Forum - View topicREVIEW: Psychic Detective Yakumo Sub.DVD 1-3
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crosswithyou
 Posts: 2899 Location: California |
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I'm a huge fan of the Yakumo novels and have read all of the currently released bunko editions (so through vol. 8 and the side story). Let me tell you how crappy the anime is compared to the original novels...
The anime is mostly original stories. Only the first 2-3 episodes and the last arc are based on the novel. Yakumo's personality is totally different in the anime and he is less likeable. He's still a smart alec but it is handled in a way that doesn't make him out the be a jackass, unlike in the anime. Haruka is also utterly useless in the anime. I know the review seems to say otherwise, but no, she was useless and annoying. Not so in the novels. She actually is a lot more independent and driven in the novels and has a special relationship with Yakumo, though Yakumo will probably never admit in front of her how he feels. (I sometimes scream for them to get together already but alas, Kaminaga sensei seems to enjoy leading us on.) The crimes/mysteries are designed much better in the novels. There were also cases that dealt with rape and suicide but they were not used in the anime for obvious reasons. I don't know why they felt the need to change Miyagawa from a man to a woman though. Anyway, the anime does not do the novel series justice, which is a shame. I recommend checking out the manga which is more closely adapted from the novel though there are still some differences. Also, this series is based on a novel series, not a light novel. There's a difference and if possible I think that should be fixed in the review. Last edited by crosswithyou on Fri May 03, 2013 4:12 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Princess_Irene
ANN Associate Editor
 Posts: 2655 Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City |
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I didn't say she wasn't useless and annoying, I said she wasn't stupid.  (I found her more the former than the latter, though, probably because I didn't have the books for a comparison point.)
Good to know that the books are better - I wish they were available in a language I read fluently. |
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dtm42
Posts: 14084 Location: currently stalking my waifu |
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The first half of the Anime was pretty episodic and meh, but I found the second half to be quite strong. We learned more about Yakumo and he stopped being an annoying prick and became sympathetic. And wow, spoiler[his father was quite the villain eh?] Genuinely creepy.
I ended up giving the show a rating of Very Good, which in my book equates to about a B+. If the novels are even better then I'm impressed. |
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crosswithyou
Posts: 2899 Location: California |
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Haha, forgive me. I was reading the review at like 2 in the morning. ^^; I really didn't like her in the anime though. I totally agree with you on the music btw. Loved the OP song (OnoD <3) but OMG the BGM was so out of place most of the time. The novels are amazing. Very suspenseful. I highly recommend them.
Like I said, the anime really changed Yakumo's personality. =/ He's supposed to be cynical and all that, but he's not a jackass. And I can't remember if the anime ever showed him all caterpillar-ed up in his sleeping bag? Or if Haruka ever tickled him on his side? He has his cute moments. I remember crying when reading the story with Isshin. Isshin is a really good man. (Seki Toshihiko was a good fit for him in the anime.) I really wish the novels were available translated so everyone could read them. They're really, really good! You can probably find the manga around (*cough*) and that follows the novel story pretty closely, though I remember that they changed the culprit in the first case. (In the anime it's the same as the novel.) The manga art is very nice too so ^_~ |
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Tanteikingdomkey
 Posts: 2350 |
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I remember working on this show it when it was airing what was really odd was that it didn't get any bluray release, and only one HD stream of questionable quality months after the fact.
I know I should probably go read the manga somehow now though. I did enjoy the anime at the time though the opening is awesome though |
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foxinthestars
 Posts: 44 |
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I also really enjoyed the anime, especially the latter half which is more integrated, and I thought it was well done how Yakumo is kind of sidelined for awhile toward the end and there's more focus on the other characters and the relationships.
I wish I could read the novels. Must study harder...! |
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Yuki_Kun45
Exempt from Grammar Rules
 Posts: 725 Location: U.S.A. |
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I thought this show as pretty lackluster a B project for Bee Trains newbies while their A project was clearly Hyouge Mono. But I guess the reviewer is pretty spot on with the fact this show does manage to carry an overarching plot with it's mystery of the week style of plot. I've wondered about the source material if it was bland like the show but based on some other comments I'd say not. Oh well my two cents thrown in.
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crosswithyou
Posts: 2899 Location: California |
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Each novel is one case, so really the cases are supposed to take a while to solve. If the anime spent 2-3 episodes per case and used more of the mysteries from the novel instead of inventing their own, I think the anime could have been a lot better. It would have definitely needed more than 13 episodes though so I suppose I can understand why the anime producers did the things they did due to certain limitations, but unfortunately it doesn't make for a great adaptation.
The later episodes pull more elements from the novel, and it seems like most people agree that those were the better parts of the anime series. I'm not much a reader of novels (in English), but I'm sure the Yakumo novels would be on par with mystery novels written by English-speaking authors. Yakumo sells well in Japan and Kaminaga sensei is well-known for his mystery stories. I should probably try reading some of his other works sometime. |
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daisy23
Posts: 41 |
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For your interest there 2 mangas based on the novels.
The first was published in Hana to Yume and drawn by Ritsu Miyako but only had 2 volumes. The second one started on 2009 and is still being published in Asuka magazine and this time the mangaka is Oda Suzuki (she drew the DVD covers and also the cover for the OST). Currently it has 9 volumes although the translation is a bit slow (the latest chapter translated is ch30 from volume 4). Like GokuMew2 said, the cases are more interesting where they take a couple of chapters to get it solved and the characters are handled better. And Suzuki's art is pretty. By the way in the raws of Oda Suzuki's manga there is a crossover with another of Kaminaga's work called Kakuritsu Sousakan Mikoshiba Gakuto which started having a manga adaptation last year and the main character is a mathematician who solves crimes from a mathematical approach. The mangaka of this is Majiko! who is known for doing the manga adaptation of Code Geass. |
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crosswithyou
Posts: 2899 Location: California |
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I have both manga series and Oda sensei's is by far more pretty. X3
(Psst, it's Oda Suzuka.  )
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