Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture Volumes 4 and 5 (Manga) Review

University student Naoya Fukamachi is helping Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki to solve more paranormal cases throughout Japan to prove that paranormal entities exist… or in some cases to prove the logical truth behind the strange happenings.

In Volume 3, we left Naoya and Professor Takatsuki dealing with a miracle girl—a little child who is said to be the bringer of good fortune as she survived a bus crash that killed all of her schoolmates. But Takatsuki is not so sure that what the people and the mother of the little girl are saying is the truth. He can see himself in her, and he does all he can to disprove the myth of the miracle girl to allow the child to have a normal childhood, unlike him.

The cases so far have all been able to be explained with logical reasons, but a couple of instances might finally confirm the existence of the supernatural! First of all, the duo encounter Tooyama who, like Naoya, turns out to be able to tell when people are lying as he had the same experience at the festival of the dead. Could this be a sign that there are even more people like them? And what if other people have experienced the festival of the dead but received a different ‘blessing’? Soon after this, the ‘folklore detectives’ also meet Sae-san who might be able to prove the existence of mermaids and who knows more than she lets on.

These two volumes are more exciting and captivating than the previous ones, in my opinion, as the readers get concrete proof that something supernatural is going on. So far, we could only rely on Naoya’s and Professor Takatsuki’s experiences as children but, little by little, the proofs of the existence of the supernatural are stacking up. We still don’t get a full revelation, but I’m hoping it will come soon.

The readers are introduced to quite a few new characters who bring proof of the supernatural with them. Tooyama is an office worker who gets involved with Naoya and Professor Takatsuki when the two are hired to investigate an alleged curse that’s plaguing the office where he works. Tooyama comes across as a suspicious individual as he doesn’t seem to believe in the existence of the curse, and it’s all thanks to Professor Takatsuki’s attention to detail that the truth behind Tooyama’s ability is presented to Naoya. The young woman Sae-san instead is involved with another alleged supernatural case that brings to life the legend of mermaids and she seems to know more about Takatsuki and Naoya than she should. Could she have the answers that the two are searching for?

I appreciated these proofs of the supernatural that the author finally introduced in the story because although I enjoyed the previous volumes, I felt that I already knew what was going to happen: the supernatural cases that Naoya and Professor Takatsuki were hired to investigate always had a logical explanation or they were a front for illegal activities. The introduction of these supernatural happenings now though will make the readers question what’s the supernatural cause behind them, instead of assuming there’s a logical explanation.

With each volume, we get more snippets of Professor Takatsuki’s family and what he went through growing up. Akira’s uncle, Wataru Takatsuki, comes to visit his nephew for a few days and of course he couldn’t be more excited than to join the team in solving a supernatural case. Wataru is the only family member so far who seems to care for Akira and he shows it in multiple ways. Thanks to him, Naoya also gets a better understanding about Professor Takatsuki’s past, and it pushes him to want to know even more. The story doesn’t give any vibe of turning romantic as the relationship they are building is one of trust and loyalty as the professor was the first person to stand by Naoya’s side, and now Naoya wants to reciprocate the support whenever the professor needs it.

The readers are introduced to new Japanese folklore in each case and the translator, Katelyn Smith, makes sure there are explanations at the end of the volumes. Although Naoya and Professor Takatsuki encounter illegal activities and even murders during their investigations, the illustrations aren’t gruesome.

Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture is written by Mikage Sawamura, illustrated by Toji Air with characters design by Jiro Suzuki. The series started as light novels before being adapted into a manga. It’s released in the English language by Yen Press with a translation by Katelyn Smith. Volume 6 is slated for release in June 2025.

Our review copies were supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.