con un bel cliffhanger, con Mitsuki e Saku che si ritrovano separati (e la prima non sembra passasserla molto bene). Vedremo come procederanno le cose.
Per ora, la mia impressione riguardo questa storia rimane positiva: forse non sarà il titolo più coinvolgente della mia collezione, però lo sto trovando molto carino e tranquillo. Senza contare che, in certi capitoli, vengono trattati temi che risultano attuali ancora oggi (la trama è ambientata negli anni 30 del secolo scorso).
Un altro volume molto carino e che sa intrattenere. Viene risolto il caso relativo alla situazione interna alla famiglia Yoshida - Mitsuko ci aveva visto giusto, il fratello di Saku non aveva perso la memoria, e alla fine la situazione si è risolta nel momento in cui padre e figli si sono parlati a cuore aperto (con il maggiore più interessato al mondo moda, mentre Saku, con il suo modo di fare spigliato, è più adatto a lavori che gli possono permettere di venire incontro ai bisogni degli altri - dopotutto, ha tratto ispirazione dalle parole di Mitsuko, anche se le non l'ha ancora capito 😅).
È stato interessante leggere anche il capitolo dedicato alla disavventura del sottoposto di Shindoh, il poliziotto che non sembra avere molta simpatia per Mitsuko (anche se sospetto che, sotto sotto, provi anche un certo rispetto per lei) - Kujoh è un altro agente impegnato a prendersi cura degli altri e, anche se un tantino impacciato, ha trovato la professione giusta per servire la comunità.
Il terzo volume si chiude con un bel cliffhanger, con Mitsuki e Saku che si ritrovano separati (e la prima non sembra passasserla molto bene). Vedremo come procederanno le cose.
Per ora, la mia impressione riguardo questa storia rimane positiva: forse non sarà il titolo più coinvolgente della mia collezione, però lo sto trovando molto carino e tranquillo. Senza contare che, in certi capitoli, vengono trattati temi che risultano attuali ancora oggi (la trama è ambientata negli anni 30 del secolo scorso).
January 31, 2026
Review to be adjusted once series is complete
To start off with, this is fairly a standard episodic crime and mystery series with each chapter delivering a new case. What makes it stand out is for one the beautiful art and the setting; the 1920s in Tokyo Ginza makes this such an interesting setting with both more modern and traditional elements. Times are changing and more women are joining the workforce including positions usually only considered for men. Our main character Mitsuko wanted to be a policeman like her father but that idea was quickly rejected by her family and society. Instead, she is now part of a detective firm - the series is peppered with sexism and it's made quite clear that society hasn't quite accepted women in such a role yet, but it is interesting to see how Mitsuko takes it in stride and makes it an overall interesting theme across the series.
What I found a little disorienting was that Mitsuko meets our second main character - Saku - within the first chapter and they're immediately out and about solving cases together. I personally would have preferred if they had either already known each other or if their meeting had been given a little more time. As it is, I found the opening and introduction of characters very rushed. From there on though, enjoyed the pacing and the characters as they are. There are hints and promises of overarching themes and background stories of the characters that I look forward to exploring. Also, the detective chief is a cat person!
To start off with, this is fairly a standard episodic crime and mystery series with each chapter delivering a new case. What makes it stand out is for one the beautiful art and the setting; the 1920s in Tokyo Ginza makes this such an interesting setting with both more modern and traditional elements. Times are changing and more women are joining the workforce including positions usually only considered for men. Our main character Mitsuko wanted to be a policeman like her father but that idea was quickly rejected by her family and society. Instead, she is now part of a detective firm - the series is peppered with sexism and it's made quite clear that society hasn't quite accepted women in such a role yet, but it is interesting to see how Mitsuko takes it in stride and makes it an overall interesting theme across the series.
What I found a little disorienting was that Mitsuko meets our second main character - Saku - within the first chapter and they're immediately out and about solving cases together. I personally would have preferred if they had either already known each other or if their meeting had been given a little more time. As it is, I found the opening and introduction of characters very rushed. From there on though, enjoyed the pacing and the characters as they are. There are hints and promises of overarching themes and background stories of the characters that I look forward to exploring. Also, the detective chief is a cat person!
August 16, 2025
Really enjoyable we finished the deep dive into more about Saku. The stories in this volume were the right amount of emotional feelings. I especially liked the detective one.
Just super enjoyable mysteries, the art is lovely and the translations notes give an interesting insight into Japan's culture at that time. The mix of western influences is very interesting as was the information about the history of libraires.
Just super enjoyable mysteries, the art is lovely and the translations notes give an interesting insight into Japan's culture at that time. The mix of western influences is very interesting as was the information about the history of libraires.
April 12, 2024
I think this is my favorite volume so far—one story arc concluded here, one chapter almost made me cry (I swear each volume has a chapter that makes me feel this way), and a new story arc starts at the end of this volume. I love everything about this manga series, from the story to the characters. Speaking of characters, I love how they have substance to them.
December 11, 2023
This was so nice 💖 loved it.
July 18, 2024
so far this vol the BEESSTT !
January 12, 2025
I love them so muchhh
February 9, 2025
Je les aime trop punaise et les enquêtes ont toujours un sens un peu plus profond ! J’ai tellement hâte au prochain tome, j’espère que mimi va bien 😡
June 16, 2025
This series is such a cute cozy mystery series! Great for an easy fun read
July 11, 2025
This was cute! 3.5 stars
July 18, 2025
the ending of “His Brother’s Keeper” was very heartwarming!!
i even ended up liking Shindoh guy in this one! :D
i even ended up liking Shindoh guy in this one! :D
July 28, 2025
I rate this 3.5 stars.
My 100th book read of 2025!😊
Blog: nazreads.ca
Twitter: Naz_readsanime
Instagram: nazreads01, nazcosplay, nradesigns, charmedanimegirl01
My 100th book read of 2025!😊
Blog: nazreads.ca
Twitter: Naz_readsanime
Instagram: nazreads01, nazcosplay, nradesigns, charmedanimegirl01
August 9, 2025
This is a great series! Charming characters with real chemistry, old fashioned style blended with a contemporary outlook, and mysteries that are never what I expect! Tres bon!
August 31, 2025
3.5 stars
Mitsuko really needs to be more careful because wdym we got another kidnapping 😀
Mitsuko really needs to be more careful because wdym we got another kidnapping 😀
September 2, 2025
All of the cases are so heartfelt I nearly cried
November 21, 2025
i cried when i read the love story of a young woman and a shoe shiner. ALSO SAKU WAS ADORABLE AS A CHILDD AWWWW
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews