The Siren's Song

Once he hears to his heart's content, sails on, a wiser man.

We know all the pains that the Greeks and Trojans once endured
on the spreading plain of Troy when the gods willed it so—

all that comes to pass on the fertile earth, we know it all

"Odyssey" (Robert Fagles translation)

Oh, man, it's been this long already since my last Kindaichi Shounen review?

Police inspector and accomplished amateur fisherman Kenmochi has entered a fishing competition which will be broadcast on television, and Hajime and Miyuki are tagging along to fill out the three-man team slots. The finals are held on Seiren Island, which is widely regarded as a fisherman's heaven due to the unique sea current flowing into the bay, bringing plenty of fish with it. The members of the two other finalist teams happen to know each other: one team consists of three doctors led by head doctor Kageo, while the other team consists of salesmen from a pharmaceutical drug company supplying those same doctors. On the early first morning, just as the contestants and the production team want to get on the boat to get to the fishing spot of the day, they see the dead body of Doctor Kageo lying inside the boat house, which has been locked from the inside. There is another door into the boat house, but one has take a roundabout way to get there. As the group is making their way to the central lodge, they see a light moving from the boat house's other door towards the central lodge too, and when they arrive there, they discover that Doctor Kageo's body has been moved from the boat house to the central lodge by the murderer. As all people on the island were together during these events, it appears a third party on the island was responsible for the murder, or perhaps even the mythical Siren, which is said to roam near the island, bewitching men with her cry. When a second death occurs with another doctor being dragged into the bay by what appears to be a sea creature with extraordinary strength, most are convinced it is indeed the work of the Siren, but Hajime isn't too sure about that and swears to get to the bottom of this case in The Seiren Island Murder Case, collected in volumes 12 and 13 of Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo R ("The Young Kindaichi Case Files R").
 
Yes, yes, it's been a while. My last review of this running series dates from March, when I reviewed the (not so stellar) story collected in volumes 10 and 11. Volume 12 was released in April of this year, but as it contained an incomplete story I decided to wait for the release of volume 13, which came out just a while ago. To be honest, I really didn't like The White Snake Brewery Murder Case, so I have to admit my enthusiasm had waned a bit, and the series had dropped slightly on the priority list, but I do like this series in the end, so when I saw the latest volume was out, I just felt compelled to pick it up.

And I am happy I did, as The Seiren Island Murder Case turned out to be one of the more enjoyable stories the last few years! Part of it is definitely the setting: when I think of Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo, I think of serial murders taking place on isolated islands, but in truth, this setting had been used very seldom the last few years (only once or twice in the R series I think?). But there's just something... comforting to having a good old island murder story. Is there anything surprising about a storm hitting the island and the phones and radio not working once the first murder has happened? No, of course not, but that's not what you'd expect from this series anyway.

What I liked particularly about The Seiren Island Murder Case though is that it's a good example of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. Several murders occur throughout the story, and to be honest, none of them are really complex taken on their own: the first murder in the boat house for example is a bit too obvious once you get a grasp on the lay of the ground, while the second murder of the doctor being dragged into the bay is solved rather quickly by Hajime (it's a horribly simple, yet frightening trick) too. A third murder on the other hand is clearly "inspired" by a rather famous classic short story. But what this story does do is connect the various parts in an organic way through the setting of Seiren Island. As a setting, as a locale, Seiren Island works really well as a backdrop to these multiple murders, but without feeling overly artificial like in the (horrible) The Antlion Trench Murder Case from several volumes earlier, which had an overly contrived building at its setting. The murder methods are also completely distinct from each other, but do have some shared elements that once again strengthen that idea of connectivity, without making it feel like it's the same idea rehashed. I do have to admit that Seiren Island does feel a bit like other islands we have seen before in this series (especially the early ones), but as this setting is also closely linked to the actual murders, it still feels unique enough.

Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo often features stories that revolve around one big main trick, with every prop and movement being made solely to make that one trick work, but that's luckily not the case here, and it results in a story that is not overly deep perhaps, but very enjoyable to read as you see how everything ties into each other.

It's therefore a shame there also some really lost chances here. For example, the decisive clue pointing to the culprit is ridiculous. I love my share of visual hints, and this series has done quite a few very subtle ones that still feel as fair play, but this one goes far beyond subtle. It's basically just there to say "Look, there's a proper hint here", even though you have to squint your eyes to see it even when pointed out. And I was reading the collected release, as a paperback with good paper and ink: the serialized chapter in Shounen Magazine would've be printed with much worse ink and paper! The plan of the criminal also involves some actions taken by other persons which they might've anticipated, but certainly not counted on. The murders all necessitate planning, but there was no way the murderer could be absolutely sure things would go the way they wanted, so it feels a bit unconvincing there. This is odd, as at other moments, the story does go the trouble to ensure the events do feel convincing. For example, the "island isolated by a storm" trope might feel artificial, but it makes sense here, as the producer actually confesses very early that the TV crew waited for a storm forecast to hold the competition, as it'd make the show look better, despite the dangers.

Volume 13 also features the first few chapters of The Kindaichi Fumi Kidnapping Murder Case. The title pretty much gives it away, but Hajime's younger cousin Fumi is kidnapped at a Shinsengumi festival while Hajime was babysitting her. The kidnapper demands that a group of six people, who share their names with former Shinsengumi members, hand over the ransom money. It's been years since we last saw Fumi in this series I think, so that's nice (save for her being kidnapped) and while this story feels a bit similar to The Hayami Reika Kidnapping Murder Case at this moment (complete with the instructions designed to shake off the police) I'll have to read more to really make up my mind about this tale.

The Seiren Island Murder Case might not feel as a truly unique story, nor is it a particularly outstanding story in terms of mystery plotting, but it is a competent story that is an excellent example of how the quintessential Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo story should feel. It is easily one of the more consistent stories of the last few years in the currently running Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo R series by using the humble ideas it has in a good, effective manner, and quite a relief after the disappointing story that precedes it.

Original Japanese title(s): 天樹征丸（原）、さとうふみや（画）　『金田一少年の事件簿Ｒ』第１２＆１３巻