Nisio Isin (西尾維新 Nishio Ishin), frequently written as NisiOisiN to emphasize that his pen name is a palindrome, is a Japanese novelist and manga writer. He attended and left Ritsumeikan University without graduating. In 2002, he debuted with the novel Kubikiri Cycle, which earned him the 23rd Mephisto Award at twenty years of age.
He currently works with Kodansha on Pandora, the Kodansha Box magazine, and Faust, a literary magazine containing the works of other young authors who similarly take influence from light novels and otaku culture. He was also publishing a twelve volume series over twelve months for the Kodansha Box line; Ryusui Seiryoin was matching this output, and the Kodansha Box website stated that this is the first time in the world two authors have done twelve volume monthly novel series simultaneously from the same publisher.
In February, 2008, his novel Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases was released in English by Viz Media. Del Rey Manga has already released the first volume in his Zaregoto series. His Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari and Katanagatari novels have been adapted into anime series. Nekomonogatari (Kuro) has been adapted into an anime TV movie, and Kizumonogatari will be release in theaters this year. Monogatari Series: Second Season, adapted from 6 books in Monogatari Series will air in July 2013. Another of his works, Medaka Box (manga), has been adapted into a two-season anime series.
"Okitegami Kyouko, she can solve a case in a single day, it's not to demonstrate how fast she is, it's a warning because by the next day she'll have forgotten it"
My thoughts on "The memorandum of Okitegami Kyouko" Written by NisiOisiN Illustrated by VOFAN
The story: The book is a recollection of crime cases Yakusuke Kakushidate has been involved in. Ever since he was born because of his nature he has been the main suspect of a lot of crimes he didn't commit. When he needs help to prove his innocence he always calls the fastest detective, Okitegami Kyouko.
Enjoyment: My favorite kind of books are mystery ones, and the premise of a detective that only has "today" to solve a case before she forgets everything is amazing. That paired with cases that are interesting and difficult to solve really made me smile through the whole book.
The verdict: The characters are lovable, the writing is exceptional the mysteries are unique, and most of all the narrator does an incredible job at retelling the story. I really loved this book and just after finishing reading it, I can say that for me it's a 10/10.
This is a good book, the mysteries are fun, the main duo are great together and I like the gimmick of the Forgetful Detective. But I’ve read better, this is one of Nisio’s weaker works in my opinion, compared to his mystery writing in Zaregoto, Sekai and even Owari,this felt a lot less satisfying to read.
These mysteries aren’t made to be solved by the reader, they’re spectacles to be walked through by the fastest detective and how she did it. And that’s fine, it does that well, it’s solutions are bombastic and insane, but entirely out of the grasp of the reader to solve.
This is made up for by the intrigue set up with Okitegami Kyouko as a character, and her dynamic with Kakushidate Yakusuke. While strong, its far from his best character writing either, its strong and carries the book, just neither are close to a favourite of mine out of his extensive character list.
So here it stands: a good book, damn good, just not great. I’ll check out future volumes and hope for that great one eventually.
The Memorandum of Okitegami Kyouko Case: Forgotten
I'm still wondering why this series fell out of my radar for so long, until I chanced upon the heavy promotion of its 7th book (!?) in the series in Taiwan.
A detective with a reputation to be the fastest in the industry, due to her anterograde amnesia? Now that's some interesting stuff there!
The cases in this first book are really quirky and unconventional, except for the final case, where it seemed to be a run-of-the-mill whodunnit situation. But the key and twist to uncovering the truth is so romantic (in the literary/arts sense), it'll make you want to appreciate novelists and the work they do even more.
However, I found the protagonist/narrator for the book to be often too wimpy and whiny, which dragged my reading, but he had an interesting development towards the end, which kinda made up for it.
Lastly, due to the special nature of Ms Okitegami Kyouko's (dis)ability, the reader is not able to partake in the uncovering or solving the truth behind the cases, only relying on her breaking down the details retrospectively. This probably takes a lot of the fun for mystery genre lovers.