Zodiac P.I., Vol. 3

十二宮でつかまえて [Jūnikyū de Tsukamaete] #3

by Natsumi Andō

Lill is just like any other normal girl--except she can foretell the future This "Zodiac P.I." transforms herself into the magic Detective Splca and looks to the stars to guide her way. Before long, she is joined by her childhood friend, Hiromi, who dreams of becoming a detective as skilled as Spica. Soon, no astral investigation is too arduous for this dynamic duo

Genres: Manga, Mystery, Fantasy, Shojo, Romance, Comics, Graphic Novels

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2002

About the author

安藤なつみ, Andō Natsumi is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for Zodiac P.I. as well as Kitchen Princess, for which she won the Kodansha Manga Award for children's manga in 2006.

Favorites: Donald Duck
Favourite manga: Ossu! Ichijin and Kimagure Orange Road
Favourites: meats and fruits
Hobbies: shopping, reading and watching TV

Reviews

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

As was the staple with the other two previous volumes, I cannot give a full five stars to this due to Tokyopop's translation errors and awkwardness. Doesn't mean that I don't love the series any less for it though!

I've got to say that at present when it comes to re-reading Zodiac P.I. as a series, this book has got to be my favorite so far. There are only three cases tackled in this volume (not counting Lili's first case we see in a side-story that is a flashback of Hiromi's) but holy crap, they're some pretty intense ones! The first case is a wrap-up from the second volume's last story, the second case is more than a bit, uh, alarming and creepy. And the last case ends with a near-death experience (but some otherwise shippy nonsense in there too.) The overarching plot thickens in this one, and I'm eager to get my hands on the fourth volume before long and finish this re-read! This is such a fun series, and I'm so happy that I'm able to own it now!

[Veera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know why These ridiculous little mysteries bring me so much joy

[Georgia De · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kept reading Gozo as Gonzo like the muppet

[Spring Holbrook · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume had more shojo fluffiness, as well as a significant secret reveal! Except the readers should have been able to figure out the "secret" in volume 1. Spica isn't really that great a detective, but that isn't what drives this series anyways.

There's more chibi astrological signs, and general Spica/Lili hijinks. The girl is really fond of jumping out windows! There's also the shojo trope of the main male character putting on a dress (and being prettier than the main character...)

This was a fun volume, and I'm looking forward to reading the last one.

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for the complete series

Zodiac P.I. is a fun romp; admittedly, you'll have to throw your disbelief to the wind but it brings some fun elements to the table. Riri is a high schooler who lives through all your typical shoujo manga tropes; jumping school fences, crash landing on the new guy who also happens to get the desk in class next to her and so on - you get the picture. And while she isn't a magical girl per se, she does fit nicely into that niche. As a daughter of a police officer and a fortune teller, Riri gets mixed up with bizarre murder cases which she solves with the help of a magic ring which can summon horoscopes.

The crime cases are really out there; thing Case Closed where perpetrators become creative to a staggering amount of disbelief and yet it draws you in anyway. The magic aspect is fairly small but the little horoscopes are represented by little humanoid depictions of the zodiacs. They are both super cute but also fun as they all come with a set of typical traits - I for one felt very seen when pisces made her appearance!

The romance is nothing crazy but it's sweet, there's not much of drama such as love rivals. The supporting cast was largely unremarkle but I think Riri and her horoscopes were enough to keep the ball rolling. Given that it follows a case by case format, this series could have easily gone on for longer but it also does well with the four volumes we're given - we get to meet all 12 zodiacs and it was a decent time for the romance to develop.

The overarching mystery around Riri's rival Sirius was a little far fetched and something I didn't care for. It just felt a little too bizarre and the way it was wrapped up was rushed. It also didn't really do anything character development wise.

Take it with its flaws and clichés, it's a perfectly fun short shoujo series which stands out of from similar works with its little spin on zodiac signs.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little love story but isn’t she supposed to be looking for her mom?

[ChelseaFace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume was good. I think it's getting better. I wish it kept going further than 4 volumes so the story and romance could develop more. I like our characters. Decent younger series.

[Paulette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still cute, but it’s becoming a little repetitive.

[Kristin ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite volume this far, loving the romantic developments, childhood short story and also the best mysteries in this one.

Just wish the translations where a bit smoother.

[David Doel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mystery story with a hint of a love story. I'm enjoying this.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Stejná recenze u každého dílu)
Moc pěkná kresba s roztomilými postavičkami.
Lilin převlek za Spicu se nedal nazývat převlekem, jelikož jediné co udělala bylo to, že si změnila oblečení. Ani si neobtěžovala nandat aspoň nějakou masku, která by jí zakryla obličej. Je zajímavé, že i přesto, že udělala jen toto, ji nikdo nepoznal. To měli i v pokémonech lepší kamufláž a to je už co říct. Kéž by to takhle fungovalo i v reálném životě.
Oceňuji trochu originální nápad se schopností mluvit s duchy jednotlivých znamení zvěrokruhu. Sice jsem už něco podobného někde viděla, ale jenom párkrát a snaha přinést něco nového se cení.
Obálky vypadají celkem hezky. Jediné, co mně na nich vadí je to, že odstín názvu a proužky na kraji má pokaždé jinou barvu.
Dávám 73% Jazyk: Aj

[Starbubbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

i got completely turned around with the geisha deal, and who did what. i'm still unclear with how things occured. but what i really don't get is how everyone's like 'you have time to turn over a new leaf' and so forth. let's be very clear, murder, attempted murder, plotting murder, covering up murder, being an accessory to murder, areson... they all will land you in jail. all of them, and some of them will get you life. trying pursuing happiness in jail. yeah, hole in message.

[Jack Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of the series, this easily has the best content. The two cases following File 6's conclusion left me on the edge of my seat. Ando did a great job at building tension, along with finally revealing the secret she's been teasing throughout the series. The bonus chapter also did a great job at characterizing Hiromi. I felt it gave his relationship with Lili the perfect amount of background.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume was a lot of fun! I love watching how the relationship between Hiromi & Lili is developing. I also really enjoyed the bonus chapter "Lili and Hiromi's First Case" because they were so cute when they were little.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mysteries are still far from tight, and the characters are a little over the top, but I'm still enjoying this book for its art more than anything. It's a fun read, but weightless. An odd thing for a series about murder mysteries.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminds me so much of Case Closed. I love it

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my third time reading this managa and i have to say that i still love the story line and the drawing in there. i will probably re-reading this series over and over again.

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read/rated in grade school.

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 3 out of 5]

The more I read it, the more I like it. But it's weird to read manga in English: the story is set in Japan and they use dollars... It doesn't make that much sense.

[Rana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kiss was definitely not scientifically accurate