#kosuke kindaichi

[prommytheus]

very notable trait of mine is that by far my favorite character archetype is detective who is far too sassy for how cringefail he is

[japanfilmclub]

Island of the Evil Spirits (1981) 『 悪霊島 』 Written by Kunio Shimizu 清水 邦夫 Directed by Masahiro Shinoda 篠田 正浩

[nine-frames]

"There's a story behind this dreadful name."

獄門島 (Gokumon-to / Hell's Gate Island), 1977.

Dir. Kon Ichikawa | Writ. Kon Ichikawa & Shin'ya Hidaka | DOP Kiyoshi Hasegawa

[ninked420]

I may have a problem. These are so good.

[deductivisms]

kindaichikun

[very-grownup]

She deliberately showed off the stump of her left little finger, grinning at him.

"I cut it off myself. For a good man. No, it's true! Even a woman like me can have one or two good men in her life. Looking back, I see I was a great fool to do it, but I was all wrapped in the dream. It didn't even hurt that much. The other girls were quite angry about it, and old Tamamushi, I mean, his lordship was terribly jealous. Always going on about who I did it for, where was he, and such, hee-hee. He made such a fuss."

Kindaichi nodded. He knew of this old tradition, of course, although it wasn't so common these days.

"And who did you do it for?"

"Like I said, a good man. He got drafted and he came to see me before he shipped out. I cried all night long, and then I cut off my finger and sent it to him. Oh, my, how terribly old-fashioned, right? To suffer so for love? But, why on earth would you ask about that, Kindaichi-san? Surely you don't think he came back and killed his lordship in a fit of jealous rage, do you? If so, I fear you're in for disappointment. The poor boy shipped off and died in the war. Like he went all that way just to die. Gone with the wind."

- The Devil's Flute Murders, Seishi Yokomizo

[oldshrewsburyian]

My most recent read: a genre-savvy classic.

[four-white-trees]

Kindaichi is such a sweetie ❤️

[justfinishedreading]

The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo

The novel sets up an interesting “locked room” style murder, one in which a murder has occurred in a closed room with no clear indication of how the perpetrator came in or out. Visually this novel has a lot of cinematic elements; a traditional Japanese estate out in the countryside in the 1930s, a Katana stuck in the snow and the eerie music of a Koto instrument. Unfortunately I wasn’t a fan of the novel’s amateur detective, the scruffy and almost flippant Kosuke Kindaichi, or the story structure, opening with narration from a writer who has learnt of the Honjin Murders and decides to retell it with dialogue and reactions that clearly had to made up since there was no record of certain interactions. But what I disliked most was the irony: The Honjin Murders is essentially a book about misogyny, clear in it’s themes, with a good message, but written by an author who barely allows his female characters to speak, with most given so little personality they are nothing more than “the wife”, “the cook”, “the maid”. Sure this is a product of its time and of a certain culture, maybe it even does this intentionally, but I can never fall in love with a book that uses this as a character’s sole description: “As for his wife, Akiko, there was nothing particularly distinctive about her; she was just an ordinary woman, obedient to her husband.”

Review by Book Hamster

[serendictment]

January Books

No energy this month so only /10 ratings. Sorry people who probably don't care.

1. I am a Cat by Sōseki Natsume

7/10. I enjoyed it but GOD is it long😭. Still good tho.

2. The Stranger by Albert Camus

9/10. Man,,Meursault, am I right? That guy,,he's a tad relatable to how I view the world. Moving on.

3. The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo

10/10. Mmm love me a good mystery

[glow-wine]

I read Seishi Yokomizo's The Honjin Murders because it's the first case of Kosuke Kindaichi. When I saw that it was out in German, I had the immediate reaction of "Aww, I used to know his grandson Hajime!" By which, of course, I mean that I read some of the Kindaichi Shonen manga.

I don't really know if I liked the book, but I find it super funny that this book was 200 pages, and the last 50 of them are just Kindaichi explaining how the murder was committed in detail. XD I recall that Kindaichi Shonen could be just as silly with the drawn out reveals.

[hilltop-insane-clinic]

[nosferalto]

reading Seishi Yokomizo so I can understand Higurashi

[nine-frames]

病院坂の首縊りの家 (Byoinzaka no Kubikukuri no Ie / The House of Hanging on Hospital Slope), 1979.

Dir. Kon Ichikawa | Writ. Kon Ichikawa & Shin'ya Hidaka | DOP Kiyoshi Hasegawa

[remusbuznea]

[odakuram]

I’ll Teach You How To Pull Off The Perfect Crime Part 2 ~The Inugami Chapter~ (English Translation

完全犯罪伝授します弐〜犬神篇〜 Music/Lyrics: Joruzin Video: unrefle Vocals: GUMI, Kagamine Len

"The continuation to “I’ll Teach You How To Pull Off The Perfect Crime”.

His outer face is that of the eccentric who runs the used bookshop, his inner face is that of a master missionary of perfect crimes, a one Sano Shougai. Until now, all the perfect crimes he’s told people have been executed flawlessly, each and every time. His high intelligence could leave the police far outmatched. But in this case, for the first time, he learns of the existence of someone whose IQ could match, no, surpass his own.

“The Man Who Will Help Execute The Perfect Crime” VS “The Man Who Will Stop The Perfect Crime”

How will this case end?!"

-- original description

(extra translator's note: i stole parts of the translation from the vlyrics wiki translation of the first song in this series for continuity reasons, and linked where relevant. i hope op doesn't mind)

えぇ　そうですか　　つまり相続権の独占ですね 

Yes, I see. So you want to claim the inheritance to yourself.

遺産の全てをご子息に　それが為なら殺しも辞さない 

You want the inheritance to all be for your son, and you’re willing to go as far as to murder.

ではでは遺言と家系図を確認します 

Then I’ll confirm the facts about the will and the family tree.

財界巨頭の犬神家の創始者左兵衛が身罷った  彼の遺した遺言書に一族狼狽その内容は 

The founder of the Inugami Clan, renowned in the business world, Sahei Inugami, has kicked the bucket. The will he left behind has caused massive dismay in the family

一族以外の本筋の血の繋がりない生娘に遺産を全て譲渡する  ただし娘の配偶者には　 

In it, it says that the inheritance is to all go to a virgin girl who isn’t even directly related to the family That is to say, to the spouse of that girl, Tamayo

犬神左兵衛の孫にあたる「佐清」「佐武」「佐智」の三名中から選ぶこと  つまり珠世の愛を勝ちとったものが遺産を手に入れる  しかしご子息佐清は戦時に負った顔の傷　醜い姿に成りさがった 

Sahei Inugami has three grandchildren, Sukekiyo, Suketake and Suketomo that she will choose from In short, to win Tamayo’s love is to get the inheritance But your son Sukekiyo has become hideous as a result of injuries on his face from the war

愛されるはずもない  ならば「佐武」「佐智」2名を葬りその罪珠世に���せることで  佐清に遺産転がり込ませる 

She certainly won’t love him. If that’s the case, you will bury “Suketake” and “Suketomo” and pin the crime on Tamayo so that the inheritance will come into Sukekiyo’s hands.

つまりそういうことですね  一族身内の殺害計画 

So that’s what this is about, hm? A plan to murder members of your family…

思考　黙考　熟考　整いました  After much thought, meditation, and deliberation, I have it all arranged for you.

完全犯罪伝授します　お代は貴女の死因の決定権を小生が頂戴いたす  それでよろしいですね？ 完全犯罪伝授します　手段は電話でお伝えします  一族集まる月夜の晩に人の目ない部屋でおかけください  なになに私立探偵が雇われているですと？まあ捨て置いて問題はないでしょう 

I'll teach you how to pull off the perfect crime. The price is to let this humble one decide your cause of death Will that be okay with you? I'll teach you how to pull off the perfect crime. I’ll tell you everything over the phone. On the moonlit night when the whole family gathers, dial me in a room where no one can see you What’s that, a private investigator has been hired? Well, put that thought aside for now, it won’t be a problem.

「殺害の手引き」

“A Guide to Murder”

計画ポイント2つあり　「猟奇性」と「芸術性」  殺害現場に珠世の犯行を示唆する私物を残すことです 

This plan has two points: it will be “grotesque” and “artistic” You will leave personal items on the murder scenes to suggest that Tamayo is the culprit.

「犬神家に強い恨みを持った珠世が遺産目当てに犯行に及んだ」  そうです美しく殺してあげましょう

“Bearing a grudge against the Inugami family, aiming to get the inheritance, Tamayo resorted to crime.” That’s how it will be, let us murder them beautifully

 第一殺害タイトルは「菊人形頭衣替え」美しいですね　あぁあぁ美しいです  第二殺害タイトルは「琴線天幕吊し上げ」美しいですね　あぁあぁ美しいです 

The first murder case will be called, “A Change of Head for the Chrysanthemum Doll”, beautiful, ah, ah, so beautiful! The second murder case will be called, “A Decorative Curtain Hung by the Strings of the Koto”, beautiful, ah, ah, so beautiful!

計画に狂いが生じた？ 佐清だと信じた人物　全く別人  本物佐清　潜伏していたところを 

Has this plan sparked madness in you yet? It turns out the person you believed to be Sukekiyo is a completely different person The real Sukekiyo is hiding in wait 

例の私立探偵が発見  偽物佐清正体　犬神左兵衛の愛人の息子  全てをたちどころに見破った！？ 

That private detective has discovered where he is and the true identity of the fake Sukekiyo—he is the son of Inugami Sahei’s lover Has he seen through us?!

大丈夫です落ち着きなさい　若干計画変更します　偽物佐清この計画を知るもの生かしてはおけませんから　  第三殺害タイトルは「偽装すましの逆さ人」薬で眠らせ湖畔の浅瀬に頭から突き落とすのです  素晴らしいですね　全てが完璧です　あぁ美しい  それでは最後の仕上げに掛かりましょう　 

It’s alright, please calm down, we’ll just change the plan a little. The fake Sukekiyo knows your plans, so he cannot be left alive. So the third murder case will be called, “A Disguised Upside-Down Person”. You will drug him to sleep and push him head first into the shoals of the lake. So wonderful, it’s all so perfect, ah, it’s beautiful! Now let’s add the finishing touches

珠世の自室に青酸カリを忍ばせなさい  それではお渡していた死因書を開封なさい 

Do hide some cyanide in Tamayo’s room Then, please open the document I’ve given you with your cause of death

アリバイ工作で全ての犯行が可能だったのは珠世と貴女です  今から珠世にお茶を入れさせなさい　その中にもうひとつ用意した青酸カリを 入れて飲みなさい　 つまり「今」から「自室」で「服毒自殺」をするのです  全て珠世の犯行と見做され財産佐清転がり込むでしょう 

With the alibis you’ve made, the suspects will be Tamayo and you. Now let Tamayo pour you some tea that you laced with the same cyanide from before, and drink it. In other words, “now”, you must “kill yourself with poison” in “your room”. When Tamayo is considered the culprit, the estate will come into Sukekiyo’s hands, isn’t that right?

さあ受話器そのままで　やるのです 

Now, you will leave the phone aside and do it.

おやめなさい　全て貴女の犯行だと　解りました　お話を伺います  貴女をそそのかした人の 

Please stop this. I’ve figured out that this is all your doing. Could I ask to talk to the person who’s tempted you?

必ずアナタを突き止めます

I will definitely find you.

探偵風情！！

The likes of that detective…!