Dream's End

コワレユクようにながい夢みたあとで

「夢みたあとで」 （Garnet Crow）

After a long dream that made me feel like I was breaking apart...

"After the Dream" (Garnet Crow)

It's been years since I was so disappointed by a book...

G series  
1) φ wa Kowareta ne - Path Connected φ Broke
2) θ wa Asonde Kureta yo - Another Playmate θ
3) τ ni Naru Made Matte - Please Stay Until τ 
4) ε Ni Chikatte - Swearing on Solemn ε 
5) λ Ni Ha Ga Nai - λ Has No Teeth
6) η Na No Ni Yume No You - Dreamily in Spite of η.

At first, the dead man hanging from a high tree on the grounds of a shinto shrine appeared to be nothing more than a case of suicide. A strange case of suicide, sure, but still suicide. What was so peculiar about the victim's death was that he was hanging from a tree more then ten meters high. Which meant he must've climbed all the way up there to hang himself. But as there were no clues of a third party being involved, it appears it must be a suicide. The discovery of an ema plaque with the message "Dreamily in spite of η" changes everything though, as the students belonging to Assistant-Professor Kunieda's architecture research lab have been running into several mysterious murder cases that involve Greek letters. With more of these highly suspicious suicides happening one after another, the group tries to figure out why these deaths are happening in Mori Hiroshi's η Na No Ni Yume No You (2007), which also carries the English title Dreamily in Spite of η.

η Na No Ni Yume No You is the sixth novel in Mori's G series, which is named after the G in "Greek" letters that play a big role in each of the books. The series is written as one continous, ongoing storyline: each of the books feature a mystery that is solved over the course of that volume, but many questions, for example involving motives, are left unanswered at the end of each book, as they carry over to the next book. By now, we've learned that some sort of sect that is active on the internet forms the connection to the various books in this series, and that they use Greek letters, but that's basically all we know at this point, and each book provides more questions than answers. That means each individual volume feels incomplete and unsatisfying, I'm afraid, as crucial plot points are left untouched each time, and it's also not adviced to start in the middle of the series, as there are many references to previous cases and characters. η Na No Ni Yume No You is no exception to this.

In fact, I'd say η Na No Ni Yume No You is by far the worst book up until now. For while the previous books at least had fairly interesting core mystery plots that do get solved within the book (even if a lot of the why is left unexplained), this book's core plot can hardly be called a detective story! In the first chapter we're told about the seemingly odd suicide, which still has some alluring points, but this gets pushed back to the background for most of the book, only to be dragged up again for a split second near the end of the book. The proposed truth behind the case is absolutely ridiculous for a detective story, completely devoid of any hinting or build up. Given that previous books at least had a decent, if barren, mystery plot ( λ Ni Ha Ga Nai for example had a good mystery plot), it's inexplicable why η Na No Ni Yume No You's plot is so.... I can't even call it simple, because it's *simple* per se. The problem that this is in no way a plot that could be considered a fair tale of mystery, even if it purports to be so. The so-called mystery plot is nothing more than a device for the characters to have a conversation, and basically forgotten until a "solution" is proposed (not proven) that is basically an insult to the reader's time.

About eighty percent of the book is dedicated to a lot of talking between the various characters, of which there are a lot. Mori writes a lot of different series, but they are all connected, and the G series features characters from all those series. Saikawa and Moe from the S&M/The Perfect Insider series for example are basically still protagonists in the G series, with as much page-time as the three students that are supposed to be the main characters of this series. But we also get several guest characters from the V series. In fact, these cameos have never been as bad as in this novel, with not only references to earlier books in the G series, but also to the S&M and V series, making it very hard to follow for those not familiar with those Mori series. To be honest, I'm not that well-versed in the Mori-world myself, having only read a few of the books or seen some of the TV drama adaptations, and η Na No Ni Yume No You was a pretty vexing reading experience. Instead of focusing on the (meager) mystery plot, η Na No Ni Yume No You was (probably) trying to move the story forward, by connecting all those various series together, but the result was 1) a meager story that can't even be called a mystery story, 2) the protagonists of the G series basically pushed off-screen in favor of the characters from the previous series, 3) a confusing mid-section where the characters are busy talking about various events from other series that may or may not have any connection to the main storyline of the G series. Example: we are told in-depth about the airplane accident that killed Moe's parents again, even though it is an event that is connected to the S&M/The Perfect Insider series (the first book in the S&M series basically starts with a mention of the acccident), with no direct connection to the main case of η Na No Ni Yume No You.

There's actually little I can add to the above. η Na No Ni Yume No You is simply not a genuine mystery novel, and the whole narrative is convoluted because of the many characters from various of Mori's series talking about events that aren't even part of the G series. The result is a book that, in theory, is probably about tying all the series firmly together, but in practice is just a disappointing mess.

Original Japanese title(s):　森博嗣　『ηなのに夢のよう』

Uneasy Lies The Crown

"See, I knew there was something going on. Of course, the Big Cheese made two mistakes. First of all he didn't recognize me: Lemming, Arthur Lemming, Special Investigator, British Dental Association, and second, by the time I got back from lunch I had every dental surgeon in SW1 waiting for them all in the broom cupboard. Funny isn't it, how naughty dentists always make that one fatal mistake. Bye for now, keep your teeth clean."

"Secret Service Dentists sketch" (Monty Python)

I always wondered why people wrote lambda instead of labda for the Greek letter λ. Turns out that lambda is the modern pronuncation. I only studied Classical Greek, so labda has always been my default pronuncation. All well, another thing I learned today.

 
The students of Assistant-Professor's Kunieda's lab are working through the night on an experiment held in one of the testing facilities of T Construction. That night however, horrible murders are commited elsewhere in the facility, in an experimental lab building. Four unknown men were found shot to death in the laboratory, but that is just the start of the mystery. The laborotary building has an advanced security system, but no records can be found of the four victims ever entering the building. There is no trace of a murderer leaving or entering either, of course. Yet no weapon was found in the lab, meaning the deaths couldn't have been suicides. But the biggest mystery is that the teeth of all four men had been pulled out. Inside the pocket of one of the victims, a note saying "λ has no teeth" was also discovered. Puzzled by this locked room mystery, the students in Kunieda's lab try to solve this quadruple murder in Mori Hiroshi's 2006 novel λ Ni Ha Ga Nai, which also carries the English title λ Has No Teeth.

λ Ni Ha Ga Nai is the fifth book in Mori's G series, the sequel to his famous S&M series. The G stands for Greek letters, which has been an important link between the books in this series. In the various adventures we've seen up until now, it's been clear that a series of murders have been committed, but the motives in each of these cases has remained vague. We only know that Greek letters pop up in each of the cases, like the lambda of this book. The result of this ongoing story however is that each book feels rather incomplete though, and I'm afraid that for those waiting for more answers, λ Ni Ha Ga Nai is not able to provide them. It only raises more questions. Mori originally planned this series as a 12-part series, but you'd think that by the fifth book, we'd have slightly more answers about why all these Greek-letter-inspired murders are committed, at least compared to the first book, but that's not really the case. This is definitely my biggest complaint about this book, because like the previous ones, it's nearly impossible to look at λ Ni Ha Ga Nai on its own. Each of the books feels like they're missing one or two chapters that flesh out the story. In fact, it's amazing how little pages there always are between the explanation of the crime, and the last page of the book. You never see anything about the aftermath of solving the case, giving the reader little catharsis.

But I have to admit, overall I enjoyed λ Ni Ha Ga Nai quite well. The locked room mystery is very reminsicent of the one in Subete ga F ni Naru - The Perfect Insider (the first book in the S&M series), with a highly secured laboratory being the setting of a seemingly impossible murder and students being a part of the story, but it's definitely not just a rip-off. The trick used to murder the four people inside the building is actually quite ingenious and also very neatly hinted. I do have to say that you'd think more people would think of that trick, considering where the murders were committed in the first place but still a very memorable locked room trick.

Also, I enjoyed that architecture played such a big role in the story. The characters in the S&M and G series all study or teach architecture, but by the way they usually talk, you'd think it's philosophy. λ Ni Ha Ga Nai starts with the students working on an architecture experiment and you actually see them studying and learning about their major in this book. Architecture was only featured sorta prominently once earlier in this series, when the students mapped out a house to check for secret rooms in τ ni Naru Made Matte, but it is great to see this element of the characters finally being of importance to the plot.

The plot of the book is very bare-bones however. The murders are outlined in the first chapter, and the rest of the book mainly consists of many people discussing the case with each other, constantly coming up with different theories as to how the locked room murders might've been committed. The fact this series is a sequel to the S&M series is both good and bad. Good in the sense that there is a very diverse cast of (fairly to very) intelligent people, which can result in all kinds of different conversation partner match-ups. On the other hand, the main cast is a bit on the bloated side, with the three "real" main characters of the G series, three "veteran" characters from the S&M series and even another role for someone from Mori's V series. And that's just the main cast. Most of the book consists of them talking to each other, and there is very little that is really driving the plot forward between the opening and the ending of the case. They just talk. They come with interesting theories and even dabble in philosophy, but still, it's not a very active book.

As the fifth book in the series, λ Ni Ha Ga Nai has little surprises to offer. It's a short, easy to read novel with a good locked room mystery and chatty characters, but like all the books preceding it, only part of a larger story, which can feel incomplete read on its own. Simply based on the locked room murder trick, I'd say this one was the best until now, but I'd never recommend reading this as an entry into the series, as I can't imagine it being fun without the proper background information gained from the previous books.

Original Japanese title(s): 森博嗣　『λに歯がない』

Over Drive

抱きしめた心の小宇宙(コスモ) 

熱く燃やせ　奇跡を起こせ

傷ついたままじゃないと

誓いあった　遥かな銀河 

「ペガサス幻想（ファンタジー）」（Make-Up)

Embracing the Cosmos of your heart

Burn it high and make a miracle happen

We won't just stay wounded

This we swear to each other in this faraway galaxy

"Pegasus Fantasy" (Make-Up)

 
I do have to say though, the cover art for the pockets of the G series look very nice. I have no idea what is going on, but I really love the style.

G series
1) φ wa Kowareta ne - Path Connected φ Broke
2) θ wa Asonde Kureta yo - Another Playmate θ
3) τ ni Naru Made Matte - Please Stay Until τ
4) ε Ni Chikatte - Swearing on Solemn ε

To the outside world, the fact that Yamabuki Satsuki and Kabeya Megumi travel back together from Tokyo to Nagoya in the same night-bus might seem a bit suspicious. Especially as Megumi already told her friends she went to Disneyland. But both of them being in Tokyo was really just a coincidence, and there's nothing strange about two friends taking the same bus back home, right? But the two of them regret having stepped on the bus when a man hijacks the bus, threatening the passengers (in an awfully polite manner actually) with a pistol and bombs. The police is also aware of the hijack and an investigation into the passenger list of the bus leads to the discovery that most of the passengers were all members of a religious sect called Swearing on Solemn ε, which is also the English subtitle to Mori Hiroshi's ε Ni Chikatte (2006).

ε Ni Chikatte is the fourth volume in Mori Hiroshi's G series, which is starting to become my go-to series whenever I want something short and easy to read (the G series itself being a spin-off of the S&M series) Sometimes it's just good to have a back-up series like this. That said though, the G series is far from a perfect series, though luckily, this fourth volume manages to bring something fresh.

The biggest problem as of now with the series is that is conceived as a series. While each novel features a mystery to be solved, the motives for each of the murders is left in obscurity. Over the course of the first three novels, you slowly find out that some sort of religious sect is active on the internet, that the sect is using Greek letters (hence the name G series) and that somehow, this sect is connected to all the cases that happen in this series. But that means that each novel you're left with a lot of questions (as they work as hooks for the next volume), and while I can appreciate minimalistic detective stories, the G series isn't one; it is a 'normal' mystery storyline stretched out over a series of novels, resulting in a very slow pace of uncovering the main mystery. It also means that each individual volume feels incomplete, as if you're missing a crucial part of the story (because you do!).

ε Ni Chikatte does little to really further the main storyline, but at least it acknowledges the fact that something is going on and this volume also brings a completely type of mystery to the series. Up until now, the series was rather 'old-fashioned', featuring locked room murders and serial murders, but this time, we have a hijacking case. Even more, there is no obvious 'mystery' to solve in this story: while the reader is obviously aware that this is a detective novel and that something needs to be detected, the puzzle is not made immediately clear to the reader and part of the fun is finding out what is going on. The idea of a terrorist hostage situation reminds of the many, many hostage situations in Detective Conan and I must say that I thought the situation of ε Ni Chikatte was much more exciting than the closed circle serial murder case of the previous book.

When ε Ni Chikatte finally does show its cards, you're left with a mystery novel that actually manages to give the reader a surprise, despite the somewhat straightforward start. It is certainly a book that deserves a reread, as you'll see that it is actually an ingeniously plotted story. It does have some issues: by the time the whole business around the hijack case is unveiled, you will very probably think: why go through all that trouble? It sorta works in the context of the series, as previous novels have already set a precedent for doing things the hard way, but still, the question will cross your mind. And of course, questions surrounding the motive are left unanswered once again, leaving you with another unfinished story. The main, core set-up of the novel is good though and perhaps the most amusing in the series up until now.

I was a bit tired of the series after the last volume, but I have to admit that ε Ni Chikatte has made me a bit more enthusiastic. Sure, like all the volumes up until now it still refuses to answer some questions raised by the plot, but there are hints of finally moving forward with the main storyline. And the hijack case itself is surprisingly fun, even if it takes a while before the reader realizes what is going on. And that is what makes it so entertaining.

Original Japanese title(s): 森博嗣　『ε（イプシロン）に誓って SWEARING ON SOLEMN ε』

Le Triangle d'or

さよならさえ伝えられなくて

それでも僕は今日此処を出てゆくよ

また素敵な誰かに会えるかな

気まぐれで自由な暮らし僕は野良猫

「Nora」（Garnet Crow）

We haven't said goodbye,

But still I will leave here today

Maybe I will come across a wonderful person again one day

I live on a whim and in freedom, I am a stray cat

"Nora" (Garnet Crow)

I usually try to post reviews of TV productions soon after their broadcast and often have to shuffle with my posting schedule because of that. I make an exception for this review though: this particular special was broadcast early this year, but as I only watched some months after that, and because it was related to some other reviews that were already scheduled, I decided to just put this review at the end of the queue, rather than shuffling and puzzling with the schedule.

The first murder happened three years ago. A young girl of eleven was strangled with a tie wrap on June 6th. Exactly one year later, a woman of twenty-two was murdered under the same circumstances. And last year, a female policewoman was too strangled on June 6th. She was thirty-three when she died. 11. 22. 33. All on 6/6. The police still has no clue who is behind the "doubles murders", but the wealthy Odawara Shizue has a suspicion she is going to be next: not ony is she going to turn 44 on June 6th, she also got a threatening letters accompanied with newspaper articles on the "doubles murders". She hires the private detective Horokusa Junpei, one of the tenants in an apartment building she owns, who is to protect her during her birthday party. The operation goes wrong though, and Shizue is found strangled with tie wrap in her study. The problem however is that she was the only person seen to have gone inside the room, which was locked from the inside. Helping Horokusa investigate the case is Cezaimaru Venico, an impoverished heiress of one of the most important families of the past and previous inhabitant of Odawara Shizue's mansion. And so begins her first adventure as a detective in the TV drama Cezaimaru Venico no Jikenbo ~Kureneko no Sankaku~ ("The Case Book of Cezaimaru Venico ~The Triangle on the Black Cat~").

Cezaimaru Venico no Jikenbo ~Kureneko no Sankaku~ is a TV special broadcast in February, 2015, based on Mori Hiroshi's 1999 novel Kuroneko no Sankaku (The Triangle of the Black Cat"), which also bears the English subtitle Delta in the Darkness. The book is also the first novel in his ten-volume V series, starring Cezaimaru Venico. Note that Sezaimaru Beniko would be a more usual spelling of her name: she however prefers the Cezaimaru Venico spelling and it is the V of her name that titled her series the V series.

It might also be interesting to note that the V series is connected to Mori Hiroshi's S&M series (review of the TV drama is here), even though the V series is set probably about a decade (or two) before the S&M series. In fact, most of Mori Hiroshi's series are connected, some more obvious than others. Even the 100 Years series, which is a science-fiction mystery in a future with androids, is set in the same world as the S&M and V series. I've been delving a bit into the S&M series and the sequel G series of late, so I figured I might as well take a look at this special.

And I was quite disappointed. The premise of a The ABC Murders-esque serial murderer, coupled with a locked room, sounds interesting, right? Well, the locked room murder is of the kind that may only be used if the author has thought of a very original and radical variation, because it is one of the most well-known, simple and first things you'd come up with when the words "locked room" are mentioned. It is Locked Room 101 material and no, Mori Hiroshi did not manage to breath new life into it. It's still the same old thing and anyone will probably recognize it for what it is right away (and immediately guess who the murderer is, by the way). The story continues with more death, but again it's the kind of murders we've seen for more than a century.

More emphasis is laid on the describing the motive behind the murder. It is the kind of some-what philosophical talk we also know of the S&M series, which can be quite an opinion-divider. On one hand, it is more interesting than "I needed the money!", but on the other hand, when people start to talk about the beauty of death and murder and stuff, or what it means to be human or start monologues on other philosophical motives for murders, I feel these scenes (and motives) don't always feel as convincing as the author thinks they do.

Also, I find the characters of this story a bit predictable. A large cast of various characters, including scientists, a well-connected heiress and students that work together and all contribute a little to solving the mystery? Yeah, we already saw that in the S&M series. The V series predates the G series, but the G series also features a private detective in an apartment building who hires students as his assistants. Like I mentioned, I've been reading the G series lately, so I had an enormeous feeling of deja vu as I watched this TV special.

Though I have to say: I've seldom seen a middle-aged, divorced woman with a child as a detective protagonist before.

Though still, I wouldn't recommend Cezaimaru Venico no Jikenbo ~Kureneko no Sankaku~. It's a predicatable detective TV special like you can see practically everyday in the afternoon on Japanese TV (based on own experience, I'd say that's not even that big an exaggeration). If you want to see Mori Hiroshi's work on TV, you might as well watch Subete ga F ni Naru.

Original Japanese title(s): 森博嗣（原）『瀬在丸紅子の事件簿～黒猫の三角～』

The Egyptian Cross Mystery

stay すべての始まりと終わりの場所に

今も立っているよう　放たれる日を待ち

『Stay』（Garnet Crow）

Stay Like standing even now at the place

where everything begins and ends 

Waiting for the day when all is set loose

"Stay" (Garnet Crow)

I remember we started learning the Greek alphabet in the Ancient Greek course we had at school (first year middle school), but we only got to τ (tau) in that first class. The remaining letters we learned the following week, but up until this day, I can easily say the Greek alphabet from alpha to tau, and then I have to think about what that 'last little bit' of the alphabet is because we learned it separately.

The architecture students Kabeya Megumi, Yamabuki Satsuki and Kurage Kyuusuke are hired by private detective Akayanagi Hatsurou as temporary data entry grunts. The files are stored in a mansion deep in the forests between the Aichi and Gifu prefecture and only accessible by foot. The mansion is inhabited by Kamii, a "psychic" and two of his believers/servants. When the Akayanagi party arrives at the mansion, they discover that another party of journalists is also visiting the mansion for an interview with Kamii. Kamii shows off his powers once to his visitors by entering a room with Megumi and disappearing into "another world", only to reappear again. At night however, the photographer of the journalist party discovers that every exit of the mansion is closed shut (even though those doors have no locks) and when they try to report this to Kamii, they find him murdered in a locked room. The same room that was connected to "another room". With no way to escape the mansion and a dead body, the party start looking for a way to contact the outside world in Mori Hiroshi's τ ni Naru Made Matte, which also bears the English title Please Stay Until τ.

τ ni Naru Made Matte (2005)is the third novel in Mori Hiroshi's G series, a sequel to his more famous S&M series. While the previous two volumes were set in urban areas (a residential area in φ wa Kowareta ne and across town in θ wa Asonde Kureta yo), this time, the setting is eerily classic: a creepy mansion hidden away in the forest, only accessible by foot. With the cast locked up in the mansion and a murder in a locked room on a (self-proclaimed) psychic, you sometimes think you're reading anything but a Mori Hiroshi story. But then again, Subete ga F ni Naru (starting point of Mori Hiroshi's fictional world) might feature high-tech security, VR conference rooms and other technological gadgets; at the core it's still about a locked room murder in a creepy complex on an isolated island, now I think about it.

The lack of windows in the building reminds of other stories with memorable mansions as their setting like Ayatsuji Yukito's Ankokukan no Satsujin or the videogame Kamaitachi no Yoru 2. Interesting is the fact that the protagonists Kabeya, Yamabuki and Kurage are architecture students is actually utilized in a meaningful manner in in τ ni Naru Made Matte, for perhaps the first time in the G series: their insights as 'experts' on architecture help the reader understand the specifics, and the oddities of the mansion. Up until now, the students-setting was only used to have them meet at the university library or at a research lab.

The locked room mystery is actually quite disappointing; it is supposed to be hard to spot the solution because of a blind spot, but that smokescreen doesn't really work as a smokescreen, I think. Also, while one certain aspect of the puzzle I saw through quite easily, another crucial part of the solution is hinted at rather poorly and had me rolling my eyes as I thought: "waaaaait, is that really possible?'.

But the biggest disappointment is that τ ni Naru Made Matte just isn't complete. I ended my review of θ wa Asonde Kureta yo, the previous book in the series, with hoping that this third volume would work better as a standalone mystery: θ wa Asonde Kureta yo left a lot of questions unanswered. However, τ ni Naru Made Matte is even worse. From the identity of the murderer to the motive and other mysterious happenings in the story: you are left with a lot of questions when you close the book.

Usually, I can appreciate minimalistic approaches. I'm more interested in how the crime was committed, or the logic leading to the solution, than in who and why. But that is only with planned minimalism (which you often see in short stories). In the G series however, Mori Hiroshi is obviously working towards a goal. I hadn't really noticed it with the first book in the series, but the cases in the G series are somehow connected. Though that's only a guess, because each time the murderer, as well as the motive, stays vague. The only connection is that Greek letters appear in relation to each case (which is why it is called the G series). But there are parts in each book that hints at something going on and someone trying to find out what is going on. And I like the idea of myth-building across books, but I'd like it if each individual book in the series can be read as a standalone work too. θ wa Asonde Kureta yo and τ ni Naru Made Matte feel as nothing more but a part of a larger narrative and incomplete as standalone books. But considering that the series isn't completed yet and each book still sells at full price, I'm not sure what to think about these books. But as they are now, I just feel like I'm missing a lot that shouldn't be missing. If there is a line between 'keeping things vague to invite you to read the rest' and 'things are so vague it hurts the story', then I'd say book two and three in the G series are leaning towards the latter. And I do like the characters and writing of the G series, so I am really torn about it.

τ ni Naru Made Matte was disappointing. Not only as a mystery plot, but also because it so obviously needs the rest of the series to fill in the gaps of the story. If you're like me and like the writing and characters, then it's an okay and easy read, but I wouldn't recommend τ ni Naru Made Matte as a standalone mystery novel: it was obviously not meant as one. If you want to read τ ni Naru Made Matte, it means you should read the rest of the series too. And that's a large commitment to ask of a reader.

Original Japanese title(s): 森博嗣 『τになるまで待って PLEASE STAY UNTIL τ』

The Long Way Down

「親方！　空から少女が！」

『天空の城ラピュタ』

"Boss, a girl came falling from the sky!"

"Laputa, The Castle in the Sky"

Note to self: don't forget annual viewing of Laputa, The Castle in the Sky.

The first death was thought to be a normal suicide. A lonely young man, living on his own, who jumped out of his apartment room. Sad, but not uncommon. The one thing that was uncommon was a sign that was drawn with lipstick on his forehead, resembling the Greek letter θ (theta). The second death raised questions. A nurse had jumped from the hospital's roof. Once again, not uncommon when viewed as a seperate incident, but there was a scarlet link: the sign was also found on the second body. By the third time somebody jumped from a high building with the sign on his body, the police knew these deaths were all linked, but how? Nishinosono Moe's interest in the case is piqued when she is told about it her friend Ai (her university was asked to analyze lipstick samples) and like always, she uses all of her connections and friends to get hold of the truth in Mori Hiroshi's θ wa Asonde Kureta yo ("θ Played With Me"), which also bears the English title Another Playmate θ (2005).

θ wa Asonde Kureta yo is the second book in Mori Hiroshi's G series, a spin-off to his more famous S&M series. But this book might as well have been just been part of the S&M series, because the plot of this novel is mostly driven forward by characters from the S&M series (especially Moe), while the proper protagonists of the G series (the students Megumi, Yamabuki and Kurage) have to be content with staying mostly in the back in their second book.

In fact, I'd say that to enjoy this novel to its fullest, the reader would need at least some of knowledge of the characters, especially those who hail from the S&M series. The cast this time is fairly big and they're basically all recurring characters from different Mori series (the S&M series, the V series and the G series) and while θ wa Asonde Kureta yo is readable even if you don't know anything about the series and its characters, you might have trouble keeping an eye on all those characters and the relations between them. I for example know nothing about the V series, but one part of the novel was obviously alluding to events and characters from that series and it felt like I was missing something. The previous book, φ wa Kowareta ne, wisely focused on its own protagonists, but this time the gloves are off and Mori throws recurring character upon recurring character at the reader. The reader is warned.

As a mystery novel, and specifically a missing link story (a mystery plot focused on finding a link between multiple victims), I was slightly disappointed in θ wa Asonde Kureta yo. The plot was very similar to a certain episode of a famous Japanese mystery show I won't name and while a bit of redressing can help, θ wa Asonde Kureta yo resembled that episode just too much, so it was quite easy to figure out the missing link (that said, I think that the mystery was simple enough that even without that foreknowledge, any reader could have guessed the truth behind the missing link). Like in the previous novel though, I liked how the plot developed through the discussions of the many, many characters. I've always been more of a 'theory' person than an 'crime scene investigation' person when it comes to mystery fiction.

Like φ wa Kowareta ne though, 'details' like motive and other little things are left vague on purpose in θ wa Asonde Kureta yo. Partly because it's just the way Mori's plots often develop: a big cast of characters all play amateur detective, discussing the case over and over, until the 'real' detective (Saikawa in the S&M series and Kurage in the G series) state their definitive theory. Theory, as both Saikawa and Kurage don't have any interests in solving the case in the sense of the police getting their hands on the culprit and figuring out all the details and logistics. Saikawa and Kurage just pose hypotheses based on the available information that can explain all mysteries. This is something I don't have any trouble with. But there are also other details that are clearly left open to be picked up in later entries in the series (or even other series?), which is a bit annoying, as I already think the G series feels a bit heavy on background lore. As a standalone work, θ wa Asonde Kureta yo does not satisfy.

While I quite enjoyed the first book in the G series, I thought that the second effort was a bit disappointing. θ wa Asonde Kureta yo is as a mystery not particularly exciting and it feels a bit alienating at times with characters from different series popping up. If you're well-read in Mori Hiroshi's series, I think θ wa Asonde Kureta yo offers great fanservice, but the downside is that it makes less accessible to the uninitiated. I hope the next volume is more enjoyable to read as a standalone mystery novel.

Original Japanese title(s): 森博嗣　『θ（シータ）は遊んでくれたよ ANOTHER PLAYMATE θ』

Break

BREAK MY LIES 

瞳に揺れてる涙に気づいて…

SAVE MY HEART!! 

震える口唇口づけて…

今　RETURN TO LOVE... 

「Break」（TWO-MIX)

Break my lies

Notice the tears flowing from my eyes...

Save my heart!!

Kiss my trembling lips...

Now Return to Love

"Break" (Two-Mix)

One of the weirdest courses I've followed at a Japanese university was Ancient Greek. Why would I study another language while I was in Japan to study Japanese?! Then again, I also did a semester Chinese around the same time...

Yamabuki Satsuki, a Master student at C University, is having a little reunion at an old friend's place in the Hattori Apartment Mansion, which also turns out to be the location of a very peculiar murder. Exactly one floor above his friend's room, the body of a student is found, bound with his arms to the ceiling and with a silver knife sticking out of his chest. Two details make this a mysterious murder. One is that the room was locked from the inside: both keys had been found inside the apartment and the door had to be opened by Yamabuki with the caretaker's key. The second peculiarity is the fact that a camera had been set to film the inside of the room slightly before and until after the discovery of the body. Together with his friends Kabeya Megumi and Kurage Kyuusuke, Satsuki tries to solve the locked room mystery of Mori Hiroshi's φ wa Kowareta ne ("Phi Broke Down", 2004), which like a lot of Mori's books carries an alternative English title: Path Connected φ Broke.

φ wa Kowareta ne is the first book in Mori Hiroshi's G series, with the G standing for Greek, as all titles in the book feature a Greek letter. The G series is also connected to several of Mori's other series, among which his most famous series, the S&M series, which starred the student Nishinosono Moe and the assistant-professor Saikawa Souhei. The G series is set several years after the S&M series. Protagonist Yamabuki Satsuki is studying with assistant-professor Kunieda Momoko, who used to be Saikawa's assistant in the S&M series, and S&M's protagonist Moe (now following a Doctor's course) appears a lot as she is doing a joint research with Kunieda.

The G series also mirrors some of the character relations of the S&M series: Kabeya Megumi is like former protagonist Moe the energetic, curious girl who keeps getting interested in murder cases and tries her hand at solving them. Kurage Kyuusuke on the other hand mirrors the former detective-role of assistant-professor Saikawa as a taciturn man who's only interested in solving the case for himself. This said though, prior knowledge of the S&M series is not really needed to enjoy φ wa Kowareta ne and in fact, the overall tone of the books is quite different and much easier to read than the S&M series.

I haven't much exposure to Mori Hiroshi, but the things I have read/heard were always a bit 'heavy'. Subete ga F ni Naru (the first book in the S&M series) basically started the scientific mystery boom, and it had plot strongly connected to 'new' technology like computers, networks, internet and virtual reality, which had only just reached the general public (the book was released in 1994).There's also quite a bit of philosphy on identity there, which is also heavily featured in Mori's 100 Years series. So Mori Hiroshi books always had a heavy image for me.

But not so with φ wa Kowareta ne: the book is relatively short and it's really easy to read. The plot stays focused on the mystery plot from start to end and I really like how the plot develops mostly through the discussions between Yamabuki, Megumi and Kurage. Of course, that's just a personal preference, but I usually enjoy detective stories where the protagonists discuss their theories and bounce ideas off each other. It works good here, as the talks between the three always lead to something, be it a correct or wrong theory and with new information being given to them every now and then, the unfolding of the mystery never comes to a complete stop. I thought this book was a lot more readable than Subete ga F ni Naru.

The locked room mystery is a bit simple, but quite fair and it fits the smaller scale of the G series compared to the we-have-cameras-and-high-tech-security-equipment-and-computers-and-everything locked room mysteries of the S&M series. One of the major hints of this book is actually quite brilliant, because it works at a meta-level and it is extremely difficult to realize it is indeed a hint until it is pointed out to you. Oh, and I usually don't really complain about motives for murders, but I do wish it had been made a bit more clear here, because the murder took a lot of trouble and to have the motive stay so vague at the end... (though motives in Mori Hiroshi stories seem to be a bit vague quite often).

I quite enjoyed φ wa Kowareta ne as a to-the-point locked room mystery with a brilliant hint and fun characters. So I'm definitely going to read more of the G series. I can imagine it works great as starting point to Mori too; the book itself features a competent locked room mystery and is fun to read, but it also offers some links to Mori's other series, so those curious can work themselves 'up' in the Mori universe.

Original Japanese title(s): 森博嗣　『φ（ファイ）は壊れたね PATH CONNECTED φ BROKE』

F Album

「命題は証明された」

『すべてがＦになる』

"The proposition has been proven" 

"Everything Becomes F"

The TV series in today's review ended just before Christmas, but an animated adaptation is already planned for later in 2015. And there's a reasonable chance I'm going to watch that too.

Subete ga F ni Naru ("Everything Becomes F") is a 2014 TV series based on the S&M novel series by Mori Hiroshi. The series borrows its title from the first book in the mystery series (reviewed here) and adapts five of the ten novels (each story consisting of two episodes). Like in the original novels, Subete ga F ni Naru is about the often impossible crimes the duo Saikawa Souhei (assistant-professor in Architecture) and Nishinosono Moe (student) encounter (thus the name S&M). Moe is the one who gets interested in cases and tries her hand at solving them (helped by the fact her uncle is a high-ranking police officer), while Saikawa is usually just dragged along against his will. It is always Saikawa however who solves the crime, though he only does so because he is interested in the problem itself and wants to know the answer (and is not particularly interested in denouncing the murderer).

The mysteries often have an impossible angle to them and also often feature a scientific tone to them. The first novel, Subete ga F ni Naru, is well remembered as groundbreaking as a scientific mystery novel, as it incorporated elements like computers, networks, viruses and virtual reality in its plot, which was all relatively new technology to consumers when the book was first released in 1994. Mori Hiroshi has an engineering background, which apparently often comes back in his books (I haven't read enough of his work to really add to that).

The series makes a fairly solid start with Tsumetai Misshitsu to Hakasetachi - Doctors in Isolated Room ("The Cold Locked Room and the Scientists - Doctors in Isolated Room"). Saikawa and Moe are visiting a research laboratory where they witness an experiment conducted in a super-cooled room, with lab assistants walking in and out the room in body suits. Saikawa and Moe join the little afterparty, which turns into a grieving party, when they discover the bodies of two lab assistants who had participated in the experiment inside a locked segment of the experiment room. The problem: from the moment the experiment started until the afterparty, the single entrance to the experiment room had been under constant observation, so how did the bodies get inside?

This was published as the fourth book in the S&M series, but was actually the first story Mori wrote: the manuscript of Subete ga F ni Naru just happened to win a prize, which became his debut novel (he had to shuffle with his stories because of that). Anyway, the setting is pretty cool (observed experiment, bodies popping up out of nowhere) and while it's quite easy to roughly guess what has happened, I think as a first episode, Tsumetai Misshitsu to Hakasetachi does a great job at presenting a solvable, but not too easy locked room murder, as well as introduce the major characters of the series. I just thought it a bit of a shame that the supercooled room wasn't of real importance to the mystery plot: I had kinda hoped that supercooling something was part of the mystery. Because you don't see that often.

Compared to the first episode, Fuuin Saido - Who Inside ("Sealed Once More - Who Inside") feels a lot more old-fashioned. No scientists and experiments, but a cursed box and vase which has made several victims inside a locked room. During a visit of Moe and Saikawa to the family, the curse takes another victim, so the two decide to solve the mystery. There is one part of the mystery I absolutely love for several reasons. I have actually also played with a similar trick in my head, so it was pretty cool to see a possible way of using it in a detective story, but I also managed to catch on it quickly because of that. The 'type' of trick is something I'd associate more with Mori's 100 Years series, but it works quite well here too. I thought the rest of the story not particularly memorable though and the mystery around the cursed box a bit too unbelievable.

I refer to my review of the novel if you want to know more about Subete ga F ni Naru - The Perfect Insider ("Everything Becomes F - The Perfect Insider") in detail, but in short, it's about the murder of the genius scientist Magata Shiki (who will turn out to be a pivotal figure in all of Mori's series), who until her escape from life lived inside a locked room inside a laboratory on an island. Moe and Saikawa happen to be in the facility when the dead body of Magata wearing a wedding dress is discovered, but no murderer is found inside the room where Magata had lived half her life. And what was the meaning of the words she spoke to Moe: they'll meet when everything becomes F?

Underwhelming might be the word I'm looking for. This is a TV drama, so it has budget limitations, but I had always imagined something... grander and more hi-techy from this story than what was presented here. I do have to say, part of this is because the drama is set in modern days, while the book was originally published in 1994. In twenty years, concepts like computers, networks and Trojan Horse viruses have become common knowledge in society, but they talked about these things in this episode like it was all magic, even though it's set in 2014. It just doesn't work. Also the first episode did way too little to set-up the story, resulting in something that felt rushed. As a mystery story, Subete ga F ni Naru is still fairly cool (even if not completely fair in my opinion), but I feel this adaptation could have been much better.

I do have to say, re-experiencing the story made me realize Subete ga F ni Naru is thematically a lot better than I had remembered. Not that the themes are presented particularly well in these episodes though, it definitely needed more screentime to really develop. But it reminds of Kyougoku Natsuhiko's Mouryou no Hako ("Box of Goblins") in a certain way at the core, which is not a bad thing at all.

Suuki ni Shite Mokei - Numerical Models ("A Figure of Ill-Fortune - Numerical Models") starts with the murder on a model actress (and decapitation!) in a locked room during a figurine convention. The obvious suspect is the only other person inside the locked room, but he happens to also be the main suspect of another locked room murder that happened at the same time at his university. What follows is a mystery story that is more focused on motive than the circumstances of the double locked room murder (which is actually rather simple) and while not bad per se, these two episodes are easily the weakest of the whole drama. I do have to admit, the setting of figurine collectors is an interesting one and while it is quite different from 'usual' business of the S&M series, I quite enjoyed seeing this background.

The final story Yuugen to Bishou no Pan - The Perfect Outside ("Limited and Very Little Bread - The Perfect Outsider") gives us a parade of impossible crimes commited in an amusement park: a body disappearing from a church, a woman killed in her hotel room with the police standing in front of the only exit and a man stabbed by a ghostly walking armor during a virtual reality demonstration. The only thing Moe and Saikawa do know is that Magata Shiki (who appeared two stories earlier) is behind this all. The episode itself is okay, with a rather daring solution to all of the murders that is elegantly simple, but I have the feeling that it just didn't work really well as a TV episode. I usually try to look at tricks & stuff in mystery fiction seperate from the plot, but this was definitely a story that would benefit a lot from better synergy between the mystery and the theme/story and I have the feeling that this is in fact the case for the novel. I suspect that simplifying the plot for 2x50 minutes just didn't work well for this story, as the story felt a bit underwhelming, despite obvious points of interest that could have been much more (the same holds for the adaptation of Subete ga F ni Naru by the way).

All in all, Subete ga F ni Naru was a fairly decent mystery series. I haven't read enough of the original novel series to comment on how the adaptation was (though I do remember being surprised at Saikawa being a Windows user in the TV series), but I do have the feeling that some of the more interesting parts of Mori's books (themes like the exact sciences and parts about conciousness) didn't really work out that good on screen and at times the series did feel a bit lacking. That is, while the TV series was okay, I could catch glimpses of themes and ideas that I'm quite sure are developed better in the original novels. An adaptation doesn't have to be an 1:1 copy of the original, of course, but with Mori's stories, I often feel that his mystery plots do benefit a lot from supporting themes. If you have the chance, I think the books have much more to offer, but if the TV series is your only choice, it's an amusing enough adaptation.

Original Japanese title(s): 森博嗣（原）　『すべてがＦになる』

Perchance to Dream

「ミチルの街に、神はいないのですか？

いません

では、誰を頼りにいきるのですか

自分自身です。

自分たちが神なのですか」

『女王の百年密室』

"Is there no god in your town, Michiru?

- No.

Who do you rely on in life?

- We rely on ourselves.

Are you yourselves gods then?"

"God Save the Queen"

It's creepy how fast time goes by if you're playing Animal Crossing. If you think about it, it's not that much different from a social game, well, except for the fact that you can perfectly play it on your own and it might make you actually less social in real life, but... so... addicting...

Earlier this year I reviewed the audio drama of Labyrinth in Arm of Morpheus, the second entry in Mori Hiroshi's 100 Years series; earlier this week I finally found the audio drama of Joou no Hyakunen Misshitsu (English title: God Save the Queen), the first adventure of journalist Saeba Michiru and Walkalone (android) partner Roidy. It is 100 years in the future (literally, as the books are set in 2113), technology had significant advancements resulting in androids, flying cars and the works. But cars still break down (especially when you are are heading somewhere to research an article), which leaves Michiru and Roidy wandering around on foot in the middle of nowhere, until they arrive in the walled city of Lunatic City. City-scale self-governing states can be found anywhere in the future, but Lunatic City is, as its name implies, a bit strange. According to its inhabitants, the city, ruled by Queen Debou Suho, is controlled by the god, leading to a for Michiru incomprehensible attitude towards death. In fact, nobody ever 'dies' in Lunatic City, they just fall in a long sleep. Which is what happens to prince Jura. He falls "asleep" in the royal quarters on top of the palace. And gained imprints of some hands on his neck in the process too. But witnesses (including the Queen, who was also present in the royal quarters), swear that nobody entered or left the palace. And what makes this case all the more hard on Michiru: it's not even considered a murder case because death, and therefore murder, doesn't exist in Lunatic City.

I just noticed something in my review of the previous book which is either an enormous coincidence, or I actually used to pay attention when writing my reviews. Anyway, I liked Labyrinth in Arm of Morpheus in general, so I was really looking forward to God Save the Queen and as people might know, whenever someone starts a review like this, chances are it ended up being disappointing. And yes, it was.

Let's just start with the bad: this is not really a fair locked room murder mystery. Not really, in the sense that Mori plays with the rules a bit, that definitely makes sense in-universe (Lunatic City), but not from the perspective of the reader. The problem of the vanishing murderer is solved instantly the moment the hint appears in the story and while I admit that thematically, it is a bit like the impossible crime situation in Labyrinth in Arm of Morpheus (and while I haven't read/listened to that much of Mori, I suspect it's a theme he likes a lot), the decapitation murder in Labyrinth was much more interesting than the murder in this story.

The story is also quite 'heavy' on the reader, who has not only have to cope with the eccentric world of Lunatic City, but also with Michiru, who has a shady past which is revealed as the story progresses. Which is not a bad thing per se, but if you have to deal with a(n unfair) murder mystery, a strange world and a protagonist whom the reader can only see as another mystery, well, it makes it hard for the reader to connect to the world.

Like I mentioned in the Labyrinth review, I quite like these travel-to-new-lands-with-its-own-culture-and-rules stories and I liked the concept of Lunatic City, but I have to say that a world where death is not recognized as such, thus resulting in a world where murder doesn't exist, would really drive a detective-character insane. Michiru wants to find the murderer of the prince, but nobody in Lunatic City seems to be helpful, only looking at Michiru and Roidy as outsiders who don't understand the world (but they are friendly enough to hold banquets in honor of the two).  I've read mysteries before that played with the archetypical roles of detectives, assistents and murderers, but one that actually messes with death, and therefore murder?

God Save the Queen is a fun adventure story with a mystery twist on it, but you shouldn't expect a real fair locked room murder mystery. The radio drama is made extra fun (at least for Detective Conan-fans!), because Takayama Minami, the voice actress of Conan, is doing Saeba Michiru. And yes, everything Michiru says sounds just like Conan.

Original Japanese title(s): 森博嗣　『女王の百年密室　GOD SAVE THE QUEEN』

『QはQuestionのQ』

「思い出と記憶って、どこが違うか知っている？」　犀川は煙草を消しながら言った。

「思い出は良いことばかり、記憶は嫌なことばかりだわ」

「そんなことはないよ。嫌な思い出も、楽しい記憶もある」

「じゃあ、何です？」

「思い出は全部記憶しているけど、記憶は全部は思い出せないんだ」

『すべてがＦになる - The Perfect Insider』

"Do you know what's the difference between memories and recollections?" Saikawa asked while he extinguished his cigarette.

"All memories are good, while recollections are bad"

"That's not right. You can have bad memories, and also good recollections"

"What's the difference then?"

"All recollections are memorized, but you can't recollect all of your memories"

"Everything Becomes F - The Perfect Insider"

Last week was the November Festival of Kyoto University, at which the Mystery Club was selling its magazine (?) Souanoshiro (or Souajou; both readings are correct). The first year members (even though I'm far from a first year student) were in charge of the booth, which was a new kind of experience. I had been to Kyushu University's school festival before, but such a festival is definitely different if you're on the selling side. Interesting was that Van Madoy himself was present at the booth too (often to sleep, but also to sign books). In fact, a lot of old members drop by to pick up this year's Souanoshiro, which meant that Maya Yutaka and Abiko Takemaru also visited the booth. And I totally got their Mii's with the 3DS's StreetPass functionality.

But anyway...

Mori Hiroshi's Subete ga F ni Naru - The Perfect Insider ("Everything Becomes F - The Perfect Insider") is the first novel in the S&M series starring assistent professor Saikawa Souhei and first year student (and old acquaintance) Nishinosono Moe, a dynamic duo that solves mainly locked room problems. We are first introduced to Magata Shiki, a genius (overall genius, but specialized in computer science and programming), who was once considered a child prodigy. Until that whole being accused of killing her parents incident when she was 14 years old and being diagnosed as suffering from multiple personality disorder. Since then she has been living inside locked quarters inside the Magata research institute, located on Himakajima island. Her living quarters are separated from the rest of the institute by two doors: one door can only be opened by Shiki herself, while the other has to be opened by other people at the institute. During a visit to Himakajima island, Saikawa and Moe request to meet Magata, only to be greeted by her corpse, in a wedding dress, while the computers inside her room display the enigmatic message: "Everything becomes F".

Hmmm. Subete ga F ni Naru is one of those famous works in contemporary Japanese mystery novels you just have to read and most people like it quite a lot, but for some reason or another, it just doesn't 'click' with me. It is definitely not a bad book (far from it!) and it does sorta mark the beginning of the scientific detective novel movement in Japan, so I can't really afford to ignore it here, but I really have trouble finding the right words to describe how I experienced Subete ga F ni Naru. Which explains why I wrote this review weeks after I had read the book. Well, that and I always have trouble finding relevant post titles.

There are roughly two problems in the novel: what happened inside Shiki's triple locked room (the island, the institute and Shiki's room), and how did the murderer escape from the locked room? It's the solution to the latter problem I don't really like (I love the former though). It is a trick that is quite innovative (especially considering the original release date of 1994!), but it is not completely fair to the reader. The foreshadowing/hints is/are not clear enough, or at least not detailed enough to absolutely point to the one solution. In hindsight, it all makes sense, but there are some details vital to the solution that seem skimmed over in the text until Saikawa gives the solution. It is a great trick in theory though and I would have been very pleased with it if Mori had planted more detailed hints in the text.

Even though this novel is set in reality, I had troubles in guessing what 'rules' Mori was going by with this story. It is something that can arise when dealing with mystery novels set in the future, or with a fantasy setting, but this is one of the rare instances where I had such troubles in a realistic setting. Of course, most mysteries I read are either set in an age where technology hasn't advanced this far yet, or set at an isolated location, or have a setting where technological advancement simply have no role, so that might explain why I didn't really "get" it. It's the same problem I often have with Higashino Keigo's scientific mystery series, Detective Galileo (applies mostly to the short stories).

I also had problems with the characters in the novel. Yes, they are all memorable and come alive on the pages, but in a slightly exaggerated way. It is for example a bit hard to swallow Shiki's genius if everything she does is just explained away by 'she's a genius'. Subete ga F ni Naru is not only a starting point for scientific mysteries, it is also often seen as one of the earliest novels to invoke kyara moe (not moe kyara by the way. That is something else). In short, to look at a work focusing on the characters (as opposed to plot, structure etc.). Definitely something to consider if you want to look at society and (second stage) New Orthodox detective novels, even if I am not really interested in that period.

Subete ga F ni Naru is definitely not bad and I am actually quite fond of the problem of what happened in Shiki's room, but I just can't feel that enthusiastic about the novel. Maybe it's because of the (unfair) expectations I had because it was such a famous book, maybe because scientific detectives, kyara moe and stuff aren't for me, but I am more likely to continue with Mori's 100 Years series than the S&M series. For those not fluent in Japanese, yet interested and fluent in French, I am sure the manga version has been released in France as F - The Perfect Insider.

Original Japanese title(s): 森博嗣 『すべてがＦになる　The Perfect Insider』

The Big Sleep

｢生きているのと、そうでないのと、両者の違いはどこありますか？｣ 

｢そうね……あなたが生きていれば、あなた以外の誰かが、あなたに会いたいと思う。他人に、そう思わせるキーワードが、生きているということかしら｣

『迷宮百年の睡魔』

"To be alive or not, what's the difference?"

"Well, I think as long as you are alive, someone besides you wants to meet you. To be alive is a keyword to let other people feel like that".

"Labyrinth in Arm of Morpheus"

So I actually spent quite some time cleaning up the code of the Library, but that is one of the few things readers here actually can't see. I once made a horrible editing mistake, leaving me with an enormous series of [open] tags at the beginning of the list and the [closing] tags spread randomly across the code. The code was just a total mess. For the reader, everything looked alright, but it was getting harder and harder for me to add entries in the library without upsetting the tags. It's clean now, but what an absolutely horrible job it is to go through that enormous list. Yes, there are double entries for writers and non-novel works (i.e. the Detective Conan movies are mentioned twice, once by Aoyama Goushou and once by the movies), but still, I write too much.

Anyway.... The fact that my first contact with Mori Hiroshi actually isn't Subete Ga F Ni Naru (The Perfect Insider), is in a way special, I guess. I for one wouldn't have guessed that it would not be The Perfect Insider, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Meaning I finally listened to NHK Youth Adventure's radio drama adaptation of Mori's Meikyuu Hyakunen no Suima (English title: Labyrinth in Arm of Morpheus), the second novel in the 100 Years series. I've had the drama on my mp3 player for just a little bit shorter than 100 years. The 100 Years series is set in the near future, in the twenty-second century. Technological advances have solved all of the world's energy problems. Human society has split itself up in small city-scale self-governing states spread over the globe. our protagonist is Saeba Michiru, a journalist who travels from town to town with his Walkalone partner (= android) Roidy to write up on the many quaint states.

Ile San Jacques is an island that was closed off from the outside world for many, many years. Having found out that his deceased girlfriend Akira once visited this island, Michiru asked for permission to enter the city for an article and was much to his own surprise actually allowed into Ile San Jacques. Arriving there, Michiru and Roidy are surprised to find out that the queen-dowager of Ile San Jacques bears an uncanny resemblance to the queen of Lunatic City, visited in the previous novel. During their visit to the palace, the chief monk is found murdered. The decapitated body lies in the middle of a mandala drawn with sand, not disturbed at all. Who could have chopped off the monk's head and gotten away with it without leaving a trace? Does it has something to do with the muddy past of Ile San Jacques, that says it once lay in the middle of a sandy field until the sea rose overnight to turn it into an island?

This is a really difficult story to rate. One problem I had with this story was that it is strongly connected with the first novel in the 100 Years series Joou no Hyakunen Misshitsu (God Save the Queen) and I unfortunately was not able to find that radio drama. The events that took place there seem to have a very strong influence on the behavior of the characters in this story, but lacking that backgound information, the first half of the drama was very confusing. A lot of the background information that is considered common knowledge within the story actually came as a shock to me when I first heard it, making it hard to keep up with the story developments at time. For not only was I, as a listener, trying to keep up with the whole world that was considered common knowledge within this story, I also had to keep up with Michiru who, as a visitor to Ile San Jacques, also had to learn about that mysterious world.

Lack of proper knowledge of the background setting also prevented me from really getting into a puzzle-solving mood. Unlike with The Caves of Steel, I was never sure what was technological possible in this world and what was not. Labyrinth in Arm of Morpheus is a science fiction fantasy, so with a very dreamy atmosphere controlling the whole world and in a world where it is hard to decide what is feasible or not, I don't feel comfortable in really challenging a murder mystery. In the end, the motive (and the method) of the murder indeed hinged on the science-fiction end of things, but it was a solution that was definitely more satisfying had I first read / listened to God Save the Queen.

Which is not to say that this was a disappointing story. I actually love these kind of science fiction fantasies. With a traveller with a robotic partner visiting different city-states with their own rules and characteristics, Labyrinth in Arm of Morpheus reminds of Kino no Tabi which is never a bad thing (I guess the non-Japanese example would be... Sliders?). The setting also allows the writer to become a bit philosophical, which works very well in Labyrinth in Arm of Morpheus, as the discussion is actually connected to the murder.

I did enjoy the story in the end, but more as science fiction fantasy than a proper mystery. This is probably also because I haven't read/listened to God Save the Queen, but I sure am interested now and also in seeing a rumored third and final entry in this series.

Oh, and it was at first a bit distracting to have Takayama Minami in the role of Michiru. Takayama in the role of a detective?

Original Japanese title(s): 森博嗣 （原） 『迷宮百年の睡魔』