tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post1493417014746692405..comments2024-03-27T22:32:02.739+01:00Comments on Beneath the Stains of Time: Hell's GateTomCathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-40648525822006056072024-02-23T19:45:08.187+01:002024-02-23T19:45:08.187+01:00I just finished reading this after seeing it recom...I just finished reading this after seeing it recommended by you and L. Honestly, I guessed the basic nature of the trick before the first murder at the study retreat, though I was wrong about certain details. I think because I tried reading it in Japanese, I had extra time to think about it.<br /><br />But with a trick like this, even knowing what happened its marvelous to see it all laid out and spot every little clue. There were plenty of smaller mysteries to solve as well. Definitely a ton of fun, but I might try a Case Closed or Q.E.D. for my next manga reading since those seem to be shorter. S. M. Piercehttps://stephenmpierce.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-87569715398047552952022-12-16T21:23:41.936+01:002022-12-16T21:23:41.936+01:00Well, prolific mystery writers tend to reuse and r...Well, prolific mystery writers tend to reuse and rework old ideas in different series or mediums. <i>The Island of Coffins</i> was an eye opener in that regard as it revealed Carr reworked a lot of ideas and tricks from his old, obscure radio-plays into some of his post-1940s novels. And explained the occasional peaks in quality during a long period of decline. Of course, it's a different story with Amagi, but, as you said, it's a good trick and imagine he's fond of it. So why not give it a tweak and drag it out once every other series. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-65383922412696759932022-12-16T04:08:28.433+01:002022-12-16T04:08:28.433+01:00I just re-read this one, and was kind of sad to re...I just re-read this one, and was kind of sad to realize the fantastic trick it used is the same trick basically as a Detective School Q case... Your review for Rosenkreuz also spoiled me on that solution, since I know the principle appears in that story as well...<br /><br />I appreciate that Amagi found an ambitious and audacious, and novel at that, concept for an impossible alibi trick, but I do feel the fact he uses it three times somewhat sullies how special it is. I think it's executed better in Prison Prep school than Kamikakushi, but both are great, but I still think it's somewhat sad to see him over-rely on the trick a little bit...L. Stumpnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-17143490875547317782017-06-08T20:47:43.823+02:002017-06-08T20:47:43.823+02:00Oh, it's not just that Kanari wrote an abridge...Oh, it's not just that Kanari wrote an abridged copy-paste of Soji Shimada's <i>The Tokyo Zodiac Murders</i> or an incredible pale imitation of Gaston Leroux's <i>The Mystery of the Yellow Room</i>. <br /><br />Oh no. It's also that he a pretty poor mystery writer in his own right, which shows when he takes a whack at constructing a plot (lightly) armed with only his own ideas. <br /><br /><i>Graveyard Isle</i> is a perfect example of this. I simply can't imagine that the bad, poorly handled and transparent plot was lifted from an existing detective novel. Seriously, you should re-read that volume and note how poorly he handled the identity of one of the murderer. A character who, at one point, acted noticeably out of the character to help create one of the poorest and simplest impossible crimes in the entire series. <br /><br />What I'm trying to say here is that I don't have a very high opinion of Kanari. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-11961392889923035092017-06-08T09:44:49.186+02:002017-06-08T09:44:49.186+02:00I recall enjoying 'Alchemy Murders' too, t...I recall enjoying 'Alchemy Murders' too, though certain things might be less well-obscured, as compared to 'Prison Prep School Murders'. :) Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03389512470283015279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-35704843617661080052017-06-08T09:44:01.742+02:002017-06-08T09:44:01.742+02:00Tsk, TomCat, do retract a claw or two - just becau...Tsk, TomCat, do retract a claw or two - just because one of Canary's works ostensibly resembled a famous one doesn't entail that the rest of his works bear similar traces of inspiration... :D Certainly I don't recall Ho-Ling mentioning any possible source materials for 'Headless Samurai Murders'. Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03389512470283015279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-20311062706314594772017-06-07T15:31:54.585+02:002017-06-07T15:31:54.585+02:00I... I couldn't resist.I... I couldn't resist. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-60961133137105973662017-06-07T15:28:24.921+02:002017-06-07T15:28:24.921+02:00I'll probably take a look at The Alchemy Murde...I'll probably take a look at <i>The Alchemy Murder Case</i> next. So you can probably expect a review of that four-part episode sometime next week. <br />TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-26417327796166528482017-06-07T15:25:50.068+02:002017-06-07T15:25:50.068+02:00You're welcome, Anon.You're welcome, Anon. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-62778575159565407942017-06-07T15:24:53.064+02:002017-06-07T15:24:53.064+02:00Yes, this is the first time watching any of the Ki...Yes, this is the first time watching any of the Kindaichi anime series. You know well my reading of the original manga went. So I never bothered with any of the TV-series. <br /><br />"<i>The basic idea of the trick can be traced to a certain Japanese mystery novel, but it's definitely not a bare-bones copy, but a meaningful, and original variation on the concept.</i>"<br /><br />Now that I think about, Amagi used another variation on this idea for the central trick of <i>The Kamikakushi Village Murders</i>, didn't he? I can see why. It's a great idea. And I do hope the novel you alluded to will one day be translated into English, because would love to take a look at the story in which this trick originated.<br /><br />Ah, I kind of liked the illustration. How was I suppose to know it came with such triggering baggage? :DTomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-43213155245829133802017-06-07T10:23:07.576+02:002017-06-07T10:23:07.576+02:00i think you must watch The Alchemy Murder Case, th...i think you must watch The Alchemy Murder Case, that's the one which catch me realy hard. make me want to finish the whole series. but the series has a lot of good trick too. :D pokohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17569480608692346716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-42447012848937401502017-06-07T10:15:04.020+02:002017-06-07T10:15:04.020+02:00"I suspect the source material Kanari used fo..."I suspect the source material Kanari used for the locked room tricks were even better. ;)"<br /><br />that not so subtle shadeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-372485139271857792017-06-07T10:01:55.443+02:002017-06-07T10:01:55.443+02:00it did lol. thank youit did lol. thank youAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-6616495726022843992017-06-07T09:55:14.198+02:002017-06-07T09:55:14.198+02:00(Also, it bugs me you used that illustration of Ha...(Also, it bugs me you used that illustration of Hajime, because that's artwork from that HORRIBLE Nintendo DS game I want to forget)Ho-Linghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04673330638260132388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-87370638548814270482017-06-07T09:54:12.753+02:002017-06-07T09:54:12.753+02:00Glad you liked. This story was easily the best of ...Glad you liked. This story was easily the best of the 2004~2011 series (it was an annual series back then). The basic idea of the trick can be traced to a certain Japanese mystery novel, but it's definitely not a bare-bones copy, but a meaningful, and original variation on the concept. With all the maps and movements going on, I also think this is a good example of making use of the visual medium in a different way from just 'drawing a clue in the background'.<br /><br />There's also a live-action feature length adaptation of this story, which was pretty okay (it laid the foundation for the recent TV drama series). The setting of the prep school was moved to Malaysia though, as it was an international production, featuring actors from various Asian countries besides the core Japanese cast.<br /><br />Was this your first time watching the anime? I'm a big fan of Wada's orchestral music for this series. As for a small bit of trivia: voice actor Kappei YAMAGUCHI originally played Hajime in the first animated feature in 1996, which was later followed by the original TV series (1997-2000). It ran in an one-hour block together with Detective Conan, but Yamaguchi was *also* Shinichi in Detective Conan, and the producer didn't want him to play both leads in the same block, so the current voice actor was chosen (who does a great job by the way). They got the original voice cast together again for the R series, even though there was a 14 year gap.Ho-Linghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04673330638260132388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-9345527095597862512017-06-07T09:01:52.826+02:002017-06-07T09:01:52.826+02:00As I said in my review, the pacing of the story...As I said in my review, the pacing of the story's opening is shoddy because the whole story appears to have been written around the trick. So the story doesn't really begin until the trick is set into motion.<br /><br />Everything before that is basically filler. But yes, the trick was definitely worth the slower opening. I love this kind of ingenuity. <br /><br />I have not read the one about the headless samurai, but the last two were pretty good. However, I suspect the source material Kanari used for the locked room tricks were even better. ;) <br /><br />Anyway, I think I'll use one of the traditional locked room stories for my next stop in this series. <i>The Alchemy Murder Case</i> appears to have one. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-15826580052308048822017-06-07T08:57:13.318+02:002017-06-07T08:57:13.318+02:00I'll briefly go over my solution and put the t...I'll briefly go over my solution and put the text in reverse, because, even for the comments, it would be too spoilerish. You can re-reverse (decode) <a href="http://www.textreverse.com" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Copy and past the text there to read it in the correct order.<br /><br />First of all, the identity of the murderers: .tnemom a ni dohtem ot kcab teg ll'I dna ereht thgir flah ylno saw I .sredrum eht timmoc ot dnuora evom ot dedeen moor elggiw eht htiw eno ylno eht hcum ytterp erew yehT .amihsukustI dna eijU ,srehcaet owt eht ylbaborp erew yeht dna sreredrum owt eb ot dah ereht taht noisulcnoc eht ot emac ylkciuq I<br /><br />Secondly, the motive: .noitulos eht fo trap siht tuoba thgir flah ylno saw I ,niagA .nos daed rieht gnigneva )srevol ro( efiw dna dnabsuh )xe( erew srehcaet htob taht tcepsus ot nageb neve I .)>I/I< .f.c( rehcaet elamef eht ot revol A .tep s'rehcaet A .srehcaet sih htiw pihsnoitaler laiceps fo dnik emos dah sreredrum ym taht si noicipsus yM .niaga revo dna revo desu seires siht gnihtemos si fitom-regneva eht esuaceb ,tneduts daed eht htiw od ot gnihtemos dah evitom eht dniheb nosaer eht derugif yltcerroc I<br /><br />Thirdly, the method: !emirc tcefrep ehT .gnidliub rieht nihtiw deneppah revetahw rof sibila dilos-kcor htob meht evig dluow hcihw ,asrev eciv dna ,rehto eht ni redrum a timmoc dluow gnidliub eno morf rehcaet eht oS<br /><br /> .klahc fo eceip a mih hctef ot smitciv eht eno deredro srehcaet eht fo eno nehw sa hcuS .ibila thgitretaw a sevlesmeht evig ot redro ni sredrum eseht emit dna putes ot noitisop a ni erew srehcaet eht ylnO .redrum eht timmoc ot gnidliub etisoppo eht ot )taobrotom llams a ni neve ro ekib niatnuom a no( revir eht ssap og dna rehto eht fo tuo kaens dluoc reredrum eht ,deibila saw gnidliub eno ni enoyreve elihw ,taht saw sseug detacude ym oS .srellik eht ot tuc trohs a reffo dluoc dna serutcurts htob ssap ,htap edis a ekil ,gnikans saw revir a dewohs sgnidliub thgilnuS dna thgilnooM eht fo weiv eye-sdrib eht <br /><br />Of course, the trick I imagined was mere child plays to what was actually pulled off, but I hope this quick rundown satisfied your curiosity, anon. TomCathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03415176301265218101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-73683023382463546782017-06-07T03:35:31.846+02:002017-06-07T03:35:31.846+02:00I'm very glad - and relieved, phew! - that you...I'm very glad - and relieved, phew! - that you enjoyed 'The Prison Prep School Murders'. I haven't watched the anime, but I wonder if your issue with pacing wasn't quite so prevalent in the original manga format. When I re-read it last year, I do recall it moving somewhat slowly during the first of the two volumes, but not to the degree that was reflected in your review. In any case, by the time the solution was presented, it was certainly worth the wait. :D <br /><br />As for your swipe at Kanari - actually, some of the earlier Kindaichi mysteries were good too. I have especially fond memories of 'The Headless Samurai Murders', which I thought was even better than 'The Wax Museum Murders' (which I believe you liked) and 'The Magical Express Mystery' (where the Puppeteer first appears). Jonathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03389512470283015279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5516189026477178777.post-87014542203202747582017-06-06T22:54:37.548+02:002017-06-06T22:54:37.548+02:00did you catch the blatant dichotomy in the school&...did you catch the blatant dichotomy in the school's concept? a teacher locks up a student in solitary. in the next scene, another teacher says "it's hard to stimulate the frontal cortex when you're in the same room all day, so you'll move to a different room for each class". LOL!<br /><br />i also liked this mystery even if i found a lot of the kindaichi returns episodes mediocre or far-fetched.<br /><br />however it would have been amazing if you could have shared what YOUR explanation and theory was. i understand you wanted to keep the review spoiler-free. but we are in the comment section now, care to elaborate on your solution?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com