History Literature / PsychicDetectiveYakumo

* {{Bishounen}}: [[TallDarkAndHandsome Yakumo,]] also a good number of the other male college students who pop up.

* ArmorPiercingSlap: Haruka delivers one to [[spoiler:Tatsuya]] in the Ritsu manga when it's clear that, in spite of being the culprit for an accidental hit-and-run murder, he's only considered for his own welfare, triggering Haruka's memories of her late sister.

** Most of the characters are given [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair otherworldly hair colours]] in the anime, including, purple, green, and pink.

* {{Megane}} / {{Meganekko}}: Although there are some minor characters who also qualify, the most important one is Ishii.

* NotSoDifferent: Yakumo and Haruka. See HeroicSelfDeprecation.

** in general, the severity of crimes is increased where possible, such as [[spoiler: Tatsuya non fatally hitting the ghost boy and then getting a local mechanic to finish the job]] instead of [[spoiler:hitting the child fatally and then poorly disguising his actual cause of death]]

** In volume six of the novel series, it is revealed that [[spoiler:Yakumo's father has also been DeadAllAlong, his ghost trying to drag Yakumo down to his own level of despair so he can take over his body]]. This is also true in the Oda manga.

** [[spoiler:Yakumo's father]] has silver hair in the anime.

* BadassInDistress: During the "Connected Feelings" case, Yakumo is held captive by [[spoiler:his DeadAllAlong father]], and is saved by [[spoiler:Haruka's arrival and his mother's ghost]].

** This has actually been [[spoiler: Yakumo's father's goal]] for [[spoiler:Yakumo]] from the very beginning, and the misfortune he brings leads to the character in question self-isolating to keep the people around them safe.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Subverted for Yakumo, whose left eye is red and allows him to see ghosts. Also subverted for Isshin, Yakumo's uncle, wears a red contact lens to match Yakumo's left eye in order to understand him a little more and share his burden. However, played straight with the mysterious man [[spoiler:who is revealed to be Yakumo's father]] (his appearance differs between adaptations).
* TheReveal: The red-eyed man turns out to be [[spoiler:[[ArchnemesisDad Yakumo's father]]]], and Shinsuke Takeda is [[spoiler:Yakumo's mother's fiancé]]. Then there's [[spoiler:Nanase Miyuki]], who hides behind multiple identities.

* ShipTease: This goes on with Yakumo and Haruka to almost WillTheyOrWontThey levels.

* SoundtrackDissonance: potentially unintended, but the final scene of episode 2 plays south Asian carnatic singing over [[spoiler:the red eyed man's henchwoman showing someone potential sacrifice victims with which he may be able to revive his daughter.]]

** In both the Oda manga and the Anime, a young [[spoiler: Miyuki Nanase]]is this, especially since she [[spoiler: kills her whole family]], [[AssholeVictim even if they treated her like crap]].

** This has actually been [[spoiler: Yakumo's father's goal]] for [[spoiler:Yakumo]] from the very beginning, and the misfortune he brings leads to the character in question self isolating to keep the people around them safe.
** In all continuities, [[spoiler: Miyuki Nanase]] has had to deal with this from her family, especially her "[[ParentalIncest father]]". However, unlike Yakumo, this just opened her up to the influences of [[spoiler: Yakumo's Dad]]

** this has actually been [[spoiler: Yakumo's father's goal]] for [[spoiler:Yakumo]] from the very beginning, and the misfortune he brings leads to the character in question self isolating to keep the people around them safe.
** in all continuities, [[spoiler: Miyuki Nanase]] has had to deal with this from her family, especially her "[[ParentalIncest father]]". However, unlike Yakumo, this just opened her up to the influences of [[spoiler: Yakumo's Dad]]

* GeniusSweetTooth: This is lampshaded in the Suzuka Oda series, where after interrogating the ghost possessing Miki, Yakumo needs to rest a while. It cuts to him eating ice cream at a cafe, with his excuse being that after "being forced to use his head," he needs sugar. Another extra in the same also plays on this.

''Psychic Detective Yakumo'' (or in Japanese ''Shinrei Tantei Yakumo'', or ''心霊探偵八雲'') is a series of novels by Manabu Kaminaga. The series has been running since 2004 and spans nineteen volumes as of August 2020 (twelve belong to the main series, six to side-stories, and one to Yakumo's youth).

** In both the Oda manga and the Anime, a young [[spoiler: Miyuki Nanase]]is this, especially since she [[spoiler: kills her whole family]], [[Asshole Victim even if they treated her like crap]].

* DefrostingIceKing: Thanks to Haruka, Yakumo starts to open up in his snarky, stoic way. This is lampshaded by Isshin in both manga series and Gotou in the novel and the Sazuka manga.

* BreakTheCutie: This is what happened to [[spoiler:Yakumo's mother]], who was revealed to have been kidnapped by [[spoiler:the man with two red eyes]] and was raped and impregnated by him. It is also implied that this was taken further leading to [[spoiler:her attempted murder of Yakumo]]. Multiple antagonists attempt to do this to [[spoiler:Haruka]] in order to "break" Yakumo, sometimes they are more direct about breaking Yakumo.

* CoolShades: The mysterious [[spoiler:red-eyed]] man (and, in the anime, his female accomplice) always sport these and frequently practices SunglassesAtNight.
* TheCoroner: Hata is a necrophile, but an otherwise good coroner (this is lampshaded in the novels and in the Sazuka manga).

* UnbelievableSourcePlot: The series has elements of this. Detective Gotou tends to keep the fact he's using a teenage boy who sees ghosts to help solve cases well under wraps. Yakumo himself, not so much, although in the beginning he does hide his ability to see ghosts... by using some tricks to make people think he's plain psychic to get some extra cash.

The series has spawned two completed manga series: one by Miyako Ritsu, subtitled ''Akai Hitomi wa Shitteiru'' (''The Red Eye Has a Clue''), and the other by Oda Suzuka, who is the character designer for the {{anime}} as well. It has also inspired a live-action drama, a stage play, and a ThirteenEpisodeAnime series by Creator/BeeTrain which aired on NHK in Fall 2010. Manabu Kaminaga has also written a prequel spin-off called ''Ukikumo Shinrei Kitan'' (''浮雲心霊奇譚'' or, in English, ''Strange Talk of Psychic Ukikumo'') set in the Edo period, which has six volumes as of August 2020.

** In volume six of the novel series, it is revealed that [[spoiler:Yakumo's father has also been DeadAllAlong, his ghost trying to drag Yakumo down to his own level of despair so he can take over his body]]. This is also true in the Suzuka manga.

* AdaptationDistillation: Plot elements of the manga arcs had been shortened or cut out to fit the ThirteenEpisodeAnime [[AnimatedAdaptation adaption]], and some character roles have been changed or added in to avoid plot holes. For example, Tatsuya is a co-worker of Haruka's instead of an acquaintance she met at Miki's party. Both the Ritsu manga and the anime only cover the beginning of the series. The Suzuka manga does cut out and change a few things from the novel, despite otherwise following it closely.

* FreakinessShame: When Haruka discovers Yakumo's red eye after he wounded from an attack, Yakumo tells her she must be disgusted (in the Ritsu version) or thinks that she would scream (Suzuka version). Instead, Haruka is the complete opposite and reassures him of it. She even thinks it's "pretty." In the novel, she sees it and says it's beautiful before Yakumo has a chance to comment, not that he doesn't refer to her as strange for this reason afterward.

* GeniusSweetTooth: This is lampshaded in the Oda Suzuka series, where after interrogating the ghost possessing Miki, Yakumo needs to rest a while. It cuts to him eating ice cream at a cafe, with his excuse being that after "being forced to use his head," he needs sugar. Another extra in the same also plays on this.

* HeroicSelfDeprecation: Yakumo and Haruka both have bouts of this. In the novel and in the Suzuka manga adaptation, Yakumo feels frustrated that he can not help others and can only "see" using his red eye. In the Ritsu manga adaptation, Haruka feels she can not help others in spite of so many people helping her. Gotou shows symptoms of this, even though with regard to a case which is unrelated to him, Hata tells him this makes him unsuited for being an officer.

** Yakumo almost never wears anything other than the worn out clothes he keeps in the club room, and Haruka does comment on this in the novel and the Suzuka manga.
* LoveAtFirstSight: In the Suzuka manga version and anime adaptation, Ishii sure seems a bit smitten with Haruka. In the former, he even thought she was an angel.

* SacrificialLamb: It varies between adaptations. In the novel and the Ritsu manga version--[[spoiler:Yuuichi and Shiori]], in the Suzuka version--[[spoiler:Kazuhiko]], and in the anime adaptation--[[spoiler: [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs both Yuiichi and Kazuhiko]]]]. In a way, it's easy to sympathize with Haruka, considering that all these people are [[spoiler:''her friends'']].

* SacrificialLamb: It varies between adaptations. In the novel and the Ritsu manga version--[[spoiler:Yuuichi and Shiori]], in the Suzuka version--[[spoiler:Kazuhiko]], and in the anime adaptation--[[spoiler:again, Yuuichi]]. In a way, it's easy to sympathize with Haruka, considering that all these people are [[spoiler:''her friends'']].

* AdaptationDistillation: Plot elements of the manga arcs had been shortened or cut out to fit the ThirteenEpisodeAnime [[AnimatedAdaptation adaption]], and some character roles have been changed or added in to avoid plot holes. For example, Tatsuya is a co-worker of Haruka's instead of an acquaintance she met at Miki's party. Both the Ritsu manga and the anime only cover the beginning of the series. The Sazuka manga does cut out and change a few things from the novel, to despite otherwise following it closely.

* DarkerAndEdgier: The anime somehow manages to be this in regards to both manga adaptations; the stakes are upped from the start, with the hidden room case becoming a [[SerialKiller Serial Murder]] case instead of an [[spoiler:AccidentalMurder case]] with a single victim.

* ParentalAbandonment: [[spoiler:After attempting to strangle him]], Yakumo's mother [[MissingMom disappeared;]] we don't know [[DisappearedDad what happened to his father.]] In the anime, his father [[spoiler:turns out to be the silver haired antagonist that's been trying to provoke Yakumo, and his mother is revealed to have been DeadAllAlong]]. Meanwhile, in the novel and in the Sazuka manga, it turns out that [[spoiler:both of his parents and his biological father]] are all revealed to have been DeadAllAlong, the former two, due to the latter's machinations.

* PsychopathicManchild: [[spoiler:Tatsuya]] shows elements of this, including assuming that Haruka likes him (she doesn't) and [[SelectiveObliviousness refusing to admit]] [[[[NeverMyFault responsibility for his actions]].

* MysteriousProtector: In the anime, [[spoiler:Shunsuke Takeda]] seems to be one for Yakumo and Haruka.

* NotWhatItLooksLike: After Haruka goes to Yakumo's place to consult him on seeing a ghost in her apartment, he starts taking off his shirt to change into a warmer one. Gatou happens to pick that time to drop in on Yakumo to ask him about a case. Subverted in that Gato ''knows'' it's not what it looks like and is simply the ShipperOnDeck for Haruka and Yakumo.

* PsychopathicManchild: [[spoiler:Tatsuya]] shows elements of this.