亜樹 直 Agi Tadashi is a Japanese manga storywriter, novelist and screenwriter. His original name is Shin Kibayashi (樹林 伸 Kibayashi Shin). He was born in 1962 in Tokyo, and graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan Musashi Senior High School and Waseda University School of Economics & Political Science. The penname "Tadashi Agi" is shared with his sister. Under the name Yuma Ando, he received the 2003 Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen for writing Kunimitsu no Matsuri.
The translation had a note calling it “one of the finest detective manga of all time”, and this is somehow true.
Not going to spoil anything here. But yesss I had a blast trying to guess along (and getting some things right, some even very early! Even some of the very subtle ones).
There exists apparently one extra three-case volume, Tantei Gakuen Q Premium. Will have to hunt that down… Goodreads doesn’t seem to know about it.
Membaca ini lagi di dua kali kesempatan, ketika lagi nunggu bingo buat nonton theater. Lumayan buat ngisi waktu. Dulu udah pernah baca sampe tamat. Berasal dari kreator Kindaichi, Q ini punya style gambar dan cerita yg mirip. Karakter utamanya adalah murid2 sekolah detektif DDS yg terjun langsung untuk menangani kasus. Karena karakternya ga cuma satu, biasanya mereka bekerja sama untuk memecahkan kasus, tapi ujung2nya sih satu orang yg paling bersinar, yaitu Kyu.
Nomer 22 ternyata merupakan volume terakhir. Mereka berada di hotel Seiryukan, yg dulu merupakan tempat tinggal Ryu (salah satu murid DDS). Pembunuhan berantai, dimana 4 korban terbunuh dengan urutan yg membingungkan. Ilustrasinya, A yg punya motif membunuh D jadi kroban pertama, kemudian B yg punya motif membunuh A jadi korban berikutnya, kemudian C yg punya motif membunuh B jadi korban berikutnya, dan terakhir D yg punya motif membunuh C jadi korban terakhir. Apakah ini serial killer atau hal lain? Triknya kemudian ga terlalu rumit dan cukup masuk akal.
Untuk memperkeruh suasana, terdapat juga musuh bebuyutan DDS, yaitu Meiosei, organisasi kejahatan yg membantu para kliennya untuk melakukan pembunuhan. Di antara mereka, terdapat King Hades, pemimpin Meiosei, yg juga kakek dari Ryu. Big twist. Di sini kesetiaan Ryu dipertanyakan, dan murid2 lainnya, terutama Kyu, diuji untuk tetap mempercayai Ryu atau tidak.
THE FINAL GAMBIT: LIGHT VS. DARKNESS The Seiryūkan serial murders spiral into their dramatic conclusion, masterminded by none other than King Hades—the sinister force behind Pluto. As Ryuu stands accused and the line between ally and enemy blurs, Kyuu and Class Q race to unravel the truth and prove their friend’s innocence. But the final trial takes a devastating turn when Ryuu, now appearing as Pluto’s "prince," ensnares them in a ruthless death trap. In this ultimate confrontation, the battle is no longer just about solving a case—it’s about confronting destiny itself. Courage, trust, and pride clash as the heir to the great detective spirit faces off against the inheritor of absolute evil. In a duel of minds and hearts, DDS and Pluto’s long-standing conflict reaches its breathtaking and elegant end.