This is the kind of manga that you definitely shouldn't read if you're feeling depressed. It's a cold, hard, unsympathetic and merciless look into the cruellest, most selfish, most twisted parts of society and human nature.

Iida is the kind of personality you rarely see in fiction, especially as the protagonist. He's icy-cold, strong-willed, calm, pragmatic in the extreme, and 100% sure of who he is and what he wants. He's not a likeable man, but imo he isn't meant to be, nor should he be considering the sombre tone of the plot. It may just be my fancy, but I believe the mangaka intended for him to be the embodiment of justice (or the Japanese ideal of it), and his character truly reflects that.

I thoroughly enjoyed (though 'enjoyed' may not be quite the right word) his relationships with his co-workers and acquaintances. Of particular note are his interactions with his second partner, Eriko: it was completely devoid of romantic tension despite their obvious mutual fondness; because workplace romance is completely out-of-character for both of them, the author had the backbone to keep it out of the story, though it undoubtedly lost him quite a few readers in the process. So if you're looking for a love story for either of the MC's, it's probably best to stay away. (Eriko has a love interest, but it is not the focus at any point)

The episodes are often very extreme and not particularly feasible from a real-life standpoint, since most of the cases (not to mention Iida's methods of dealing with them) are pretty fantastical; but that's actually a good thing in my eyes, as real-life crimes tend to be dull, uninspired, and lacking in suspense. But the actual emotions (lust, greed, hatred, self-preservation, religious fanaticism, mental instability) behind the characters' actions are very real indeed, and that's what matters to me personally when it comes to crime fiction.

The art style reflects the mood of the story perfectly. It's neither aesthetically pleasing nor 'sexy,' but I personally found it appealing in its own odd way.

Recommended for the jaded reader who's ready to handle a less "flowers-and-hearts" outlook towards life.

... Last updated on September 21st, 2015, 8:39am

Don't listen to the commenters. This is a dull series. I'm surprised it was more or less completely translated. It does have its moments but overall you can live without reading this one.

the main character is the major draw of this series IMO. He is cool in any interpretation, being calm and collected at whatever that happen. he is 'cold' but he is not freezing - you can see some of his humanities leaked out here and there when he deals with the people in his his own way. when i first read this manga i can't get past the first chapter because i felt he is too cold, but with experience i come to appreciate characters that do not fling out their emotions unnecessarily. aside from mc, other characters are also easily likable, and you came to be quite attached to some of them. however, DO NOT expect just because they are important or they have been hanging around for several volumes they are safe - the only safe person in this manga is the protagonist.

i do like the cases here since they are mostly different from other detective manga i had read. however, i do think most of them are unrealistic, and some even get into the world of psycho mumbo jumbo that i do not think should exist in sombre piece like this manga. and frankly, ida is quite a god mod character since i just don't think a person can take on an entire mafia/gangster/triad/ yakuza by themselves, but he can do it with nary a sweat. so i feel most of these cases is not realistic and just 'awesome' and 'cool' so don't expect too much from them.

the art is pleasing. i really like Ida's character design, his 'cool' expressions and his swanky outfit is great to look at. overall art match with the atmosphere and the story. i like that though there is copious amount of blood there is not much gore, it keep the focus of the story on the characters and the case.

this is really a great manga, but one need some experience with the manga world so one can become jaded and bored with normal protagonist to appreciate someone such as Ida.

... Last updated on September 16th, 2012, 11:32am

I like this manga. I liked that the main lead stayed indifferent throughout the whole manga. He didn't have a sudden revolution and change into an idealisitc, empathatic protagonist, he stayed as he was. I liked how the female lead stayed understated; she acted like a mature woman and there was no drama between her and the male lead, so the focus was kept on the cases.
One of the problems, for me, though, was that the cases didn't seem quite finished when they were finished. It could just have been the author leaving it open-ended, but there was always an uncomfortable jerk in the story when I realised after a few pages into a new chapter that it was a new case.
Most of the cases, if not all, focused on strange, out-of-the-ordinary murderers. Although this is needed to keep the series interesting, it wouldn't have done any harm if a few of the first cases had been a bog-standard murderer with nothing special.
There are few mangas about detectives, and even fewer which are more mature, than, say, QED and CMB (which in themselves aren't about a detective at all). It doesn't deal with the supernatural, it is, quite plain and simply, a manga about a detective.

Characters that appear cold or indifferent are fine with me generally because I know that though they may not show it they do have emotions. However, I found myself searching and searching for a hint of compassion in the protagonist. All I needed was a hint to let me know he was human deep, deep, deep down. And because I didn't find one, I'm not sure that there's anything more to him than that coldness. As far as I'm concerned, he can pragmatically kill as many people as he needs to, so long as I have that reassurance. Since I don't, there's nothing to engage me with his character.

... Last updated on April 18th, 2011, 8:34pm

Suspenseful, interesting stories. The art is really great and the cases always have me hooked. Just... it's so ambiguous sometimes and it frustrates me. Some cases I just find myself grabbing my hair and feeling really confused about WHAT the heck just happened. I just like more concrete endings, though, so that's just me. Iida is so ambiguous also, and while this makes him mysterious and fascinating, it still annoys me how I can't tell what his views are. Like someone said, he's just so inconsistent. I'm sometimes angry with his actions and sometimes I feel like cheering. A lot of times I also felt angry because I sympathized with the criminals more than I did with the "victims". Anyway, overall it's still a very good series. The sequel looks very good too!

Sauyadav, There is a sequel, or at least plans for one, so no worries
This is a cynical manga where the idealists get their hopes and dreams smashed to bits. Enjoy.

Besides me finding Ida to be quite attractive because of his villain looks, I honestly liked how he came to solve each problem in a different way. There was never a repeat as to how he deals with an issue. It was probably because all the problems he got into are not similar in any particular way. It went from a twin sister committing suicide to refugees on a snowy island to dealing with an ex-military convict. Basically, in Ida's world, everything isn't always about bunnies and sunshine. This is the dark reality.

It is addictive, entertaining, thoughtful and pretty clever manga. Characters and situations are so realistic you can see it all play in your head like a film. Protagonist is pretty interesting fellow, always surprises with his actions. A must read, I can guarantee there is not a single boring page from start to end. Only sad thing with it is that its short (at least for me) .

~.~

... Last updated on September 21st, 2009, 10:29am

This is one of the most addictive stories i have had the pleasure of reading. The story is amazing, the art is great, the characters, esepically Iida are awesome. This is why this particular mangaka is one of my personal favourites.

But it was missing something which disappointed me, and thats Iida's past, what caused him to be so cold, and what caused him to do the things he does, which had me asking these questions right down to the end. There is a sequel so i hope the author cover his bases with it, but excellent amanga overall.