When Miyuki invites Hajime to join her and the drama club on a field trip, she has no idea the dreadful events that will befall their little group.  Can Hajime Kindaichi solve the mystery of the Opera House Murders before the entire drama club falls victim to the mysterious Phantom?

 

Released by Tokyopop in 2003, this first installment in the Kindaichi Case Files series introduces us to the two main characters of the series, Hajime and Miyuki, as well as presents to its readers a wonderfully imagined murder mystery.  The twists and turns, though a bit predictable, still leave the reader guessing at the ultimate motive, method and identity of the killer, and like all great mystery stories, ends in a wonderful gathering of all the subjects before the final finger is pointed.

 

Being a huge fan of mysteries in general, I found this to be a wonderful and addictive read that made it quite difficult to put down.  I kept wondering what the next twist would be, and chapter ending cliffhangers keep you very interested in moving forward.  Another nice touch is the plot summaries that begin each chapter.  These typically contain 'mugshots' of all the suspects, and as one or another is eliminated they are marked out.

 

The only down side that some may find hard to overcome is that this is a manga that's read in the 'authentic' style of right to left.  Thus, you actually start reading at what is typically considered the back of the book.  However, the engaging story and simple yet effective artwork quickly overcome this one shortcoming.  This series is also prone to be slightly more graphic than typical with brief bits of nudity as it pertains to the story, as well as the occasional bit of fan-service.  For this reason, I'd recommend that parents give it a quick glance through(or even better a nice read through) before letting your kids have it.