The Mythical Detective LOKI Ragnarok [Bladec C] Vol. 5 (Matantei Roki)

Mythical Detective Loki #5

by Sakura Kinoshita

rare book

Genres: Manga, Shonen, Detective

Comic

First published May 1, 2003

Reviews

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mayura is crazy about mysteries! She soon becomes a regular in Detective Loki's office, yet for all the detective work, she is oblivious of the fact that Loki is more than what he seems. He is the Norse god of mischief who has found himself stranded in the human world! And not only does he find himself in a child's body, but also his powers are drastically limited. In order to return to the world of gods, he must redeem himself by solving mysteries on earth which involve evil spirits.

Mythical Detective Loki is like a fantasy version of Detective Conan, only that it is a good deal shorter and takes itself not quite so seriously. At first glance, a lot that goes on my seem too silly and nonsensical - why should Norse gods end up in Japan? Why do they adopt Japanese names and cultural behaviour? Murder cases seem to happen left and right yet no one seems overly concerned that children and high schoolers are solving the cases - honestly, the number of murder cases Mayura and co. have come across, you'd think they'd be traumatized by now! But it's this lighthearted tone that makes this an incredibly fun series!

Having Norse gods embodied by Japanese school kids may seem like a strange concept, yet it's done so well that I chose to believe that Sakura Kinoshita knew just what she was doing - this is not a poorly written storyline but a crazy romp with a parodic vibe. There are plenty of characters and all of them have strange quirks that lean towards the extreme - Thor appears as a constant penniless and hungry high schooler who's definitely more of a dork than a godly presence. Mayura, while not a god, is so obsessed with mysteries while at the same time so oblivious to what's right in front of her nose, you kind of end up loving her for it. Loki is by far the most normal character, but he has a good blend of being mysterious, somewhat stand-offish while also being strangely caring. I find him incredibly likeable, though he isn't up to nearly as much mischief as you would expect from the Loki.

Sakura Kinoshita is one of my favourite artists, though the first volumes aren't quite as good as the latter ones, there's quite the improvement when you compare the first to the final volume. Additionally, Mythical Detective Loki features an unlikely and rather surprising romance. Mind you, the romance is absolutely minor and doesn't show until much later. And when it does show, it comes quite unexpectedly. Although I first struggled with seeing the couple in question as a potential romance, it grew on me and by now I find them adorable. It is good that the romance is so subtle - it's just enough to make you wish for more, yet you know that if there were much more, it would lose its charm!

The story is told in a typical episodic manner where every chapter brings and solves a new case. Yet there's also the main story line that follows Loki and the mystery of why he was banished to earth. Many questions remain and the ending has almost no closure at all - of course, there's always the sequel! It is strange, though, that only the sequel and not the original seven volumes of Mythical Detective Loki were released in English (apart from, aparetnly, an English edition from an Indonasian publisher?). Make sure to read this series before going for the Ragnarok sequel!