I saw this series getting a lot of flak due to the poor art. I wanted to give it a chance, since the art didn't seem that bad to me. Sure, some (most) characters look slightly retarded but does it really matter as long as the story is good... right?

Too bad that Remote isn't even remotely sensible series. I can forgive comics a lot. In such an episodic series I am even willing to forgive some clear misses, as long as the batting record overall is tolerable. Unfortunately in this case the most of the time is spent outside of the field.

To put it simply - the comic is stupid. In a crime mystery series that is not a desirable trait. Sure, the main character is not the brightest tool in the shed (or even trained to her position - why the hell do they allow her to carry firearms?), but at least her superior is supposed to be some sort of a genius... which unfortunately does not display in the choices he makes. Remote features idiotic characters in extremely silly situations making moronic choices, yet still somehow ending up in a positive outcome.

I found myself raging at the comic so many times that finishing the 10th volume was truly a gruelling experience. This comic is not meant for grown ups, despite the "mature" themes. If you feel that you have average intellect, steer clear from it. There are tons of better options out there.

People have definitely been too hard on this series. The art is bad? Only so in the beginning. The hardly imaginable plotlines? Come on, this is manga we're talking about. The medium that produced Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro - one of the most over-the-top, unrealistic and delicious detective series ever. Fer chrissake. The fanservice? If you're grumbling about that in manga, you're probably left with Worst and Gon.

The art is decent: simplistic, true, but it conveys the moods and character expressions nicely. It reminds a bit of Baka & Gogh, and is certainly better than The Hating Girl (which is a nice series, despite the abysmal drawings). The plotlines hold their own well against the genre standards. The story writer does run through the crime fiction cliches, but the whole genre is based on cliches anyway, and what matters is that the intrigue is present and the perpetrators aren't obvious enough to be guessed beforehand, at least during a casual read (you aren't going to meditate on this series, are you?).

Besides, there's a little ace in the sleeve here: the characters' behaviour is surprisingly realistic, especially in case of the heroine. The story is built around and propelled by typical plot devices, but the heroes react to the environment like real persons, not like stock characters of shounen mangas, whose actions are like a true hobbit's opinion: you needen't bother to check it out to know it. No profound psychological depth, but it's a nice selling point for those who like to read about people, not cardboard cutouts.

All in all, this is a typical manga, of course; nothing groundbreaking. But if you don't go in expecting Urasawa Naoki, you may be in for a nice little surprise. I know I was.

... Last updated on February 22nd, 2011, 8:16am

An emotionally unstable female lead + caved in genius + random pervert moments = masterpiece LOL
Reading this manga just made my day esp the disclaimer: Manga-Sketchbook not so proudly present: Remote, where ugly art and pointless fanservice combine! Yepppp that totally made my day ^^

well, i haven't read many mystery books in manga form, but i think this series is pretty good. the interaction between ayaki and himuro is interesting, and i like how the author develops the characters.

on the other hand, the mysteries do seem pretty typical.... and shingo gets quite annnoying after a while. but what the heck, i'm reading this purely to see the development of himuro and ayaki's relationship =D

... Last updated on October 15th, 2007, 7:12am

Ah, its not the best manga that ive read by i did enjoy it. It kinda reminded me of death note. I feel sorry for shingo. I can see him being in the next murder suspect in one of her cases. I think ill try out some more mysteries. Dang that chick is a bitch, and not even in a good way.

Erm... if you want better detective series, either read Kindaichi, Tantei Gakuen Q or something else. This series assumes so much, it's laughable. At least the mangaka improved significantly in Tantei Gakuen Q, in establishing sound assumptions and well thought-out scenarios.
(Edit: But at least the cases in the next few volumes are much better than the ones in the volume 1 which was really shaky in its' premise and assumptions.)

Edit: And this series is supposed to be violent? I'm sorry but the blood and gore are really tame, as compared to some "crime/detective manga".

... Last updated on July 12th, 2007, 11:44pm

i was reading some comments about this manga and i have to say i quite disagree with some of what they said. first of all, the art is not that bad. i've seen worst. it might be because my eyes always seem to adjust to every mangakas art so i might be biased but i find it quite interesting. and about the story, i enjoyed it. it might not be like Metantei Conan but still it has its own charm. at first i was a bit skeptical but really i liked it in the end. i especially was interested with the interaction between ayaki and himuro. my only complain is the ending.

overall, i think that every detective/mystery fans out there should try it.

... Last updated on June 9th, 2010, 8:47am

Firstly, I find all the comments slamming the artwork to be a little overdone. The artwork isnt amazing, but it isnt terrible, its pretty middle of the road, workmanlike if you will. Its reminiscent in many ways of "traditional" shoujo artwork. Which is often terrible, yet you never see people complaining about it that much, a fairly visible double standard.

Secondly, most of the mysteries are quite enjoyable and are at the level you see in other mystery manga and detective stories i.e. not very plausible but they make for an enjoyable read. They're certainly no less believeable than anything seen in Detective Conan, etc.

Its an enjoyable read if you're into the genre and if you're not it could probably pass some time. Personally I found the most annoying thing about the series to be Manga-Sketchbook's credit page.

... Last updated on September 29th, 2008, 7:45am

I started reading this back in 2006 and sadly, I haven't the money to finish reading it just yet. I think that, since I was so new to manga at the time, Remote seemed amazing. Even now, I have to admit that I do really enjoy the series. It is true that the drawings aren't pretty. The only well done characters are the two many characters, something that I take to be the artist's choice and purposely done.

No, it's probably not the best mystery around and I probably only rated it a 10 because it was a favorite of mine a few years ago, but I think it's still a good manga, but my opinion might change when I'm done reading it.

Ok, it's no Jiriashin like police mystery drama but it was very interesting to read with all the aspects of a good police drama with different cases to solve which got me totally pulled into the manga. Himura, the genius inspector who solves every single case almost single handedly is very mysterious and brings out what makes this manga great, with the help of Kurami of course.

Only real fault I did find in the manga was it was the art at the beginning, that's all. Not the fanservice, the cases, the characters, or the overall feel of the manga. I don't think there is a valuable reason to complain about insignificant negatives that appear because it's the story that matters, but that's my opinion. Good read.