alt title(s): Kindaichi Case Files; Kindaichi Shonen No Jikenbo
Kindaichi Hajime, as the grandson of famous detective
Kindaichi Kosuke
, picked up the tricks of his trade from Grandpa and, after proving himself to the skeptical police in his first case, finds himself tangled up in the murder mystery from hell on a regular basis.
This work provides examples of:
- Accidental Pervert - Both played straight and subverted; Kindaichi himself tries to pass himself off as this on multiple occasions, but he's also walked in on people he didn't mean to. (This even provides the solution to one of his mysteries.)
- Alternate Character Interpretation: The live action adaptation makes it seem more like Kinaichi is Oblivious To Love (at least in Miyuki's case) rather than just playing coy.
- Amateur Sleuth
- And Then There Were None
- Asshole Victim - More often the rule than the exception.
- Bandaged Face - Not uncommonly
- Book Dumb - Kindaichi pretends to be this so that he can slack off in class (as he is too lazy to study for tests), but as a detective he demonstrates a wide range of knowledge.
- Brother Sister Incest - The death of a man's (half)sibling lover kicks off a Roaring Rampage Of Revenge in one mystery.
- The same case alludes to another tale of brother/sister incest which made the location of the mystery (the lake where the pair ultimately drowned themselves) particularly bizarre.
- Busmans Holiday - Most of the time, Kindaichi is called out to the locations due to his reputation as a detective, but he's run into his share of murders while on vacation.
- Kenmochi got this in his first appearance in the series, having stayed at the Opera House hotel for a vacation.
- Can Not Spit It Out - Kindaichi is coy about his feelings for Miyuki, and the one time he does manage to spit it out, his confession is muffled by the marching band.
- Catch Phrase - "In the name of my grandfather..." and "This mystery is solved!".
- Chekovs Gun - Any incidental object (or sometimes person) in a scene could provide the solution to the mystery.
- Chivalrous Pervert - Kindaichi is something of a skirt chaser, but he is still more or less a gentleman.
- Clueless Mystery - Averted and then some thanks to Tokyopop's attempts at Cultural Translation.
- Criminal Mind Games - Played with in one case when the murderer releases clues in hope of getting the public at large to help him find what he is looking for.
- Used in a more literal sense in a different case, when the murderer attempts to kill a girl by putting poisonous tarantulas in the bathroom while she showers.
- Cultural Translation - Quite a few of the clues that rely on Japanese language or culture were changed for the English version so that the clues could still be solved by an astute reader.
- Driven To Suicide - The occasional fate of a cornered suspect, though Kindaichi always does his best to prevent this from happening.
- This also happens to quite a few of the people who the murderers are off to avenge.
- Dying Clue - Quite often left in some form of code.
- Eureka Moment - If the change in Kindaichi's expression doesn't tell you he's had one, then the Catch Phrase drop certainly will.
- Everyone Knows Morse - Justified when Kindaichi finds himself among a group of war game enthusiasts.
- Giving Someone The Pointer Finger
- Infant Immortality - Averted in The Undying Butterflies.
- Jigsaw Puzzle Plot - The clues are all there for the reader to find, but good luck coming to the same conclusion Kindaichi does in the grand reveal.
- Live Action Adaptation - Featuring, in this troper's opinion, some of the most Squick-tastic sound effects ever.
- Locked Room Mystery - Almost every story.
- Motive Rant
- My God What Have I Done - Many a killer has experienced this after the case has been solved when Kindaichi presents them with information that makes them realize how misguided their actions were.
- Nightmare Fuel - Most cases with a supposedly "supernatural" culprit counts. There are many of them. The one that kept This Troper awake as a child occured in the live action "The Seven Mysteries of the School" case with a scene involving a science lab at night with a jar containing a human head that suddenly...opened its eyes.
- Never One Murder
- Pull The Thread
- The Rival - Kindaichi occasionally faces off against arrogant pretty boy detective Akechi, and gets a Moriarity-esque recurring character who uses every opportunity to taunt Kindaichi on his uselessness.
- Shut Up Hannibal - Kindaichi's reaction to many a Motive Rant and/or Suicide Attempt.
- The Summation - All the time.
- Tarot Motifs - Unfamiliarity with how a Tarot deck works is used to point out the murderer in one mystery.
- Too Good To Last - At least in America, in this troper's opinion. Damn you, Tokyo Pop!
- Unlucky Childhood Friend - Miyuki in particular, and several of the other victims as well.
