Killed Again, Mr. Detective? Volume 1 Review

Author Teniwoha has several mystery-themed light novels to their name, but the English debut of any of their works comes in the form of the Killed Again, Mr. Detective? manga adaptation by Inaba. Will this new Yen Press series delight those looking for a new detective story? Let’s find out!

Our story follows high schooler and detective Sakuya Outsuki, the son of the legendary detective Tatsuya Outsuki. His father is known for being immortal, a trait that Sakuya himself has inherited. Our protagonist has yet to earn the approval of his father and be recognised as a full-fledged detective. Still, together with assistant Lilithea, he’s allowed to take on some cases anyway.

With his father away on a case, Sakuya and Lilithea are left to investigate a movie producer’s affair. Following him for evidence, they board a luxury cruise ship, which shouldn’t pose any kind of danger. Unfortunately, the duo soon find themselves wrapped up in a much more dangerous case involving a murder…

Supernatural detective series are nothing new for Yen Press, who also publish the manga and light novels for The Detective is Already Dead, which has a similar supernatural element to it and teenage leads, as well as Your Forma and Amalgam Hound: Criminal Investigation Bureau – Special Investigation Unit (this one is a light novel only). If you’ve enjoyed any of those titles, then you’ll almost certainly enjoy Killed Again, Mr. Detective? as well, as there are plenty of similarities. It’s not necessarily all that unique, but if you’re into the genre, it’s enjoyable.

After this first volume, I found myself left with a lot of questions about the setting. Are Sakuya and his father the only ones with supernatural abilities? And just how did Lilithea come to join them? But having said that, I appreciated that the manga doesn’t get bogged down in setting up and instead drops us straight into a case. Mangaka Inaba also does a good job of avoiding the usual issue light novels turned manga fall into, which is having too much text.

Obviously, as a mystery story, there’s no small amount of dialogue involved, but it doesn’t ever overwhelm a given page. The characters are drawn cleanly and all have very distinct designs, which makes them easy to recognise at a glance, even when a lot is happening. I also appreciate that even though there are some grim events happening, such as the murder, the art isn’t overly explicit in its detail. There’s certainly enough to be clear what’s happened, but not enough to feel gruesome. That’s a hard balance to strike usually, so I think Inaba has done a good job in finding that middle ground.

My main concern with this one comes from the fact that it’s based on an ongoing light novel series with five volumes currently available. The manga, meanwhile, concludes with its second volume, meaning we’re only getting to experience quite a small slice of the original work. And considering that, I worry this won’t prove memorable or satisfying. Particularly as we’ve not had a lot of time to develop Sakuya or Lilithea. At the time of writing, Yen Press hasn’t licensed the original work either, so readers can’t just transition over.

As mentioned, Killed Again, Mr. Detective? comes to the West thanks to Yen Press and has been translated by Andria McKnight with lettering by Oliva Osanz. The translation reads well, and the lettering is varied and adds character to the dialogue. There aren’t any translation notes, but the book opens with several colour pages, which are a great bonus.

The final volume is scheduled for an English release in January, which feels unfortunately far away given how quickly some other series get further instalments released. Still, I’ll be back to see how it concludes, even if that is five months away. Hopefully, between now and then, Yen Press might license the light novels as well…

Overall Killed Again, Mr. Detective? is an entertaining enough read if you’re into the mystery genre. While there’s not a lot of originality here, the main duo are likeable and with only two volumes, it’s hardly a long-term commitment like some other series can be. The length of course poses its own problems, but for now, I’d generally recommend this one as an example of the light novel to manga transition done well.

A free preview can be read on the publisher’s website.
Our review copy was supplied by the publisher Yen Press
© KADOKAWA CORPORATION / Inaba / Teniwoha / Riichu