Introduction and review of the manga "Don't Call It a Mystery" (by Yumi Tamura)

These days, I'm always drawn to reading anything that has even a slight element of mystery.
The manga I'm introducing today is "Don't Call It a Mystery."
This series is serialized in a monthly magazine for women, and as of March 2019, four volumes have been released.

Work summary

The protagonist is a college student living alone, with the unusual name of Kuno Totonou.
She has a good memory and is characterized by her voluminous, large, naturally curly hair.
In the first episode, he is suddenly arrested by the police as a suspect in a murder that occurred in a nearby park.
However, while making small talk with the detectives in the interrogation room, he extracts information and, like an armchair detective, deduces the truth.

The main appeal of this work lies in Totonobu's dialogue.
As a mystery, the case certainly drives the story, but his rambling, side stories are what make it interesting.
He chattered on about all sorts of things, such as "Why do daughters hate their fathers?", "Cats leave their owners when they die", and "There are as many truths as there are people."
They tackle even things we normally don't pay attention to, using their own unique style to question whether something is wrong.
Many of these points are insightful and get to the heart of the matter, to the point where they become more interesting than the main storyline.

Tosei himself is not the type to be eager to solve mysteries; he's the kind of protagonist who just wants to live peacefully but ends up getting caught up in them.
I tend to speak calmly and matter-of-factly, without showing my emotions too dramatically.
However, despite his detached expression, the content of his conversation is full of emotion, making him a rather elusive and difficult-to-describe figure.
To use a character from another work as an example,Yang Wen-li from Legend of the Galactic Heroes (Ryū Fujisaki's manga version)That was the impression I got.
In terms of being a mystery manga that incorporates various kinds of trivia, I think it's similar to Motohiro Kato's "QED Proof Complete" and "CMB The Case Files of the Shinra Museum."

thoughts

It was very interesting.
Sei's casual conversations are entertaining in themselves, and it's satisfying to see him silence people with insightful questions.
What initially seemed like a digression turned out to be surprisingly related to the case, making for an engaging and unpredictable story.

If you read it solely from a mystery perspective, the tricks and plot developments are about average.
However, personally, I think that all possible plot developments in mystery novels have already been exhausted, and it's inevitable that the plot might feel like something I've seen before.
I've recently come to think that what's truly important is the flavor, and that the mysteries and deductions in a mystery novel are merely one element that draws the reader in.

By the way, I've read up to the latest volume,There is very little information available about the main character, Sei.That's what concerns me.
It's great that the protagonist is shrouded in mystery, but will that mystery be revealed eventually?
In the final scene of the first episode,Detective Aoto said, "He seemed to be talking about his resentment towards his father the whole time..."He says that, but I suspect this is also a foreshadowing.

Don't Call It a Mystery (1) (Flower Comics α)(Amazon)

Rakuten Market: ミステリと言う勿れ（1）