Pretty Boy Detective Club (Japanese: 美少年探偵団, Hepburn: Bishōnen Tanteidan), also known as the Bishōnen Series (美少年シリーズ), is a Japanese mystery novel series written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Kinako. Kodansha released twelve volumes from October 2015 to May 2021 under their Kodansha Taiga label. A manga adaptation with art by Suzuka Oda was serialized from 2016 to 2019. It was collected in five tankōbon volumes. Both the novel series and the manga are licensed in North America by Vertical.[3] An anime television series adaptation by Shaft aired from April 11 to June 27, 2021, on ABC and TV Asahi's Animazing!!! programming block.
The main protagonist of the series. Year 2, class B at Yubiwa Academy Middle School. She becomes the student council president in Dizaka no Bishōnen.
She became involved with the Pretty Boy Detective Club in a case involving a star that she had been searching for ten years. Following the resolution of the case, she has been dressing up as a man and visiting the club. She has become a regular member since The Pretty Boy in the Attic. She has excessively-good eyesight and usually wears glasses to suppress it. She is also known as "Mayumi the Seer."
She also appears in Mazemonogatari, a collaborative novel with the Monogatari series. Under the direction of Manabu, she visits the North White Snake Shrine to observe the heavens.
5th grade, class A at Yubiwa Academy Elementary School. His nickname is Kogoro (fifth grader → Kogo). The leader of the Pretty Boy Detective Club. Also known as "Manabu the Aesthete." Mayumi calls him "the leader."
He claims to be uneducated and acts cheerfully and arrogantly without reading the atmosphere but always seeks beauty and will not do anything that goes against aesthetics. Although he often does nothing but gives orders, he is recognized as a leader by the group.
Year 3, class A at Yubiwa Academy Middle School. Former student council president. Vice leader of the Pretty Boy Detective Club. Also known as "Nagahiro the Orator." After Michiru pointed out to Mayumi in Oshie to Tabisuru Bishōnen that she was calling him "Sakiguchi-senpai," she started calling him "Senpai-kun."
He has a fiancée who is in the first grade of elementary school, so he has been ridiculed as a lolicon, but he denies it. He says, "I'm not a lolicon. It's just that my fiancée, whom my parents decided on their own, happens to be six years old." He has been the president of the student council for three consecutive years since his speech as the representative of the new students when he entered the school. He has a beautiful voice, which he admits to himself and others, and is good at not only making speeches but also copying vocal cords. He is the liaison officer for the Detective Boys. He is a soft-spoken honor student.
Year 2, class A at Yubiwa Academy Middle School. Also known as "Michiru the Epicure." Mayumi calls him "delinquent."
He is a dangerous person who tops the "ranking of students who should never be involved in the school." He is known as "the bossman" outside of school, but he is also a good cook and has a family-oriented side. He has a habit of using a lot of satirical metaphors.
Year 1, class A at Yubiwa Academy Middle School. Ace of the track and field team. Also known as "Hyota the Adonis." Mayumi calls him "Mr. Bare-Legs."
He wears a uniform that has been changed to look like shorts. Ever since he entered the school wearing such a uniform, all the girls who saw it stopped shortening their skirts and started wearing black stockings. He has a well-developed face and is ridiculed for being like the archangel who bosses other angels.
He insists on exposing his legs even in winter. He is a member of the detective squad's physical strength and mobility section. Despite his cute appearance, he often acts carelessly and makes dangerous comments. Has been kidnapped three times in the past. His parents are divorced.
Sosaku Yubiwa (指輪 創作, Yubiwa Sōsaku)
Voiced by: Gen Satō[6] (Japanese); Brian Timothy Anderson[5] (English)
Year 1, class A at Yubiwa Academy Middle School. Also known as "Sosaku the Artiste." Mayumi calls him "Child Genius."
He is the heir to the Yubiwa Foundation, the parent organization of the Yubiwa Academy. He is the de facto president of the Yubiwa Foundation. A child prodigy with both financial and artistic talents. He is a member of the Detective Boys' art team. He is expressionless and of few words, but only Manabu can read his thoughts. Usually only speaks twice in each book.
The novels are written by Nisio Isin and are illustrated by Kinako. During the development of the story in the Bōkyaku Tantei series, the "Pretty Boy Detective Club" was a group originally intended to appear there, but Nisio Isin decided it could be published as an independent story.[7]Kodansha has published eleven volumes from October 2015 to December 2019 under their Kodansha Taiga imprint. In an interview for the Japanese magazine "Da Vinci," Nisio stated his plans for 2021 and said that he wanted to develop a new story in the series because of the anime adaptation.[8] On March 13, 2021, the new volume titled The Pretty Boy in the Rue Morgue was announced. It was released on May 14, 2021.[9] The novels are licensed in North America by Vertical,[3] which has published three volumes of the series. The English editions were translated by Winifred Bird.[10]
No.
Title
Original release date
English release date
1
Pretty Boy Detective Club: The Dark Star that Shines for You Alone Bishōnen Tanteidan Kimi Dake ni Hikari Kagayaku Ankokusei (美少年探偵団 きみだけに光かがやく暗黒星)
A manga adaptation with art by Suzuka Oda, began serialization in Kodansha's shōjo manga magazine Aria in April 2016, and it moved to Kodansha's shōnen manga magazine Shōnen Magazine Edge in October 2018 after Aria ceased publication in April 2018, and continued the publication until July 17, 2019. It was collected in five tankōbon volumes.
The manga is licensed in North America by Vertical. The English release is in omnibus 2-in-1 volumes.[26]
An anime adaptation was announced on the tenth volume of the novel on November 22, 2019.[1] The television series is under the chief direction of Akiyuki Shinbo, direction of Hajime Ootani,[34] animated by Shaft, produced by Aniplex, featuring character designs adapted for animation by Hiroki Yamamura (Shaft), and music composed by Masatomo Ota and EFFY. Shinbo and Shaft are serving as series script supervisors, and Yukito Kizawa is writing the scripts themselves.[35]Kenjirou Okada is the assistant director; and Yamamura, Akihisa Takano (Shaft), and Sayuri Sakimoto are the chief animation directors. Tsutomu Shibuya (Shaft), Nagisa Sekiguchi (Shaft), and Ryou Komori are the main animators. The series aired from April 11 to June 27, 2021, on ABC and TV Asahi's Animazing!!! programming block.[34][6]Sumika performed the series' opening theme song "Shake & Shake,"[4] while the series' cast Ayumu Murase, Taito Ban, Toshiki Masuda, Shōgo Yano, and Gen Satō performed the ending theme song "Beautiful Reasoning."[36][37]Aniplex of America licensed the series and streamed it on Funimation.[38]
"The Dark Star that Shines for You Alone (Part 2)" Transliteration: "Kimi Dake ni Hikari Kagayaku Ankokusei Sono Ni" (Japanese: きみだけに光かがやく暗黒星 その2)
Takashi Yasui
Hajime Ootani
April 18, 2021 (2021-04-18)
3
"The Dark Star that Shines for You Alone (Part 3)" Transliteration: "Kimi Dake ni Hikari Kagayaku Ankokusei Sono San" (Japanese: きみだけに光かがやく暗黒星 その3)
Takashi Asami Shouhei Fujita
Hajime Ootani
April 25, 2021 (2021-04-25)
4
"The Swindler, the Vanishing Man, and the Pretty Boys (Part 1)" Transliteration: "Petenshi to Kūki Otoko to Bishōnen Sono Ichi" (Japanese: ぺてん師と空気男と美少年 その1)
Yūji Tokuno
Kenjirou Okada
May 2, 2021 (2021-05-02)
5
"The Swindler, the Vanishing Man, and the Pretty Boys (Part 2)" Transliteration: "Petenshi to Kūki Otoko to Bishōnen Sono Ni" (Japanese: ぺてん師と空気男と美少年 その2)
Naoaki Shibuta
Mie Ōishi
May 9, 2021 (2021-05-09)
6
"The Pretty Boy in the Attic (Part 1)" Transliteration: "Yaneura no Bishōnen Sono Ichi" (Japanese: 屋根裏の美少年 その1)
Shouhei Fujita
Takashi Kawabata
May 16, 2021 (2021-05-16)
7
"The Pretty Boy in the Attic (Part 2)" Transliteration: "Yaneura no Bishōnen Sono Ni" (Japanese: 屋根裏の美少年 その2)
Yūji Tokuno
Takashi Kawabata
May 23, 2021 (2021-05-23)
8
"The Pretty Boy Traveling with the Brocade Portrait (Part 1)" Transliteration: "Oshie to Tabi Suru Bishōnen Sono Ichi" (Japanese: 押絵と旅する美少年 その1)
Kenjirou Okada
Kenjirou Okada
May 30, 2021 (2021-05-30)
9
"The Pretty Boy Traveling with the Brocade Portrait (Part 2)" Transliteration: "Oshie to Tabi Suru Bishōnen Sono Ni" (Japanese: 押絵と旅する美少年 その2)
Takashi Yasui
Mie Ōishi
June 6, 2021 (2021-06-06)
10
"The Pretty Boy on D. Hill (Part 1)" Transliteration: "Dī-zaka no Bishōnen Sono Ichi" (Japanese: D坂の美少年 その1)
Naoaki Shibuta Shouhei Fujita
Takashi Kawabata
June 13, 2021 (2021-06-13)
11
"The Pretty Boy on D. Hill (Part 2)" Transliteration: "Dī-zaka no Bishōnen Sono Ni" (Japanese: D坂の美少年 その2)
Takashi Yasui Yūji Tokuno
Takashi Yasui Yūji Tokuno
June 20, 2021 (2021-06-20)
12
"The Pretty Boy on D. Hill (Part 3)" Transliteration: "Dī-zaka no Bishōnen Sono San" (Japanese: D坂の美少年 その3)
^ダ・ヴィンチ 2021年1月号 [Da Vinci, January 2021] (in Japanese). Kadokawa. December 4, 2020. pp. 88–89. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
^美少年探偵団 きみだけに光かがやく暗黒星 [Bishonen Tanteidan: You Are the Only Light That Shines in the Dark]. Kodansha Book Club (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^ぺてん師と空気男と美少年 [The Impostor, the Unnoticeable and the Beautiful Boy]. Kodansha Book Club (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^屋根裏の美少年 [The Beautiful Boy in the Attic]. Kodansha Book Club (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^押絵と旅する美少年 [The Beautiful Boy Traveling with Oshie]. Kodansha Book Club (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^パノラマ島美談 [Panorama Island Beauty Stories]. Kodansha Book Club (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^D坂の美少年 [The Beautiful Boy on D Hill]. Kodansha Book Club (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^美少年椅子 [The Beautiful Boy's Chair]. Kodansha Book Club (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^緑衣の美少年 [The Beautiful Boy in Green]. Kodansha Book Club (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^美少年М [The Beautiful Boy M]. Kodansha Book Club (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^美少年蜥蜴【光編】 [The Beautiful Boy Lizard (Light Edition)]. Kodansha Book Club (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^美少年蜥蜴【影編】 [The Beautiful Boy Lizard (Shadow Edition)]. Kodansha Book Club (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^モルグ街の美少年 [The Beautiful Boy in the Rue Morgue]. Kodansha Book Club (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
^美少年探偵団(1) [Beautiful Boy Detective Group (1)]. Kodansha Comic Plus (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^美少年探偵団(2) [Beautiful Boy Detective Group (2)]. Kodansha Comic Plus (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^美少年探偵団(3) [Beautiful Boy Detective Group (3)]. Kodansha Comic Plus (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^美少年探偵団(4) [Beautiful Boy Detective Group (4)]. Kodansha Comic Plus (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^美少年探偵団(5) [Beautiful Boy Detective Group (5)]. Kodansha Comic Plus (in Japanese). Kodansha. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
^ abアニメ「美少年探偵団」に村瀬歩・坂泰斗・増田俊樹・矢野奨吾・佐藤元、PVも公開 [The anime "Bishonen Tanteidan" features Ayumu Murase, Ban Taito, Toshiki Masuda, Shogo Yano, and Gen Sato, and the PV has been released!]. Natalie (in Japanese). January 29, 2021. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
^"美少年探偵団" (in Japanese). Aniplex. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
^アニメ「美少年探偵団」村瀬歩ら歌唱のEDテーマ解禁PV、新ビジュアルや配信情報も [Anime 'Bishonen Tanteidan' ED theme sung by Ayumi Murase and others revealed in PV, new visuals and distribution information]. Natalie (in Japanese). March 28, 2021. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2021.