Set during the 2030s, this anime series inspired by the works of 1920s Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Ranpo focuses on the Boy Detectives Club assembled by the enigmatic private eye Kogorou Akechi (Ranpo’s most celebrated creation). While the boys are tasked with tracking down the criminal known as "Fiend with Twenty Faces" (another Ranpo character), much of the story involves Yoshio Kobayashi, a boy who has achieved a degree of immortality due to a mysterious fog (Yoshio’s attempts at suicide are stopped by this inexplicable preservation force). His partner is Kensuke Hanasaki, an energetic teen with no special powers and--at least initially--no great talent for crime solving, but ultimately Hanasaki gets the chance to prove his worth. In a nod to contemporary technology, there is a computer hacker character--a gnomish girl--added to the stories, but her personality is rather bland. Overall, the animation is unexceptional, the character development (especially supporting characters) rather stunted, and the pacing lethargic. Presenting the first 12 episodes from 2016 in a dual-language Blu-ray/DVD Combo set, rated TV-14, this is not a necessary purchase. [Note: Trickster: Part Two is also newly available.] (P. Hall)
Trickster: Part One
(2016) 4 discs. 300 min. Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $64.98. Funimation (avail. from most distributors). Volume 33, Issue 3
Trickster: Part One
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