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漫画 虚構推理 / In/Spectre #13
虛構推理 13
雪女為了洗清被懷疑殺害前妻的男人的冤罪而前去找琴子進行諮詢。但琴子講出來的假說卻超乎了他們的想像－－…「雪女的兩難處境」篇堂堂完結！
此外還收錄了以九郎當主角？的短篇「仔細想想其實算可怕的故事」和琴子與六花過去曾聯手面對的新章節「看到的是什麼」！！
此外還收錄了以九郎當主角？的短篇「仔細想想其實算可怕的故事」和琴子與六花過去曾聯手面對的新章節「看到的是什麼」！！
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 17, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 30, 2021
Kotoko continues her investigation into a murder, Kuro works at a haunted house, and we get another flashback, this time to Kotoko and Rikka, on friendlier terms, working together on a case. All in all, a very ‘business as usual’ In/Spectre.
Oh so close, so very close. I had high hopes for this volume when I read the concluding chapters of the story arc that lead off this volume. It features Kotoko at her absolute most, doing what she does best - presenting a completely plausible take on how a mystery could have happened and then totally upending it, scandalizing somebody in the process.
Her endlessly capricious behaviour always amuses me because when she is acting in her role as a goddess she really sells that ineffable quality you would expect of one in her position (plus or minus some slips about Kuro here and there). She’s such a great character and she carries this story off perfectly, to the extent that I didn’t even mind the somewhat ‘out of nowhere’ ending. It’s the explanation I was after, not so much solving it ahead of time and it works.
The rest of the book is somewhat less successful. The haunted house story is very Scooby-Doo - I figured out the twist, such as it was, from a very early point and it was just waiting for the big reveal. Not a terrible story, but when you’ve seen one of these you’ve seen them all, honestly. Kotoko’s minor role is really something else though.
With the final story, we see Kotoko and Rikka paired up in a flashback. I don’t generally care about flashbacks because they don’t offer much by way of suspense, but the two women have an interesting dynamic that should prove to be fun going forward. It’s off to a strong start and I hope I remember half of it in three or four months when the next volume comes out.
In the end, the two biggest weaknesses of this book are the two that the series has long grappled with - one, it’s wordy as all get out. The full 178 pages of this takes me twice as long as pretty much any other manga, the downside of trying to be so complicated and clever with your solutions.
Second, the Kotoko/Kuro relationship still annoys me because of how pointless it all seems. She’s always in overdrive and he’s stuck in neutral and I wish they’d either flat-out squash it or just do anything else with it besides stagnate (the one nice gesture Kuro makes at the end of the first arc is a nice step but it’s a weed in the desert, comparatively).
When I started this book I was certain that the first arc was setting me up for an easy four star review. Then the rest of the book happened and kind of let me down a little. I still like a lot of what In/Spectre is putting out, but I do wish it would be a little more even in quality.
Oh so close, so very close. I had high hopes for this volume when I read the concluding chapters of the story arc that lead off this volume. It features Kotoko at her absolute most, doing what she does best - presenting a completely plausible take on how a mystery could have happened and then totally upending it, scandalizing somebody in the process.
Her endlessly capricious behaviour always amuses me because when she is acting in her role as a goddess she really sells that ineffable quality you would expect of one in her position (plus or minus some slips about Kuro here and there). She’s such a great character and she carries this story off perfectly, to the extent that I didn’t even mind the somewhat ‘out of nowhere’ ending. It’s the explanation I was after, not so much solving it ahead of time and it works.
The rest of the book is somewhat less successful. The haunted house story is very Scooby-Doo - I figured out the twist, such as it was, from a very early point and it was just waiting for the big reveal. Not a terrible story, but when you’ve seen one of these you’ve seen them all, honestly. Kotoko’s minor role is really something else though.
With the final story, we see Kotoko and Rikka paired up in a flashback. I don’t generally care about flashbacks because they don’t offer much by way of suspense, but the two women have an interesting dynamic that should prove to be fun going forward. It’s off to a strong start and I hope I remember half of it in three or four months when the next volume comes out.
In the end, the two biggest weaknesses of this book are the two that the series has long grappled with - one, it’s wordy as all get out. The full 178 pages of this takes me twice as long as pretty much any other manga, the downside of trying to be so complicated and clever with your solutions.
Second, the Kotoko/Kuro relationship still annoys me because of how pointless it all seems. She’s always in overdrive and he’s stuck in neutral and I wish they’d either flat-out squash it or just do anything else with it besides stagnate (the one nice gesture Kuro makes at the end of the first arc is a nice step but it’s a weed in the desert, comparatively).
When I started this book I was certain that the first arc was setting me up for an easy four star review. Then the rest of the book happened and kind of let me down a little. I still like a lot of what In/Spectre is putting out, but I do wish it would be a little more even in quality.
May 2, 2021
Reread on 7/16/22:
Nothing really to add. The yuki-onna case was still really good bad had a disappointing plot twist, but the rest of the volume more than made up for it. Still can't forgive it for that unpardonable sin it commits in the yuki-onna case, though.
Original review on 5/1/21:
I had heard that the ending to the yuki-onna case was disappointing, but was hoping that my opinion would be different. Tragically, I understood readers' disappointment as the case ends with the unpardonable sin of, "while there is a tiny piece of evidence that readers can pick up on and realize this person was the killer, we never established this person as the killer, thus there was no way for readers to deduce who it was from the start, aren't we clever?" which I ABSOLUTELY DESPISE. This is a shame because despite this, I really liked this case and what it meant for the persons involved; it's just a shame that the reveal felt like a cop-out. I guess the point was that it didn't matter who the culprit was because it was more about emotional growth rather than solving a mystery, but a mystery's a mystery and copping-out on a murder mystery reveal still sucks.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the volume. I actually liked the reveal at the end of the haunted house chapter and thought the chapter as a whole was hilarious, and I'm loving where this new case is going. Rikka still annoys me, but I have to admit I love her dynamic with Kotoko and it's cool getting to see them work on a case together. I'm really looking forward to see where this case will go, a shame I have to wait so long for the next volume. Hopefully the conclusion will be well worth the wait!
Nothing really to add. The yuki-onna case was still really good bad had a disappointing plot twist, but the rest of the volume more than made up for it. Still can't forgive it for that unpardonable sin it commits in the yuki-onna case, though.
Original review on 5/1/21:
I had heard that the ending to the yuki-onna case was disappointing, but was hoping that my opinion would be different. Tragically, I understood readers' disappointment as the case ends with the unpardonable sin of, "while there is a tiny piece of evidence that readers can pick up on and realize this person was the killer, we never established this person as the killer, thus there was no way for readers to deduce who it was from the start, aren't we clever?" which I ABSOLUTELY DESPISE. This is a shame because despite this, I really liked this case and what it meant for the persons involved; it's just a shame that the reveal felt like a cop-out. I guess the point was that it didn't matter who the culprit was because it was more about emotional growth rather than solving a mystery, but a mystery's a mystery and copping-out on a murder mystery reveal still sucks.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the volume. I actually liked the reveal at the end of the haunted house chapter and thought the chapter as a whole was hilarious, and I'm loving where this new case is going. Rikka still annoys me, but I have to admit I love her dynamic with Kotoko and it's cool getting to see them work on a case together. I'm really looking forward to see where this case will go, a shame I have to wait so long for the next volume. Hopefully the conclusion will be well worth the wait!
April 4, 2021
Although some people might not like the conclusion to the Yuki-onna case, I found it surprisingly realistic. The start of the new case seems interesting; I can't wait for the next volume
January 8, 2025
4,5
Very interesting.
Very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews