Being a great detective isn’t all it’s cracked up to be in Syd Craft: Love is a Mystery chapter 1 as Taishi Tsutsui introduces us to the wacky world of his new mystery series. Although this might sound like a big departure from the author’s previous works, could it actually be surprisingly similar?
One thing I definitely didn’t have on my bingo card for 2024 was Taishi Tsutsui coming back to the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump. Not only did he finish up We Never Learn all the way back in 2020, he also launched a series of one-shots and short series afterwards that never seemed to go anywhere, such as Wako Chako Youko no Fuwa Recipe for the educational imprint Bentame Jump. Considering this spotty subsequent record and the sheer amount of time that has passed since his breakout hit, it was more natural to assume that his moment had simply passed.
And yet, here we are.
Most readers will probably know Tsutsui as the author of harem romantic comedy series We Never Learn, but Syd Craft couldn’t appear more different from that on first glance. Chapter 1 introduces us almost straight away to its fascinating core concept: that great detectives don’t choose their calling, rather they are drawn towards cases by the forces of destiny. This is an interesting take on the often-parodied phenomnom that detectives seem to come across murders wherever they go, as well as bring in exactly the same supporting characters each time (looking at you, Detective Conan).
Nevertheless, there is a twist. While the titular protagonist Syd Craft is destined to be a great detective, he’s more of a romantic: not only does he hate looking at blood and gore, he’s more interested in love stories than mystery novels. Chapter 1 also sets up the hilarious dynamic that he always seems to end up falling in love with the culprit before having to reveal their wrong-doings, thus putting an end to any chance of a relationship.
As a result, Syd Craft carries a great many more romantic trappings than initially thought. The end of chapter 1 also suggests that this might even end up being a harem series as not only is Syd’ assistant Elio revealed to be a cute girl, police inspector Souffle Flamberry is also heavily implied to be the main character’s childhood first love. Just how important these elements will prove to be remains to be seen, but the foundation is certainly there.
If Taishi Tsutsui does end up penning another harem romantic comedy, then so be it. Mystery series traditionally haven’t fared too well in Weekly Shonen Jump: Kazusa Inaoka’s i tell c ended after just three volumes, and The Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins by Taizan 5 went off the rails something serious towards the end. It’s long been my opinion that crafting compelling mystery stories on a weekly serialisation schedule is pretty much impossible unless you’re Gosho Aoyama, but if Tsutsui can twist the genre so that he can leverage his past experience? I’m in.
You can read Syd Craft: Love is a Mystery chapter 1 for free via VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump.
