Étude in Black

"Do you remember what Darwin says about music? He claims that the power of producing and appreciating it existed among the human race long before the power of speech was arrived at. Perhaps that is why we are so subtly influenced by it. There are vague memories in our souls of those misty centuries when the world was in its childhood."

"A Study in Scarlet"

As individual chapters for many manga series are published in pretty hectic schedules, most professional manga artists (who can afford it) have assistants for specialized jobs, like cleaning pages, inking, lettering or for example drawing backgrounds, trees or fabrics. The job of assistant is also often a first step into becoming a professional themselves. Oda, creator of the hit series One Piece for example, is known to have been an assistant to Rurouni Kenshin's Watsuki for example. I knew that Aoyama Goushou, creator of Detective Conan, had a team of assistants too of course, but even so, the stories told in the recently released Gōshō Aoyama 30 Years Anniversary Book were quite a surprise. I for example had never known that his assistants have been there with Aoyama even from before Aoyama's debut, having been standing by his side since their college days, all the way up to this day. His assistants seem to be quite content as Aoyama's support.

Tani Yutaka is one of the better known assistants of Aoyama, as he's not solely working as support. Some might know his name from the Detective Conan Special spin-off series, with original Conan stories written and drawn by other people besides Aoyama. Tani was also the author of the first two original Detective Conan paperback novels. The first novel, Meitantei Conan - Koushuu Maizoukin Densetsu, was released in 2005, and as you might remember, I wasn't too big a fan of it. The third novel, Meitantei Conan: Enjinbara no Witch (2008), was much better, but was written by Taira Takahisa, who would also pen several of the novelizations of the Detective Conan live-action drama specials and episodes. There are at the moment no other original paperback novels of Detective Conan by the way save the trio of Koushuu Maizoukin Densetsu, Ejinbara no Witch and the book of today's post: the rest are novelizations of the films, episodes from the manga or from the live-action series.

The second of the original novels was also written by Tani Yutaka, and is titled Meitantei Conan: Satsujin Symphony ("Detective Conan: Murder Symphony", 2006).  The Haido Theater of Arts has recently been completed, and as the New Teito Philharmonic Orchestra will be calling the theater its new home now, they will also be opening the theater with a performance of Symphony No. 9 by Mahler. The stars of the show are of course Yui, violinist of the orchestra and Asakaze Akira, conductor of the orchestra and Yui's fiancé. The Sleeping Detective Mouri Kogorou is also invited for the grand opening, with Ran and Conan coming along too. After the performance is over however, a dead body is discovered in the dressing room of Yui. The victim is a paparazzi journalist who had been hinting at some scandal behind the New Teito Philharmonic Orchestra for some while in his articles, so at least some of the people in the orchestra might have a motive for wanting to kill him, but the problem is that  none of the people on stage that night could've killed him, as the victim had only come to the theater after the performance had already started, so the whole audience can vouch for the alibis of all the performers. Conan however suspects some foul play is at hand here, as his main suspect is indeed someone who Conan himself saw on stage all night.

I had read this book a long time ago already and I was not really impressed by the book the first time, but given that I had only just started studying Japanese at the time, I thought that this second reading might change my thoughts about it. It's always possible that I misunderstood some of the finer details for example, so I figured it can never hurt to read the book again now I have more reading experience.

Sadly enough though, it seems my first impression was the correct one. While better than his first attempt, Tani's second original Conan is still rather unsatisfying, especially if you realize that the third novel (by Taira) is so much better. What Tani does do correct is emulating the structure of a classic Conan story. One can easily imagine this to be a three-part story in the original manga, with the first chapter setting things up and ending with Conan setting his eyes on his main suspect, the second chapter with Conan gathering information and the third explaining howdunit. In terms of scale and structure of the plot, Satsujin Symphony does everything what'd you expect from a Conan story.

So then we arrive at the mystery plot and it's... well, bad is probably going too far, but it's far too simple. It's too little to build a whole novel around. Granted, these original novel paperbacks are aimed at a younger public, so I can't be demanding Anthony Berkeley-esque shenanigans here, but even so, the alibi of Conan's main suspect basically hinges on one single fact, and it's right from the start obvious that that someone might've played a trick with that fact. A simple trick might work if it's expertly combined with other elements to come up with a product that is greater than the sum of its parts, but that is not the case with Satsujin Symphony. It's a simple, short story that hinges on a simple, short trick and it does not try to do anything more than that. I just mentioned that structure-wise, this story does resemble the original manga, but most three-part stories in the manga feature either a more intricately designed trick, or several simpler tricks strung into an series so it's not dependent on one single thing. That is not the case here. The clewing is okay-ish, but again, with an idea so simple, clewing is hardly necessary.

Interestingly enough though, this is one of the few Conan stories about an orchestra and/or classical music. One might be tempted to think of the theatrical feature Detective Conan: Full Score of Fear, but that was released in 2008, two years after this book. Even considering the fact that production of a Detective Conan movie usually starts nearly two years before the actual release, considering the time needed to write a novel, I think Tani was first. The orchestra theme is used fairly well though in this book, though it's a missed chance that Tani did so little with the "Curse of the ninth", as he barely mentions it, after which he moves on to other subjects. A bit more fleshing out would've done wonders for this book, as a fleshed-out background was one of the things that made Taira's Ejinbara no Witch stand out as a Conan original paperback.

It's such a shame these original Conan paperbacks are more often a miss than a hit, as the novel series for the Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo series were almost all fairly to quite good, to the extent that the're actually part of the story (events and characters from the novels have found their way into the manga series eventually). The difference is of course that those novels were also written by the writer of the manga series. The two Tani Conan novels however are obviously of lesser quality than the original manga, and as they are not part of the series, you can just ignore them, basically sealing their fate: they are basically only intended for the fans, and even then they're not really worth your time, while I'd say most of the Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo novels could be read perfectly as standalone mystery novels too.

So Meitantei Conan: Satsujin Symphony is one of those parts of the grand Detective Conan franchise that is unlikely to find its way outside Japan, unlike the theatrical films etc., but it's certainly not a big loss for overseas fans. Of the three original paperback stories, Taira's Ejinbara no Witch is without a doubt the best, so if you really want to read one of them, make sure it's that one.

Original Japanese title(s): 青山剛昌（原）、谷豊（小説、絵）『名探偵コナン 殺人交響曲』

Name of the Game

"I live in the games. I search through systems, peoples, and cities, for this place."

"Reboot"

The last few years have seen an uprising on blogs on mystery fiction, and it has led to a small ecosphere, where people talk about their love for the genre over the internet. Often, the discussions will be about specific works or authors, but sometimes, you'll also see discussions on the best locked room murder trick, or how a murderer made a stupid mistake in an otherwise flawless plan, and at other times, these people will not only try to compete with a book author and the fictional detective in "a battle of the wits", but also with fellow people on the internet, with detective games or puzzles. But all of that is still peanuts compared to today's book.

Somewhere in a back alley of the internet, you'll find a small private video chat group populated by a colorful lot. "The Mad Header", "044APD", "aXe", "Zangya-kun" and "Professor Ban Douzen" are not ordinary people. That is not only because they use voice changers or wear funny masks like that of Darth Vader (The Mad Header) or Jason Voorhees (aXe). It's also not just because they love mystery fiction. This group is not ordinary, because they play a certain game. Once in a while, the group comes together to play a game of intellect: one member has to pose a locked room murder problem to the others, who will need to solve it using the available hints. But the catch is that the host of the problem must commit their locked room murder in real life. So the participants need to solve a real life locked murder, using the information gain from the news, as well as any additional information or hints provided by the host. Eternal glory awaits those who manage to solve a locked room murder, or who manages to mystify their fellow members. Utano Shougo's Misshitsu Satsujin Game 2.0 ("Locked Room Murder Game 2.0", 2009) details a new series of linked short stories about these ingenous, yet monstrous games of deduction.

I read the first Misshitsu Satsujin Game back in 2015 (the review wasn't posted until 2016 because of timey-wimey stuff) and it became one of my favorite reads of the year. It was not only highly entertaining as a short story collection focusing on locked room murders (some of them were really brilliant): the whole set-up of the tale, as well as the characters were memorable. The video web chat setting was not just a gimmick, but was used to its fullest, leading to surprising developments. One fine example was one member having an alibi for their locked murder, as they were busy video-chatting with the others during the murder in an earlier story! The characters, despite only interacting through webcams and hiding behind masks and avatars, were also incredibly lively, each with a distinct personality and way of talking, resulting in very entertaining chat sessions, making the whole book an absolute delight to read. So it was only a matter of time before I'd come back to the world of the Locked Room Murder Games.

For those who have read the first book and are wondering: at first the connection between that book and this one might seem a bit odd considering how that one ended, but a proper explanation is given over the course of the stories. The plot structure for most stories is fairly similiar: a host details the murder they committed, supplying some additional details about the victim and murder with pictures and videos they took of their deed, followed by several chat sessions where the participants propose solutions while bantering and bickering a lot. Occasionally, the chat sessions are interrupted by moments where we see the participants trying to gain more information in real life, for example by questioning the witnesses themselves or visiting the crime scenes in person. Each story is an entertaining read as all the participants keep throwing their thoughts at each other, constantly developing the plot further.

Q1: Tsugi Wa Dare Ga Koroshimasu Ka? ("Q1: Who Is Going To Kill Next?") starts with a surprising statement to the police by a young man who got arrested on suspicion of a series of murders. He only wrote down a series of numbers, mentioning only that this was all a game. "The Mad Header", "044APD", "aXe", "Zangya-kun" and "Professor Ban Douzen" quickly deduce that the man must also be playing some kind of internet murder game, just like themselves. The people in the other group are apparently murdering their victims in similar ways, making it appear like a serial murder. Working on the assumption that the series of numbers must have some meaning to the suspect's group, our group tries to figure out what that message is, and the details behind the other killing game. As an opener, it's a bit disappointing this story isn't a locked room mystery, but basically a code-cracking story. It's a pretty good one, granted, because as the stories develops, the other game is revealed to be quite shocking, and the way 'our' group deduces that truth is fairly solid. The story also functions as a fair introduction, as we see how the members of our group each gather information in their own way: some only look at the news, while others actually go to the crime scene themselves to gain an advantage over the others. So it's a good code-cracking story, but most people won't be reading this book for a code-cracking story....

Q2: Misshitsu Nado Nai ("Q2: No Locked Room At All") is a short intermezzo, as Professor Ban Douzen tries to lighten the mood with a short locked room puzzle (so this is not a murder they actually committed). The answer to their puzzle of how a murderer managed to attack a man living in  a house that had been closed off completely is utterly ridiculous, but oddly fair, due to the careful wording. It's obviously meant as a joke problem though. A variation on the same problem is offered with a more serious solution, which is better, but again, this is just light stuff compared to the actual murders they commit.

Q3: Kirisaki Jack Sanjuppun no Kodoku ("Q3: Jack the Ripper - Thirty Minutes of Solitude") is our first genuine locked room murder of the book, and it's a gem. A man was killed inside one of the buildings he owns. His daughter found him inside one of the office rooms, but at the time of the discovery, the only office door was blocked by something on the inside, so she had to push hard before she could open it. The objects blocking the door were her father's legs: his torso was lying in the middle of the room, his stomach cut open and all his organs had been pulled out. The legs had been put against the door after it had been shut and that door is the only exit out of the office. So how did Zangya-kun commit their gruesome murder and then managed to "lock" the door with the legs? The story has a nice pace, as the group banters on about the horrible murder case and Zangya-kun keeps on provocating the others for not being able to solve their murder. It's a very tricky locked room murder too, as it even features a trap. The story is also a good showcase of how a deduction should be based on clues: at one point Zangya-kun decides to reveal a clue on purpose to help the group out, and it's that one clue that changes all the deductions up to that point, changing the problem they had been playing with in something different. The way that one clue manages to turn everything upside down is absolutely brilliant, and results in an incredibly memorable locked room mystery. This story is titled after after a Shimada Souji novel by the way.

Q4: Soutou na Akuma ("Q4: An Unbelievable Devil") is an alibi deconstruction story, as the impossibility comes from the fact that the Mad Header couldn't have committed the murder they committed. The victim had been in Osaka on the night of her murder, and while her body was found buried somewhere thereabouts, her head was found inside the refrigerator of her own apartment back in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Tokyo. The problem however is that on the day of the murder, the Mad Header held several video chat sessions with his group, one of which together with the body even. These chat sessions however place him until a certain time in Tokyo, which means it would've been impossible for him to make it all the way to Osaka in time to do his video chat session with the victim's body. So how did he manage to make it in time to Osaka for the murder? The solution to the alibi is a bit simple, and not really impressive, but it's in fact no the main attraction of this story: once you realize how the alibi was created, a new riddle arises of how that situation could've been orchestrated in the first place, and that's when the story ventures into very surprising areas, making excellent use of its unique setting as a web-based story. I'd say this tale is more memorable because of the latter revelation (which is really surprising) than the (ostensibly) main puzzle, and one with a really nasty aftertaste (designed on purpose). The title is a play on Arisugawa Alice's Soutou no Akuma ("Double-Headed Devil")

Q5: Mittsu no Kannuki ("Q5: The Three Latches") is named after Carr's The Three Coffins, and features a special 'coffin' with three latches. aXe's victim was stuffed inside a transparant coffin, which had been locked from the inside by three latches, and the coffin itself stood a few meters away from a lonely automobile road. Snow had also fallen that night, but no footprints were found that led to or away from the coffin. The locked coffin and the untouched snow means a double impossible situation to solve for the chat group. The solution is a bit... dissappointing isn't the right word, but I'd say less impressive than the previous efforts? The other participants make the same complaint actually, but a transparent box dumped near a road isn't that memorable, and as early on aXe admits they themselves created the box, the reader will soon suspect there's something err... to suspect about the box. The way the impossible situation was created is in practical terms okay, but it misses... imagination, I guess.

Q6: Misshitsu yo , Saraba ("Q6: Farewell, My Locked Room") is the last full story in the volume, and is all about 044APD's daring locked room murder. The person 044APD announced they'd kill was indeed found murdered, but what baffles everyone is the fact the victim was found lying dead inside an apartment he had no connections to whatsoever. One of the inhabitants of the apartment was also murdered, but she and the victim had no ties at all. Furthermore, the apartment door and windows were naturally locked, and the only entrances leading inside the building are either the emergency exits (which can't be opened from outside), or the entrance which is being watched by a guard all day, with visitors being required to sign a register. So how did 044APD manage to get their victim inside a random apartment, in a secured building? This is by far the longest story, with 044APD holding several chat sessions as nobody manages to solve the conundrum. The solution is incredibly daring, with many steps required to accomplish the impossible. This is why we read mystery fiction! The sheer imagination and audacity needed to pull this murder off is what tickles our interests! And not only does it feature several ingenious red herrings (which also take on a completely different meaning when you know the truth) that manage to send the other participants in the wrong direction, it also makes good use of the internet chat group setting again to set off some other surprises on the way. This is really a good story that combines a great locked room mystery in a natural, but meaningful way with the overall plot, setting and the characters as established in the previous stories. Definitely this volume's MVP.

The book ends with the one-page long Q?: Soshite Tobira ga Hirakereta ("Q?: And Then The Door Was Opened"), but this is nothing more than a teaser for the third book in the series.

Like the first volume, Misshitsu Satsujin Game 2.0 proves to be a great locked room murder short story collection. The combination of a "modern" setting like a video chatroom (used to its fullest!), with a incredible cast of totally crazy people who commit murders for their own entertainment, and incredibly imaginative locked room murders means that this second volume is a gem too in the genre. There's so much goods going on here, from genuinely captivating conversations to surprising plot twists and usage of the web-setting, that I can only recommend Misshitsu Satsujin Game 2.0 wholeheartedly. The one minus point I could give it, is the fact that it resembles the first volume a lot, so it lacks the initial shock, but this is still a very good book.

Original Japanese title(s): 歌野昌午　『密室殺人ゲーム2.0』

Escape from Mystery Manor

「探偵小説を私は『お化け屋敷』の掛け小屋からリアリズムの外に出したかった」

『随筆　黒い手帖』（松本清張）

"I wanted to release the detective novel from the haunted house, into the realism outside."

"Essays: The Black Notebook" (Matsumoto Seichou)

It might be a mistaken impression of mine, but I have the feeling many of my fellow blogging collegues and aficionados consider the impossible mystery, and especially the locked room mystery, as what is perhaps the pinnacle of the mystery genre. I myself never got so deeply engaged with the locked room mystery to be honest. While I definitely enjoy a good impossible mystery, I have always preferred the emphasis on the process of solving a mystery through logical reasoning as seen in the whodunit novels by Ellery Queen. This does not mean the locked room mystery is incompatible with the logical whodunit school, but this fusion usually shifts the focus from the locked room situation itself to questions of who could've created the situation and for what reasons.

Van Dine was of course also one of the figures strongly associated with the logical school and it's his hand you mostly sense at first sight in Roger Scarlett's first two novels. Roger Scarlett was the pen name of  Evelyn Page and Dorothy Blair, and they debuted as Roger Scarlett with the 1930 novel The Beacon Hill Murders, followed in the same year by The Back Bay Murders. The two novels are quite similar in design, but also differ in some key elements. Both books show the influence of Van Dine right from the start though. Both of them are narrated by the attorney Underwood, who is friends with the brilliant Inspector Norton Kane, who in turn often works together with Sergeant Moran, who also serves as a part-time rival, part-time friend to Kane. This triforce naturally remind of the triangle featured in Van Dine's novels, which had narrator S.S. Van Dine, the master detective Philo Vance, and the official forces as personified in District Attorney Markham and Sergeant Heath. The difference is of course that in Scarlett's books, the master detective is actually a police detective himself, so the Markham and Heath characters from the Van Dine novels are basically mashed together in Sergeant Moran. Underwood is an incredible snob in the first novel by the way, with Kane having some of the smooth talking of Philo Vance, though that softens a bit in subsequent books for both characters.

The Beacon Hill Murders and The Back Bay Murders are both set in the city of Boston, but feature very different settings. The Beacon Hill Murders starts with a murder on Frederick Sutton, one of the nouveau riche and client of Underwood, and the subsequent investigation is completely focused on the Sutton residence and the rich family who lives there. The Back Bay Murders on the other hand is about the colorful lot in a boarding house. Arthur Prendergast is a neurotic young man who wants Kane to investigate a malicious prank someone left in his room, but not even Kane could've known that it would end in murder. While the settings of a rich family's home and a boarding home with various inhabitants couldn't be more different, the execution in both books is actually quite similar.

In my reviews of the fourth and fifth novels written by Roger Scarlett (Murder Among the Angells and In The First Degree) I noted how the buildings themselves were important factors in their respective stories: there was a distinct, dooming quality to them that gave them a silent presence in the story, which was emphasized by the abundant use of floorplans throughout the stories. Floorplans are also richly used in The Beacon Hill Murders and The Back Bay Murders, though I'd argue that as buildings themselves, the Sutton house and Mrs. Quincy's boarding house have less importance than in subsequent Scarlett novels. Instead, the design of the floorplans themselves become more important, because The Beacon Hill Murders and The Back Bay Murders both focus on one thing in their whodunnit plots: the alibi.

The investigation into where everybody was at the time of the murder is what drives both books. Little time schedules are given from time to time to show where everybody was at what time, and the floorplans therefore become significant in showing the movements of each and every character and how each of them could vouch for other people. This emphasis on the alibi however does make the middle part of both books rather dull, as you're constantly reading about people talking about where they were when. The Back Bay Murders does slightly better in that regard due to an early twist, but even then it's only barely better than The Beacon Hill Murders. It's interesting to see how these floorplans in these two books were more a tool to assist the alibi-oriented stories, while in later Scarlett novels, the floorplans, and the buildings themselves grew into something bigger than that (especially in Murder among the Angells). The emphasis on alibis is not particularly something Van Dine-ish, though even Van Dine experimented witth some interesting cases, for example with the chess game alibi in The Bishop Murder Case.

The emphasis on alibis is also what makes both The Beacon Hill Murders and The Back Bay Murders somewhat underwhelming, as both books don't go far beyond poking around alibis. The Beacon Hill Murders manages to do something more interesting with the focus on alibi investigation I have to admit, while The Back Bay Murders is rather predictable in terms of execution. Aosaki Yuugo's Suizokukan no Satsujin certainly wasn't perfect in terms of doing an alibi-oriented story: following the alibis of eleven suspects down to the minute was quite tiring, but it at least also had more than just that, and the alibis were tightly connected to those other elements. In these two Scarlett novels however, alibi is the star, and it's a rather dull star most of the time. The focus on character movement within the respective settings also means there's a highly claustrophobic atmosphere in both books, but as the buildings themselves are not as unique as the one in Murder Among the Angells, this pressing feeling is little more than just that, rather than a supporting element in a grander picture.

If I had to differentiate the two books however, I'd say The Beacon Hill Murders is the one that'll make a better impression overall, but it does feature a far smaller cast and a very limited setting. The Back Bay Murders features a more varied cast and is arguably more intricately plotted, but many of the plot elements are also rather obvious to the reader, and the reason for the murders is also quite weak compared to that of The Beacon Hill Murders.

The overall similarities between The Beacon Hill Murders and The Back Bay Murders and the fact that they are now available in one handy volume is why I reviewed these books together, but I'd advice against reading them back to back actually, as they are quite similar in atmosphere. I know that Murder Among the Angells and In The First Degree do feel quite different from each other and these first two books, so that makes me curious to the third book in the series. Anyway, these two books are not particularly impressive mystery novels on their own, but as part of the short Roger Scarlett bibliography, it's interesting to see how the focus in their writing style would shift from the alibi to the setting.

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』

A Little Man With Enormous Moustaches

“There’s no doubt at all about what the man’s profession has been. He’s a retired hairdresser. Look at that moustache of his.” 

"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd"

The transformation from an image conjured up by a collection of words printed on paper to a fully realized visual image is always a perilous one. If you have a hundred persons reading the exact same description and ask them to visualize the contents for other people, you might still end up with a hundred different manifestations of what should be one and the same. This holds especially for adaptations of popular works, often ensuing in discussions on what actually defining characteristics actually are, and how free an adaptation (or interpretation) can be, and if one can argue that "the original work" might not always be the best base. Today, I wish to take a look at one of the most often adapted infamous beings from mystery fiction and look at the characteristics and merits of each interpretation. When I mention the name of mystery queen Agatha Christie, you'll probably instantly understand what I'm talking about. I'm naturally speaking of the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot....... 's moustaches.

Hercule Poirot's moustaches are an important presence in the stories featuring the Belgian detective, appearing in all the stories where he appears in to. Would Poirot be Poirot without his moustaches? Of course not. There's a reason why you thought of Poirot when you saw the image above. Had it been a hat or a walking stick, you would never had recognized it as a symbol for Poirot. It's thus not an exaggeration to pose that Poirot only exists in our minds as a character because of his moustaches. The moustaches don't exist for Poirot, Poirot exists for the moustaches.

While often interrupted by long segments with a mystery plot, the stories by Agatha Christie about Poirot's moustaches do manage to portray a lively image of them. They have been described as "magnificent" (Double Sin),  "suspiciously black" (Appointment with Death) and "stiff and military" (The Mysterious Affair at Styles). A certain expert on moustaches from Belgian has been known to say that "nowhere in London have I observed anything to compare with them" in regards to the entity known as Poirot's moustaches. While Poirot's moustaches are already grand on their own, time is of course invested in them to keep them in tip-top shape. It's been said that the only thing about his own appearance that pleased Hercule Poirot was "the profusion of his moustaches, and the way they responded to grooming and treatment and trimming" (Hallowe'en Party). Poirot's moustaches don't do well in warmer climates however, as the heat makes them go limp (The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb).

As one of the most popular of Christie's creations, Poirot's moustaches have been adapted for both the silver and the smaller screen back home countless of times, each interpretation bringing something new on the table. In this humble monograph I will not attempt to do a comprehensive write-up on the moustaches, but only examine a selection of those adaptations, mostly the ones I myself am most familiar with.

Murder On The Orient Express (Film, 1974, on the face of Albert Finney)

The moustaches in the 1974 theatrical adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express are indeed magnificent: the profusion is unmistakenly there, especially between the nose and mouth, but notice how meticulously trimmed it is: the moustaches form a triangle, but the ends curl upwards to give it a playful look and to soften the facial characteristics of the man behind them. The moustaches are also undeniably suspiciously black.

Death On The Nile (Film, 1978, on the face of Peter Ustinov)

The moustaches in Death on the Nile however are not suspiciously black, and not even unsuspiciously black. One could argue that it wouldn't make sense for Ustinov to have black moustaches considering his cranial hair, but this does raise questions of what should be considered more important in an adaptation. Compared to the moustaches in Murder on the Orient Express, the Nile moustaches also lack the energy: look at how thinly grown it is beneath the nose. Is it a magnificent moustache? While there's certainly length, and the playful curls at the ends do add some character, one can only say that these moustaches are far less impressive than the 1974 ones.

Agatha Christie's Poirot (TV, 1989-2013, on the face of David Suchet)

David Suchet had the honor of being the vessel of Poirot moustaches for the longest period of any of its interpreters and that allowed for something not possible in earlier adaptations: change throughout time. Early on in this series, Poirot's moustaches were, while not as rich as in the 1974 Murder on the Orient Express moustaches, quite splendid: they were full, black and featured a more pronounced curl at the ends. I described the 1974 Murder on the Orient Express moustaches as a triangle, but here we have moustaches that feature nicely rounded curves that emphasize how well trimmed it is. The moustaches were often revised in later seasons: by the time of the last season, Poirot's moustaches were similar in volume like in earlier seasons, but the energy, the vigor had made way for fatigue, as the curls had all but straigthened out.

Murder On The Orient Express (TV, 2001, on the face of Alfred Molina)

They are black, yes, but obviously, these moustaches lack the strength of the 1974 editions, as well as those from Agatha Christie's Poirot. They look like they were only grown a few weeks ago and certainly don't show signs of having been groomed and trimmed, and don't even invoke the grandeur that Poirot's moustaches must have. No criminal would fear these. 

Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple (TV, 2004)

In the Japanese animated series Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple, we have a set of moustaches that are magnificent. Look at how richly grown it is, that's almost two fingers thick, enough to cover his mouth completely. Yet it is not only volume: notice how the curl up at the ends actually turn inwards. The 1974 edition only managed to curl outwards, while the moustaches in the early seasons of Agatha Christie's Poirot pointed straight upwards, but the moustaches in this series have enough density and volume to manage a curl inwards!

Murder on the Orient Express (PC videogame, 2006)

In this PC videogame adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, David Suchet was once again allowed to portray the vessel of Poirot's moustaches as Poirot's voice actor, and one can see that the moustaches here are quite similar to the early ones from Agatha Christie's Poirot. The curl up and the volume is quite similar to the TV series, while the distinct triangle form is reminicent of the 1974 theatrical adaptation of the famous moustaches.

Orient Kyuukou Satsujin Jiken (TV, 2015, on the face of NOMURA Mansai)

While the setting was relocated to Japan and the names of all the characters were changed, this two-part special is in fact both a faithful, and radically original adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, and it doesn't take a genius detective to recognize that Suguro Takeru's moustaches are in fact Poirot's moustaches. While a bit thin at the center, Suguro's moustaches have a refined look, emphasized by the distinct "W" form of it, different from the earlier triangle or horizontal line with curling ends forms. The ends are this time also exceptionally long, again showing off how much work such a moustache needs.

Murder On The Orient Express (Film, 2017, on the face of Kenneth Branagh)

The 2017 theatrical adaptation of Poirot's moustaches is by no means black, but it is definitely magnificent. "Stiff and militairy" they are not, as the volume is almost threatening: most of the other moustache adaptations mentioned earlier would fit two or three times in it! In fact, these are the only moustaches that actually go around to the sides of the face, in a distinct "WW" (double W) form. The almost grotesque form however becomes less pronounced once you actually see it in motion, probably because it is in fact basically a cartoon moustache. Character designs in animation often cheat by making certain characteristics always visible on the design no matter the camera angle, for example a standing pluck of hair that is always seen on the right side of a character no matter where the camera is. The 2017 moustaches follow the same principle: because the moustaches are so absurd long with a double W form, you'll see "W"-shaped moustaches from basically any angle besides from the back. It makes the moustaches ever present.

This monograph on moustaches has gone on for long enough, so I will end my admittedly incomplete examination here for the moment. The goal of this study was to indicate a preliminary selection of adaptations of Poirot's moustaches, and there is still much room for further research, for example in regards to the two videogame adaptations of The ABC Murders. Admirers of the moustaches are welcome to comment on their favorite interpretation of Poirot's moustaches in the comments below. Merci.

Bitter End

「事件の謎は、この舌が味わった！」

『神の舌を持つ男』

"I got a taste of this case's mystery!"

"The Man With the Tongue of God"

The best detective series about food that I know is still Kuitan. The comic, mind you, not the TV drama.

Tomonaga Ranmaru is known as the Man With the Tongue of God, as he can recognize any taste, and even analyze what's inside anything he licks. His gift is also his curse, as he can't even kiss a woman without the kiss turning into a cold breakdown of chemicals because of his taste buds. Ranmaru arrives one day in the remote village of Houzuki, where he falls in love with the local doctor. He decides to stay in the village, working as a masseur in the local inn, when his old companions finally trace him there The reunion is however not only with friends, but also with death, as once again, Ranmaru and his companions find themselves facing a mysterious murder. As Ranmaru's made a name for himself solving mysterious murders using his Tongue of God, he's asked to solve the murder on a local young man, whose body had been hidden inside a sink hole that recently appeared. Meanwhile, the local elderly are crying something about an ancient curse that is haunting the village, and they are blaming Ranmaru for the death. Can Ranmaru find out what's behind all this in the 2016 film Ranmaru Kami no Shita wo Motsu Otoko Sakagura Wakadanna Kaishi Jiken no Kage ni Hisomu Texas Otoko to Bohemian Okami, Soshite Bijin Muraisha wo Oitsumeru Nazo no Kagome Kagome Rouba Gundan To Sankenja no Mura no Noroi Ni 2 Sas Mania with Miyaken to Goddotan, Beroncho Adventure! Ryaku Shite... Ranmaru wa Nido Shinu. Houziki Death Road Hen ("Ranmaru - The Man With the Tongue of God - The Texas Man and The Bohemian Inn Hostess Lurking In The Shadows Behind The Mysterious Death Of The Young Sake Brewer, And The Army of Old Kagome-Kagome Women Who Are After The Beautiful Village Doctor, and The Village Curse Of The Three Sages, and A Two-Hour Suspense Drama, WITH Miyazaki Kenji and God Tongue, A Licking Adventure! In Short: Ranmaru Will Die Twice. Houzuki Death Road Chapter").

But the film is usually called Ranmaru. And you may have guessed from the title, but this is a comedy (parody) detective film.

Kami no Shita wo Motsu Otoko ("The Man With The Tongue of God") was a 2016 TV drama that I have not seen, though there were some names in the production team that caught my attention back then. First of all, the screenplay of the show was written by Sakurai Takeharu, who also wrote the screenplays for the films Kirin no Tsubasa and Gyakuten Saiban/Ace Attorney, as well as for the Detective Conan films Private Eye in the Distant Sea, Sunflowers of Inferno and The Darkest Nightmare. Meanwhile, Tsutsumi Yukihiko signed for the direction of the show, and we know him as the brilliant mind behind the greatest Japanese comedy-mystery show, Trick (and he also did the first TV drama adaptation of Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo, as well as Keizoku among others). From some short trailers I saw, I gathered Kami no Shita wo Motsu Otoko was very much made in the spirit of Trick, so I was certainly curious to the series, but I never got around to it. The 2016 film Ranmaru is set after the series, but it conveniently starts with a five-minute recap of the series.

And... it's pretty bad. Perhaps it's because I didn't watch the series, but this film felt like nothing more but an inferior version of Trick. Everything is ripped from that series, only it's not performed as well. Tsutsumi Yukihiko's distinctive style of directing can be felt throughout, from the quick cuts to the snappy dialogue and non-secutor jokes, but it all feels... so forced in comparison to Trick. The main setting of the story for example (small village in the middle-of-nowhere, ancient village curse), with the villagers speaking with a thick accent: it's something we've seen this countless of times in Trick. The comedy too is almost cowardly compared to the bizarre comedy of Trick, as Ranmaru relies much more on actual pop culture references, and most of the time they make it a point to make sure the viewer got it. By pointing it out. Once or twice. Just to be sure. Which becomes very tedious after the first two times. There's a running joke for example about the characters recognizing that Ranmaru is dressed as Kindaichi Kousuke, but can't recall the name, so they cry out "That's Kin...Kin...Kin....." Which is kinda overkill if the joke's just that he's dressed as Kindaichi. Compare to Trick Special 3, which was completely a parody on Inugamike no Ichizoku, but without actually crying the name out to show how "subtle" the reference was.

And this could be forgiven if the core mystery plot was good, but man, I've seldom seen a full-length mystery film with such a horrible plot! The one murder that happens in the whole story is so boring it doesn't manage to carry the whole film (the death just isn't interesting enough), and the way the murderer is revealed is utterly ridiculous and lazy, as the murderer basically left their calling card, complete with name and telephone number, at the scene of the crime, with the direction making sure the viewer absolutely caught that. Now I think about it, it's precisely the same as how the jokes go in this film. It assumes the viewer can't figure anything out on their own, so every joke and clue is horribly obvious, and they still dwell on it for ages. The gimmick of Ranmaru being able to taste and recognize everything is also rendered completely irrelevant because of the clue, as taste has absolutely nothing to do with it!

While the Trick films might not have been super-complex mystery films, they were always entertaining from start to finish, with multiple smaller, simple mysteries to solve, that eventually chained into one longer story. The Columbo method, in essence. But there's only one driving mystery in Ranmaru, and it's a bad one too, so the whole film collapses because of that. And one could argue that as it's more meant to be a comedy/parody film, the mystery plot doesn't need to be that strong, but the problem is that the comedy elements of Ranmaru are also pretty disappointing.

So yeah, Ranmaru was a pretty disappointing mystery film considering the main production staff members. I had expected more of it as a comedy film, and more of it as a mystery film. It's not good at either of those genres, and it undermines its own premise by doing next to doing with the taste-gimmick. Avoid at all costs.

Original Japanese title(s): 『RANMARU 神の舌を持つ男 酒蔵若旦那怪死事件の影に潜むテキサス男とボヘミアン女将、そして美人村医者を追い詰める謎のかごめかごめ老婆軍団と三賢者の村の呪いに2サスマニアwithミヤケンとゴッドタン、ベロンチョアドベンチャー! 略して…蘭丸は二度死ぬ。鬼灯デスロード編』

The Mourning Locomotive

"My name is Hercule Poirot, and I am probably the greatest detective in the world."

"Murder on the Orient Express" 

A lot of the media we consume nowadays is an adaptation of some other work. I myself don't consider that a problem by the way. It has happened often that I read/watch/listen to an adaptation of a work I might not have consumed otherwise. It might be very difficult to procure the original work for example, or perhaps the format of the adaptation is much better accessible (for example, one film of two hours as opposed to having to read a six-hour novel). And sometimes, your initial interest in an adaptation was only piqued because of a certain name involved with the project, for example an actor. And while I certainly don't deny there are err... less optimal adaptations out there, I do think that the change in medium and format can often add new, surprising dimensions to a work. I don't often watch the Detective Conan animated TV series for example, because I prefer the pacing and artwork of the original comic, but some scenes definitely become much more engaging with the awesome voice-acting of the series.

The first time I ever experienced Agatha Christie's famous mystery novel Murder on the Orient Express (1934) was with the 1974 theatrical adaptation directed by Sidney Lumet. I don't remember how old I was (I was quite young), but the film was on the television on a holiday afternoon, and I think I only started watching halfway through, but it really got me. I was already aware of Christie's egg-shaped detective Poirot through the TV series starring David Suchet, and it took some time for me to realize that the character Albert Finney was in fact the same Poirot, but by the time the denouement had started, I felt the the same wonder of surprise I felt when watching the Poirot TV series. I absolutely loved the whole setting, from its wonderfully diverse cast to the romantic, yet claustrophobic setting of a luxury train stranded in the snow and of course a classic Christie solution. Yes, the solution might be a bit too well known these days, but the way the story slowly plays with reader expectations as it moves towards the conclusion and the way the various characters play foil to each other is fantastic.

I have afterwards also read the original book, but have always kept a weak spot for the 1974 film as it really visualizes the grandeur of the setting really well and I love the denouement scene, which in my opinion has more drive, more energy than the original novel as Poirot reveals truth upon truth. Murder on the Orient Express might also be the work I've consumed the most adaptations of. The BBC Radio audio drama adaptation for example is a fantastic adaptation that is quite faithful to the original novel. I was quite disappointed in the adaptation for the Poirot TV series in 2010. While it definitely managed to set itself apart from the 1974 adaptation by focusing on Poirot's internal turmoil on the issue if murderering the victim, a ruthless child murderer, was a sinful crime or not, but it went way too far into the darkness for my taste. The Japanese 2015 adaptation for TV directed by Mitani Kouki consisted of two episodes. The first episode was entertaining, but far too close to the 1974 film. The second episode however did something that had not been done before: it was an inverted mystery story, which told how the murder on the Orient Express was planned and eventually executed. This second episode suited Mitani's style much better, as he mostly specializes in comedies about "backstage" settings (Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald for example is about the antics going on during the live performance of a certain radio drama, while The Uchoten Hotel is about the most chaotic night ever at a hotel). This adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express was not perfect perhaps, but definitely worth a watch and an exciting adaptation that truly added something new.

To be honest, I was not very enthusiastic when I first heard that 2017 would bring us a new theatrical adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express. Recent adaptations of Agatha Christie's work were a bit of a hit or miss for me (And Then There Were None was a hit, Partners in Crime a miss) and I had already consumed so many adaptations of this story, could this new film directed by Kenneth Branagh actually bring something new to the table? In any case, there was a star-stud cast on board (of which Judi Dench definitely interested me the most), and it appeared to be a fairly faithful adaptation, in the sense that it would actually take place in the past, and not in contemporary times or the future. So I decided to bite the bullet, and watch it. For those not familiar with the story in any form (why have you have read until this point?): the famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is travelling back from Istanbul to Calais with the luxury train the Orient Express. On the second night one of his fellow passengers on the Calais Coach, a Mr. Ratchett, is horribly stabbed to death. It just so happens that the train stranded in the snow that same night and because all the coaches are kept locked in the night, the murderer must still be present in the Calais Coach, and Mr. Bouc, a director of the Wagon Lit and friend of Poirot, implores Poirot to figure out who of the remaining passengers on the Calais Coach is the murderer before the train is rescued and the police arrives.

As I said, my expectations were not very high, but I have to admit, I enjoyed this film more than I had expected. The first and most important thought on my mind was of course, can this adaptation bring something new, or at least something to set it apart from the other adaptations? And I think it does. First of all, it manages to find itself a nice spot right between the at times far too glamorous and lighthearted 1974 adaptation, and the into-the-depths-of-my-soul darkness of the 2010 Suchet TV adaptation. While I love the comedy of the 1974 film, and I think it also fits the atmosphere of the tale because many characters in the cast play off well against each other, I think the 2017 film manages to bring more gravitas to the story, without going overboard like the 2010 TV edition. The victim Ratchett is soon revealed as a horrible murderer himself, and while the 1974 film ends with basically a dinner party celebrating the man's death, the 2010 TV edition focuses extremely on Poirot's internal struggle on whether he himself should condemn the person who killed someone who is perhaps better of dead. The 2017 film focuses more on the effects the evil deeds of Ratchett had upon others, and it allows this film to actually address similar issues like the 2010 TV adaptation did, but without sounding too high-handed.

The 2017 film also does a good job at presenting the viewer with diversity to the eye. An often heard critique on the original story is that most of it consists of dry interviews by Poirot with the many, many suspects, so you get a long line of scenes of people telling their stories inside a small train. The 2017 film at least attempts to bring more variety, by changing up the background scenery of the scenes (one of the interviews is done outside the train for example) evey time, and through the streamlining of some of the interview scenes (the jumping might perhaps make the story slightly harder to grasp for someone not familiar with the original though). Poirot also makes some wild accusations at his suspects to rile them up, leading to a few early confrontation scenes that are not present in the original story, again to make the long middle part more exciting to watch. The effect of this is debatable: I actually think the denouement of this 2017 adaptation misses a bit of the energy the 1974 film had, because the revelations were more end-loaded there, resulting in a more impressive denouement scene, whereas in the 2017 film, it's fairly short and depends less on the mystery-solving, but other elements like visual allusions. This film is also interestingly not particularly gory or yelling bloody murder. In fact, you don't even get a good look at the body when it is first discovered, and even in the denouement scene, you don't really get a good look at how the actual stabbing of the victim is done. Despite the word murder in the title, the actual death of Ratchett is really not the focal point of the story, but into the effect he had on other people while in life.

Those who have seen the trailer, might also have noticed a few scenes that might appear like *gasp* action scenes. Poirot is certainly not a fighting Sherlock Holmes like Robert Downey Jr. portrayed the great detective, and the scenes in this film that actually involve people running or doing even something remotely strenous amount to perhaps to three, four minutes in total, but still it's weird to see Poirot in action scenes. Poirot is not portrayed even remotely as an action hero, mind you, but even the little things he does here feel a bit weird. Ah well, perhaps this is a slightly younger Poirot who still has some of the old policeman in him. And obviously, these "action scenes" are again to shake things up a bit in the middle part. Poirot himself works really well on the screen by the way, he's the compassionate seeker of truth and champion of justice you know from the books and other adaptations, and also has the streak of mischief and eccentricity that belongs to him.

I have no principal objections against changes when adapting a work, and you really have to go against what I think is the spirit of the original work before you hear me really complain. The Japanese 2015 adaptation was set in Japan for example, but still worked as the characters were still loyal to their original counterparts. That the Swedish missionary Greta Ohlsson is changed to a Latina missionary because she's played by Penélope Cruz in this film doesn't really bother me for example, especially not because her new name is actually borrowed from another Poirot story. A few new red herrings work out quite well too. Other changes are less troublesome, I think though. The characters of Doctor Constantine and Colonel Arbuthnot are merged in this film for example, but that doesn't work for me: Doctor Constantine was needed in the original story to give independent insight into the time of murder, because he could not have committed the murder. In the 2017 film, it's Dr. Arbuthnot who examines Ratchett even though he himself is one of the suspects, so that affects the strength of his testimony. The biggest problem however occurs during the denouement, when the murderer confesses to the crime and explains how it was commited from their point of view. I might've missed a line of dialogue somewhere, or perhaps the editing was not optimal, but the presentation at the very least made it seem like the order of certain events had been swapped in this film, which however renders most of the actions taken by the murderer quite meaningless! They were done for a certain reason in the original story, and all the other adaptations I know stuck to that, but by changing that detail, the reason for doing all those actions disappears, so it makes you wonder why those actions were taken anyway in this film. Perhaps I just missed a line though, and it's all my mistake (which I hope, as it'd be a rather big mistake in the plot).

Spoilers for Murder on the Orient Express (original novel and 2017 film) (Select to read):
In the 2017 film, it appeared like Linda Arden called for Michel and spoke French to him from Ratchett's compartment after they had killed him. In the original story however, that line was only spoken to fool Poirot into thinking Ratchett had already been dead by that time (as Ratchett couldn't speak French), which was during a period when everyone in the Calais Coach had an alibi. In truth Ratchett was murdered long after that line was spoken, when nobody had an alibi. In the 2017 film however, it appears the crime was committed in the wrong time period.
End Spoilers

Oh, and something on Poirot's mustache in this film. It looks ridiculous, almost grotesque, but it's surprisingly not really distracting or even that present once the film gets going. What bothered me was the inconsistency in how they treated in the film however. Why would Poirot put on a mustache-cover when he sleeps one night, but not the other?

Some final thoughts. I think this 2017 adaptation works despite, or perhaps because of some of its idiosyncrasies. It feels unique enough an adaptation of a work that has been adapted many times and I think it will also be an entertaining view for people not familiar with the original story, or even Poirot himself. The film ends with a reference to another famous Poirot novel, that might or might not be adapted at some time I guess, though my personal recommendation would be The Big Four. Oh man, a straight adaptation of The Big Four would be a hoot, and also have enough action, plot twist and charismatic characters to suit a theatrical release, and I think this Poirot, as played by Kenneth Branagh, would actually be able to fit that story.