“Naoya Fukamachi is a university student whose ability to infallibly detect lies has left him friendless and isolated. When a paper of his piques the interest of his folklore studies professor Akira Takatsuki, a handsome and eccentric man, he soon finds himself dragged into Akira's research. Now, as the assistant in charge of common sense, he must help his professor interpret an array of unexplainable phenomena…” (Yen Press)
Based on the light novel of the same name, “Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture” presents a smart and cool dive into Japanese folklore through a brilliant, eccentric professor and his astute and well-mannered assistant Naoya. The series explores the mysteries behind various accounts of folklore and urban myths across Japan, provided to the professor anonymously through his website. While the first volume deals with instances of curses and hauntings, the manga is not horror in the definitive sense. Instead, the approach offers a more sincere and educated look at modern-day folklore, with a healthy dose of skepticism to keep the work grounded in reality.
The result is a mature manga that is less about sensationalism or crafting ‘kawaii' renditions of Japanese creatures. This may disappoint some fantasy fans who like exaggeration and reimagining of identifiable cryptids and ghosts, yet “Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture” offers up a relatively relaxed and refreshing take which for many others will be a welcome change of pace. However, the first volume does seem to drag its feet, acting as an introduction, and whether the series picks up in speed or delves deeper into actual supernatural cases is yet to be seen. Consequently, “Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture” is a few volumes away from hitting its stride or proving its worth, especially for those approaching the manga as a stand-alone from the light novel series.
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This sentiment extends to every aspect of the book, including character development. The relationship between Naoya and the titular professor presents a fraction of intrigue, particularly when considering Naoya's past with the supernatural, and the support characters briefly appear to have strong personas that can be further developed. Moreover, the comprehensive knowledge and remarkable memory of Professor Akira and the ability of Naoya to determine when people are lying, set up a creative means for the two to work together in future releases. However, that is all speculation and wishful thinking on what can be garnered from the inaugural release, not a guarantee.
The art of Toji Aio seems aimed at capturing everyday life, where artistic flair and exaggeration are left out in favor of creating realistic characters. The genre of the book is, admittedly, difficult to pin down, but looking at it as a crime series, which it is most closely related to at this junction, the art is perfectly suitable. Still, as the series develops and dives deeper into various myths of Japan, additional flair will be needed to hold the audience's attention.
The inaugural volume of “Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture” feels like a blank slate, to which the creative team behind the project could go on to make a remarkable series or flounder into mundanity. Ever the optimist, I tend to lean towards the series succeeding and picking up the pace. I see the glimmers of sharp writing and eccentric characters giving hope for development toward better things. Still, this is one project in which those interested may want to seek out the light novel first (also available through Yen Press) or wait for a consensus after a few volumes to see if it is worth the investment.
