Preface
This was the first time I read a work by Reiichiro Fukamizu.
Because the writing style of this work, "Mystery Arena," was very light and easy to read, I thought the author was young.
However, after doing some research, I was surprised to find out that he is currently 56 years old and a veteran who has been active since 2007.
I was amazed by the originality and meticulousness of this work, but I was also surprised that a veteran author possessed such a youthful sensibility.
The way one of the characters, the host Kabayama, speaks, incorporates internet slang and other informal language, so I mistakenly thought he was a young person.
Synopsis and highlights of this work
This work is a story set in a television program featuring a mystery-solving competition.
In this program, 15 respondents watch the story unfold and answer questions as they figure out who the culprit is.
The system involves checkpoints at key points in the story, where those who are able to answer can do so.
Those who answer correctly will receive a huge prize, but if there are multiple correct answers, the prize will be paid to the participant who answered first, so being quick is advantageous.
However, answering later allows you to read further into the story, so in terms of getting clues for solving the mystery, answering later is advantageous.
The highlight is undoubtedly the scene where the respondents name the culprit and explain their reasoning.
The respondents were all die-hard mystery enthusiasts, and I was impressed that even their far-fetched deductions could be presented without contradiction.
I'm both impressed and astonished by how many different things you can think about.
As soon as a respondent gives an answer, the main story proceeds as if to immediately negate it.
The way the response, while seemingly very convincing, is immediately contradicted is ironically amusing.
I appreciated that the reasons behind those points were well-reasoned, preventing it from becoming a mere list of multiple solutions and instead giving it a compelling narrative.
As Kabayama says towards the end of the story, in a mystery, there can be countless possible answers until the solution is found.
No matter how far-fetched a deduction may seem, if there is no evidence to contradict it, then there are infinitely many possible answers.
However, mystery novels are the only genres where presenting the correct answer is mandatory.
As the story progresses, the possibilities become increasingly limited, so narrative tricks become more common.
Just being able to witness various patterns of narrative tricks was incredibly interesting.
In terms of genre, it feels like a rather challenging mystery.
Perhaps it could be described as a meta-mystery, where you enjoy multiple deductions against a classic mystery.
I felt that it might be similar to the way you enjoy games like "Umineko When They Cry".
If you're tired of conventional mysteries and looking for something more innovative, this is a highly recommended read.
The works I introduced are here.
Mystery Arena (by Reiichiro Fukamizu)
Rakuten Market: Mystery Arena (Rakuten Books)