Bishounen Tanteidan

Mayumi Doujima promises her parents that she will give up on her dreams of becoming an astronaut on her 14th birthday if she cannot find a star she once saw long ago. Overhearing her troubles, the eccentric Manabu Soutouin offers to help her search for the star alongside the rest of Yubiwa Academy's mysterious Pretty Boy Detective Club, whose rules are as follows: "Be pretty, be a boy, and be a detective!"

However, Mayumi is unique—she can see many things that ordinary people cannot. Her eyesight allows her to see the tiniest of details, from people approaching her at a distance to hidden traps that would otherwise go undetected. When the search for the lost star begins to sour, the Pretty Boy Detective Club end up entangled in something far beyond what they ever imagined.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Doujima, Mayumi Main

Sakamoto, Maaya Japanese

Yubiwa, Sousaku Main

Satou, Gen Japanese

Fukuroi, Michiru Main

Masuda, Toshiki Japanese

Soutouin, Manabu Main

Murase, Ayumu Japanese

Ashikaga, Hyouta Main

Yano, Shougo Japanese

Sakiguchi, Nagahiro Main

Ban, Taito Japanese

Fudatsuki, Lai Supporting

Toriumi, Kousuke Japanese

Rei Supporting

Nanami, Hiroki Japanese

Towai, Kowako Supporting

Satou, Rina Japanese

Osode, Mugi Supporting

Nagatsuma, Juri Japanese

Itou, Youhei Producer

Ishikawa, Tatsuya Producer

Miura, Fumi Assistant Producer

Fukagawa, Ikumi Assistant Producer

Reviews

Jun 27, 2021

ExemplarCayman

Recommended

“Because this is… child’s play, after all.”

Bishounen Tanteidan is an anime adapted from a mystery novel series by Nisio Isin, directed by Akiyuki Shinbou and animated by Studio Shaft. It’s literally Bakemonogatari. The end. Thank you for reading my Bishounen Tanteidan review.

That’s everything that I’d need to say if we were living in an ideal world. We’re not living in an ideal world. We’re living in a world full of liars. In this particular case, full of liars that lie about liking something that they can't even begin to understand.
Here’s a completely hypothetical example: if a person that doesn’t know how to read says that ... they like a certain book - that isn’t necessarily a lie. After all, the book might have some beautifully drawn illustrations of sexy girls, and “the pictures make my pp hard so I like it” is reasoning as rational as any. If the same illiterate person says that they dislike a different edition of the same book featuring beautifully drawn illustrations of sexy boys instead - that also isn’t a lie. “The pictures make my pp confused so I dislike it” is also reasoning as rational as any. But if that illiterate person then says that they are a big fan of the author who wrote those books, and they think that Book A has good writing, but a completely different Book A has bad writing - they’re a lying hypocrite. They can’t be a fan of a writer, being illiterate and all. Don’t listen to their lies.
Now, leaving the world of hypotheticals: Bishounen Tanteidan is objectively the same exact show as Bakemonogatari when it comes to things such as character writing, dialogue writing, psychological themes, comedy, artwork, animation quality, visual direction, and sound direction. Their differences are entirely superficial - one features a cast of pretty anime girls in high school, other features a cast of pretty anime boys in middle school. To a fan of Nisio Isin, Akiyuki Shinbou, and Studio Shaft such as myself that liked Bakemonogatari for all the things above - these differences might as well be different hair colors. To a fan of Watanabe Akio (Bakemonogatari’s character designer responsible for that show’s extremely fappable anime waifus, as well as for 99% of its commercial success), these differences are a deal-breaker. Not a problem, if only some Watanabe Akio fans weren’t lying hypocrites that pretend to be NisiOisiN/Shaft’s fans. Don’t listen to their lies.

Now, here’s why I can’t recommend Bishounen Tanteidan anime to anyone who isn’t a Shaft/NisiOisiN fan.
The Monogatari Series is a novel series that is completely unadaptable. That’s what Nisio Isin himself thought - and he was right. Even though Shaft’s adaptation both has a ton of artistic merit and is commercially successful (thanks, Watanabe Akio), it fails as an adaptation of the actual novels.
What makes the novels unadaptable is:
1) A metric ton of comedic banter that seemingly doesn’t advance the plot, but is irreplaceable as a tool for developing characters and establishing their relationship dynamics - the anime had to omit most of that due to the runtime limitations.
2) A metric ton of internal monologues that would amount to a guy staring at a wall and talking to himself in a visual medium - the anime team had to jump through hoops to make those moments look visually interesting, and they did a commendable job - but they also had to omit most of those due to the runtime limitations.
3) The novel series is incredibly long, with 28 volumes as of now, and it has an incredibly drawn-out myth arc (a myth arc is like a story arc, but for the entire series). Many fans of Monogatari will say that their favorite installment in the entire franchise is the so-called Second Season - and for a very good reason. The Second Season is the point where you can finally begin to make sense of what the entire story is really about when viewed as a single cohesive work of fiction, not just a collection of loosely connected individual arcs. The first episode of the Second Season is the 31st episode of the entire franchise - that’s an entire 2-cour anime + 4 OVAs you have to watch before you can even begin to understand what are you watching. And there is a reason why “it gets good after XX episodes” is a meme - because it never gets good. That’s just not how anime works. The fact those first 30 episodes are popular at all is an anomaly and has nothing to do with their artistic merits (thanks, Watanabe Akio).
By the way, this drawn-out style is not a fluke, that’s how Nisio Isin writes all of his series. E.g. Medaka Box is a 200-chapter-long manga that only starts making sense around Chapter 50, and is effectively a single “novel” that can’t be adequately judged on a per-chapter or per-story-arc basis.

What I’m getting at, the Bishounen Tanteidan novel series is unadaptable for all the exact same reasons. In many aspects, its anime has it even worse than Monogatari’s one. The Monogatari TV anime adapts its first five volumes (Kizu aside) in 30 episodes, Bishounen Tanteidan adapts its first five volumes in only 12. Based on one volume I’ve read (adapted as the first three episodes), Shaft had to cut virtually ALL the scenes that do not directly advance the plot. For example, they omitted the running gag of Mayumi repeatedly spitting out Bossman’s food because of how unbearably tasty it is - and him going through the five stages of grief in reaction. They’ve omitted another running gag of Bare Legs-kun trying to constantly peek under Mayumi’s skirt - and her doing her best reenactment of the “it’s like she was looking at walking garbage” meme in reaction. These character interactions are supposed to keep the audience entertained until the real meat of the story kicks in, and they’re supposed to make the audience empathize with the cast. But since the anime was forced to omit those in favor of telling its salad dressings of detective mysteries, for the first 9 episodes it appears to be a show about nothing. And the mysteries feel as if they have no stakes to them because there can be no stakes if the audience was not given enough reasons to care about what happens to the characters.
For a [real] Shaft fan the show still works as an art project - its opening dance animation is the best sakuga produced by the industry since Violet Evergarden, every keyframe belongs on an art gallery wall, and Sakamoto Maya’s (Mayumi/Shinobu’s VA) performance is as stellar as ever. For a [real] Nisio Isin fan the show still works as a source of more of his prose, plus they come equipped with the knowledge that stuff will happen eventually. But it doesn’t work as a novel adaptation and it doesn’t work as a stand-alone anime for a hypothetical viewer that doesn’t know who all these people are. This adaptation simply can't stand on its own legs without being supported by the reputation of its makers.
You do finally start to get glimpses of this series’ myth arc in the last 3 episodes, that is, the adaptation of the fifth volume. Turns out, Bishounen Tanteidan is a story about childhood, or rather, about growing up and dealing with that exact moment in one’s life where a child becomes a young adult, which in Japanese consciousness is conveniently marked by the transition from either elementary school to middle school or from middle school to high school. For the first 9 episodes, the cast of larger-than-life hyperbolic children engages in what, as the line used for the epigraph points out, is really nothing more than child's play. And then the games end, and they have to face reality - the reality of the adult world. I’m looking forward to more novels getting translated so that I can actually experience this story.

In summary, if you want to see a title that deals with the themes of a child becoming an adult that works in the anime medium, watch FLCL. If you are new to Shinbou’s aesthetics and Nisio Isin’s prose - I suggest you put this one aside, watch/read 20-30 works made by those creators, and return to the Bishounen Tanteidan anime afterward. Otherwise,

10/10 for “Bakemonogatari [with less fap material].”

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Aug 8, 2021

APolygons2

Mixed Feelings

pretty boys detective club, a show that was one step away from greatness.

this show was a perfect example of why 1 weak point can ruin an entire story, depending on what it is, and in what story it is being weak in.
now let me start with the positives and then get slowly to that single negative that ruins the show:

art, direction and animation: 9

its more than good enough for this kind of show. I mean if this was a battle shounen, 9 would be extremely high for this animation and art. but if I'm being honest, I don't think making the animation ... better than this is going to change much. so this is was without a doubt, perfect and the best part of the show. and its a studio shaft work, which have yet to see a badly directed anime from. so needless to say, the direction was just as good as the art and animation.

sound, voice acting and music: 7.5

the music was always well placed and it sounded great.
the voice acting both in sub and dub were fitting and energetic.
the sound design was ok, but nothing special. none of these blew me away, but they were always good.

characters and dialogue: 5.5

while the dialogue was amazing and even some what poetic, i sadly can not give much credit to the all 1 dimensional cast of characters. the best one of them was by far the mc but even she wasn't out of this world. the main thing that makes them weak is something completely different though, which I will talk about in the next part.

story and the writing: 4

let me be the first one to say it, the writing is really good. do you remember what I said about one thing ruining the series. this is it:

pretty boys detective club, is a masterfully written kids book, aimed at the wrong audience. but it could have easily been for everyone. let me explain:

I don't think I need to say why this is not aimed at age 8-13 which I think it should have been aimed at if they didn't want to change the story. with its slight fanservice, and sometimes adult humor, this show is at least trying to be enjoyable to teens and adults also if not only. even if it is aimed at both, it still means its a missing the mark for most people watching it. now you may ask, why does it only work for younger people?

and that is because of the mystery. when you make a mystery show, you are making something that makes you want to know the answer. that's the hook of a mystery, wanting and guessing for the answer, and then getting a good one. pretty boys detective club is missing that hook. there is no story, in this show, the focus is on the mystery, but the mystery is not a hook. because it doesn't make sense.

while you might say its only meant to be fun, that still does not excuse not making sense. a story can be over the top, and stupid sounding , but still come from a place of it own logic.

you can indeed make a mystery with a stupid answer work, but if that answer comes from guessing and good luck, then its not a creative choice, it's a problem. haruhi is a great example of a show that sounds stupid, a lot of times is stupid, but it still makes perfect sense with context included.

now the thing about the characters. they are also a problem. they don't act like children or adults. the act like adults acting like children. meaning they alien both audiences while also making the message of the show less connected to the story .the point of the story is ruined by them not being completely like kids.

this might have worked if the theories were a little less stupid, but they aren't. the result is a bunch of adult like children that are meant to be smart but only come off as lucky. its like the author is revolving the story around them to make them look cooler than they actually are. which works for kids, but if they are the only ones that matter, what's the point of those teen/adult elements? hence the audience problem. if this was aimed at kids, then the characters and many more points don't make sense , if it was aimed at adults or/and teens, the mystery makes this show just bad.

a mystery with no reason may work for children, since they don't care much about the plot, but that's the only audience this show can give satisfaction to. and even for them some stuff are out of place if not straight up bad!

it was possible to make the story work and still make it make sense. if it wasn't, i wouldn't make it my job to point it out. but this is a fixable problem that results in 0 side effects if its fixed.

would it have been harder for the writer to do that and also keep the charm of the show? well yes.

would it being the case have any negatives, along side the huge positives that it has? no, it would be a straight up upgrade that makes the experience better for everyone watching it. and for the few that doesn't, it still wouldn't make them like the show any less.

it would have been a huge + and nothing else.

most people care about the story. yes for the small percentage that don't, this is an almost perfect show, but most people do. this show's hook was the mystery, meaning the mystery is the most important part of the show. so when that is bad, it takes away from the show, more than anything else could have.

and makes a show that could have been easily rated above 8, a low 7 on mal, and a high five for me.

my final score is:

5.75/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Jun 26, 2021

Auri_Shirou

Not Recommended

First anime I watch of this writer. The art style, animation and everything else is amazing. The character designs are creative and attractive. I found the story to be really terrible though. It was really long winded and boring at times. Things that could be told in a more clear way were explained in really weird and complex ways for no reason. It is obvious that is how this writer likes to narrate their stories. The story also doesn't seem to have any plot. It's literally episodic, in each episode they deal with something for no apparent reason, nor final objective. The story ends with ... nothing but some kind of weird bonds between the characters. As if nothing happened, there was nothing this story wanted to tell, nothing that it wanted me to feel.

I find that the characters are quite peculiar. I came to appreciate them at the end, but I also find that most of the guys (except Manabu Sotoin and Hyouta) and the protagonist, Mayumi, do not reflect their ages at all. I know age means nothing in anime, but here it was clear and appalling as Manabu was the only one that actually sometimes showed childlike behaviour. The other all acted as if they were highschoolers, while they only are in middle school. Manabu still being in elementary/primary school. I kind of appreciated the more mature ways of some of the characters, but it was also weird as they were still children, but thinking like adults.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	Poll: Bishounen Tanteidan Episode 12 Discussion KANLen09 - Jun 26, 2021	48 replies	by AngelFlash »» Apr 6, 8:25 PM
	Poll: Bishounen Tanteidan Episode 3 Discussion KANLen09 - Apr 24, 2021	42 replies	by RGreatDanton »» Mar 17, 1:46 PM
	Poll: Bishounen Tanteidan Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 ) KANLen09 - Apr 17, 2021	70 replies	by RGreatDanton »» Mar 16, 10:51 PM
	Poll: Bishounen Tanteidan Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) KANLen09 - Apr 10, 2021	116 replies	by RGreatDanton »» Mar 16, 10:37 PM
	Poll: Bishounen Tanteidan Episode 6 Discussion KANLen09 - May 15, 2021	19 replies	by eblf2013 »» Mar 7, 4:31 AM