KAKANLen09
September 16, 2025
Recommended
Detectives These Days Are Crazy! — Yep...crazy as they can be, no matter the profession. If I have one thing to admire about authors who can get their shit right, it's going from one genre to another that, honestly, baffles one's mind as to how he/she can do one thing well but yet also have a sense of unbridled sarcasm to create another that does the job equally as well. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you mangaka Masakuni Igarashi, the author of Spring 2018's slice-of-life rom-com series Senryuu Shoujo a.k.a Senryu Girl, following up with yet another adaptation of his comedy mystery series this Summerwith Mattaku Saikin no Tantei to Kitara a.k.a Detectives These Days Are Crazy!, as well as the much-anticipated rom-com series Mayonaka Heart Tune a.k.a Tune In to the Midnight Heart, that's set to air next year (which if you haven't got around to hearing of this manga, PLEASE read it as it's easily one of (if not) the best modern rom-coms of this era).
But back to Mattaku Saikin, I've got to say that it's the equivalent of going into a carnival full of games but going specifically to the Whack-A-Mole play counter and just failing and succeeding at whacking moles at the same time. I say this because when you put a once-respected ace detective who has the spirit of Phoenix Wright of "never say never," only for age to catch up with him so much that he doesn't feel like doing the detective act anymore, he needs some colour to decorate his detective agency that's seeming to bleed out both talent and money from the beams. So, what is the saving grace of the agency? A high school girl who shows up out of nowhere, who is literally Doraemon without the charm and the suit to do extravagant things in the name of brute force, and who comes off just as unhinged as the detective himself, if not more so. The life of 35-year-old aging detective Keiichiro Nagumo, who struggles with modern technology with aching hips and back issues, will never be the same again with the arrival of bubbly Gorilla girl of Mashiro Nakanishi, who does the jobs for him so much that he reluctantly allows her to stay and become his apprentice, doing all of the oddity jobs that some are, and some are not, detective-based.
For one, I did not think that Masakuni Igarashi would go one step further to present his version of the unhingedness of the show in general, not after the comparison with the rather light-heartedness of Senryuu Shoujo that just causes me to spasm out in disbelief that he could just whip up nonsensical stories, laden with cultural references left and right, and call it a day, presenting the many sides that are happening within the Nagumo Detective Office. Yes, it does take some getting used to since this manic show does not work in your usual rank-and-file storytelling of comedy-mystery series, but once you do, you're just bound to have a good time.
And yes, what's a colourful series without colourful characters, without telling me that the Nagumo-Mashiro partnership is, without a doubt, one of the most deranged I've seen in quite some time? Sometimes, taking in a stray cat feels like the norm when life gets a little cold, and with permission from a client that feels like they didn't treat her request with respect to find her pet, Cerberus is born as another figure in the flailing office. Even better is gaining another member, though Taro Nezu is just your average low-level Yakuza after the agency gets a job to eliminate his group, sparing his cowardice in the process for him to join their ranks. Like all detectives, one has another to look up to, and the human comes in the form of Yuu Asunaro, who develops his own detective work after being inspired by Nagumo, and a female fanbase that just adores him like an idol, though the same could not be said for his assistant Hana "Maki-chan" Kazamaki, who shows her true chops being his true fangirl who'll go to the ends of the earth with him on his detective work...and seemingly, also crushes on him from time to time. Sure, Nagumo even has his old friend of the same age, the civil servant Soya Mimasaka, who sees and also acts like him in regard, though his daughter Fuu is just jealous of the former and is always somehow pissing Mashiro off by her looks so much that these two become nuisances to each other. Oh, wait a minute, what about the Great Big Four perverts, who are vigilantes in their own right as well? The striking men, in all of their various man bodies, from 6-packs to fatsos, are the obvious nuisance to society, but it's oddly satisfying seeing them deal justice at unexpected times, though getting caught by the police just seems like the recurring gag each and every time that never fails to get old. So, it's pretty much in-your-face comedy, and that'll decide if this show is up your alley.
For a show of Liden Films's standard, this is just pretty much serviceable for the most part, in that nothing truly stands out, other than the few times to show a lot of the insane moments that the anime has to offer. Even the OST is decent but nothing noteworthy, alongside Taiiku Okazaki's OP and the VA's ED.
All in all, if you just want to have a sense of what it's like to be a lunatic and maniac all at the same time, Mattaku Saikin no Tantei to Kitara a.k.a Detectives These Days Are Crazy!, will absolutely drive you crazy, and I can guarantee this to the nth degree. Better have a good time or face instant regret for what you chose to step your foot into with this show.
