Fighting Poison with Poison. "You're my Blight in a Shining Armor ❤"
Last month, I got a Shonen Jump subscription. One of the first Manga I first read using the app is"I Tell C." (Before, I used to read them with unofficial means or through the free MangaPlus which offers only the latest chapters.)
I didn't read the synopsis of I Tell C, and read based only on the cover. The Manga took me by surprise. Love this unique take on the mystery genre!
Spoilers for Chapters 1-3!
The first chapter follows the aftermath of a murder case. Two brothers from the police investigation team, question a guy who's related to the murdered woman. This guy is our main character for the first chapter. As the man laments his dead. A girl started stalking him. He figures out she's the murderer and that he's her next target, and keeps running away.
Finally, the stalker corners him. She starts listing facts about the crime scene. Then she reveals the important fact: He is the murderer, and she's in love with him! The guy freaks out and asks who is she. She reveals her name: "Risa Aioi." She's an investigator!
The investigation team talks about one of their members: A girl who can only love criminals. She investigates them on her own, her methods are illegal, but every time she declares her love, the culprits turn themselves in anyway.
The case gets solved. Sakon Futasuki (a newbie investigation team member) goes to Risa. Sakon asks her about her illegal methods and declares that he can never accept them. Thus the story of the three investigators who fight the poison with poison begins,
Unusual Mystery Manga
The Manga is currently on it's 9th chapter. The beginning chapters focus on Risa Aioi methods and the investigation team's opinion on her. In the first chapter alone, she did everything from stalking to breaking into someone's house while away. The police generally aren't allowed to do that without a proof.
The story explores the effects of having a person doing crimes for the police and how such person is treated. The investigation team considers Risa a tool instead of a human. Unlike the rest of the team, Risa works alone & doesn't reveal her finding to the police. Her goal is to run away with the criminal, not run them to the prison, but they keep her around because she has a good track record of catching criminals.
Sakon, the only person who disagrees with her out of care, realizes the problems with this: "If your loved one is a criminal, who will be there to protect you?" Surely not the investigation team that views her as a tool... Sakon decides that he has to protect Risa her from herself.
Risa is smart, but not a genius. She figures things out before the police but that's because she doesn't mind doing illegal stuff or even risk her life for her love. Once she took a sleeping pill, knowing for sure that she'll get tied up and killed just for the chance to speak with her love for the few minutes before he kills her.
There is a reason Risa became a criminal loving idiot. The person that triggered this in her is slowly revealed in the released chapters. That person seems to be the antagonist of I tell C story.
I Tell C is a shonen Manga. It has shonen-typical idealism. Crimes aren't so bloody to the horror degree & some acts presented in a comedic way. Sakon's reaction to Risa's illegal activities, and Ukon being sweets big eater. Risa herself is so nonchalant about loving criminals that their reaction faces are funny! Depsite being a mystery series with many dark moments, I won't call I tell C a dark story overall.
Finally Risa character is very interesting to me. Not only 'cause I love crazy characters who are willing to die for their ideals! I relate to her ideals myself. I think she goes too overboard, but I like her way of thinking! Sometimes, I think like her. "Can criminals really not be redeemed?" Shouldn't there be another way?
Every person a good inside them, right?
Have you read this Manga? What are your thoughts?
First image is a promo illustration taken from Google. All other images are taken from the Manga pages as screenshots from the App.
This post is also crossposted on Hive's Ecency.
