#kosuke kindaichi

[thesporkidentity]

So I read (well, read and listened to, it was a hodgepodge) The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo, and y'all. Detective Kosuke Kindaichi is a tumblr blorbo just waiting to happen. He doesn't appear until halfway through his own book. And the literal moment he does he completely changes the tone. We start in the 1940s version of a gritty true crime podcast, and then in walks our man and we are suddenly in an episode of Columbo if Columbo was also a twink. He's just a silly little guy. He's a shabby slob. He is god's favorite little boy. I can only aspire to find someone who loves me as much as the author obviously loves him. He got bored at school and sailed to another country where he got hooked on drugs. Then he solved a famous murder and got offered a full ride scholarship to university (which he accepted because he was getting bored of drugs) by some random businessman who liked the cut of his jib and decided to make him an honorary nephew. ALL OF THIS IS JUST DROPPED IN BACKSTORY LIKE "OH BY THE WAY" IT'S NOT EVEN PART OF THIS INVESTIGATION. Despite that saga of a backstory he is only twenty-five. He is so excited to solve this (truly bizarre, literally how, I refuse to believe anyone besides the author actually solved how the murder was done in its entirety) case that he is stuttering. He is the babygirl of the entire police squad who start stuttering back at him, lovestruck, and his response is to go "are you making fun of me? 🥺😘" Anyway. I'm on hold at my library for the next book (third book? numbering gets wonky with translations done out of order), during which I have been told he has even more intense sugar baby vibes with an old buddy who is now a yakuza boss, and honestly I believe it.

[emilysidhe]

I’ve been listening to the Kosuke Kindaichi detective stories (Japanese mysteries originally published in the 50s through the 70s, set in post-war Japan with nods to golden age detective fiction from the West) as they’ve been translated into English.

The latest one published on Tuesday, but as I was waiting for my pre-order, I borrowed from the library an Agatha Christie novel that I’d read in high school and remembered nothing of but the solution. It was fun to re-experience it while watching for the clues.

The newly translated Kindaichi novel has the same twist. So far I haven’t caught author Seishi Yokomizo actually borrowing a twist from a golden age detective novel (although even in this one, the execution is different enough to be a reinterpretation/homage rather than a copycat) and the first time this he’s used a recognizable ploy,

I’ve just happened to have read the famous English one that did it back-to-back with it by sheer random happenstance

[krushing]

every kosuke kindaichi novel is like: kindaichi arrives at a troubled place in the countryside. an affluent and extremely misogynistic patriach is dead or dying or about to die and he cursed his entire family for good measure. kindaichi is suspicious of everyone but will bisexually yearn and fawn over the one ingenue in the middle of the crime web he is trying to uncover. *insert a tripled nature motif that's connected to the case and haunts kindaichi.* there is a monk or priest that knows way too much to just be nice to kindaichi and a repatriated soldier who seems suspicious but is just traumatised and needs a roof over his head. a sordid family secret is revealed that is partial to the case. the police thinks kindaichi is some low-life because of his appearance until he shows them his accurate case notes or they find out through the newspaper who he actually is. kindaichi is the only person really investigating anything despite always being in places no one wants him in. the final murder helps to crack the case. leaving the countryside for tokyo again, kindaichi realises he is still alone but the ingenue has been promised away or their fate foretold anyway, so he's super fine with it. the end.

[earlgraytay]

One of the things that I love about Kosuke Kindaichi is that he shares the Golden Age detective's inexplicable love for the quiet, sleepy, rural area with nice, friendly people where he's had to solve an increasing number of grisly murders.

It sticks out EVEN MORE for Kindaichi because he is NOT a Golden Age detective, even though he's translated like one. He's not dealing with the bloodless poisoning of an elderly nobleman no one likes, he's dealing with ultra-bloody, gruesome, sordid cases.

[starlykree]

cool bug fact’s!

Yokomizo’s hair is like that because the character of Kosuke Kindaichi from irl Yokomizo’s books has very messy, frizzy hair that is frequently described as looking like a bird’s nest.

[algusunderdunk]

I love it when two different pieces of media I've just gotten into suddenly collide.

Been reading the Kosuke Kindaichi mystery novels by Seishi Yokomizo, and just finished The Inugami Curse (1951). It's a fantastic murder mystery about three back-stabbing half-sisters all vying for the inheritance left behind by their father, and among many other wild details, a scarred WW2 veteran wearing a rubber mask.

(A screenshot from the 1976 film adaptation)

So fantastic mystery, really loved it, highly recommend it.

BUT THEN. I've also been enjoying a great old Tokusatsu Series called Kaiketsu Zubat (1977), which has a private detective fighting organized crime in search of his friend's murderer. I get to episode 23, and the plot is about three sisters named Ugami all vying for their father's inheritance, and an ominous man in a rubber mask.

I LOVE when this sort of thing happens, especially as I JUST finished reading The Inugami Curse.

Similarly, a game adaptation of the FIRST mystery, Kindaichi Mystery Series: The Honjin Murders, just popped up on Steam and game consoles.

[nezumikozo6th]

The famous japanese detective Kosuke Kindaichi.Art by Miyako Cojima.

[loracarol]

so uh. Do you think Kosuke Kindaichi and Columbo would be friends if they met each other? Because based on the books I've been able to read, I feel like they have similar #vibes. Admittedly the timing might be an issue.... but like. #vibes.