To be part of the exclusive Pretty Boy Detective Club, follow these 3 rules: Be pretty; Be a boy; and most importantly, Be a detective.
The famed Monogatari novelist NisiOisin is back, as is studio Shaft together with chief director Akiyuki Shinbo, ready to tackle another series that the legendary novelist has concocted, namely the Bishounen series. Originally, this Bishounen Tanteidan (or the Pretty Boy Detective Club) group was supposed to appear in one of NisiOisin's earlier series that is aptly named the Boukyaku Tantei (or The Forgetful Detective) series, but during its story development, he decided that it could be made as an independent title separately. And yes, you could definitely see why that stems from the off-beat logics that NisiOisin is known for, mainly subverting his audience like an open book, keep things the same status quo, right until the end when it hits in the most ridiculously subliminal messages that at the end of the day, still makes total sense. And that's to top up with all the idiosyncrasies of its underlying thematics, that if you have watched Monogatari before, it makes complete sense and links up with the unorthodox and impeccable writing of NisiOisin, while keeping things constant, consistent and fresh with book novel-like cases spanning 2 to 3 episodes each.
Enough talking, let me showcase to you what the Pretty Boy Detective Club in Yubiwa Academy is made out of, in their glorious Bishounen gleaming beauty of light:
- The turquiose-haired 5th grader elementary schooler: Manabu "the Aesthete" Sotoin, leader of the club. Don't try to belittle this young leader, he exudes beauty through and through with his arrogant cheerfulness, and will not do anything that goes against aesthetics. Often recognised as "the Leader" of the club, he dishes out orders to the rest of the group in the most kid-like Bishounen style.
- The snow-white-haired 3rd year middle schooler: Nagahiro "the Orator" Sakiguchi, vice-leader of the club. He holds another position in the school as the Student Council president, mostly thanks to his beautiful voice and having marvellous imitations of vocal cords, while being soft-spoken with honor. Word goes around that he has a fiancé, but it's the stereotypical setting of his family being rich people, and cherry-picked for the best...with a 6-year-old 1st grader elementary schooler, and as such, is labelled as a lolicon for all the wrong reasons.
- The orange-red-haired 2nd year middle schooler: Michiru "the Epicure" Fukuroi, delinquent of the club. From his external appearance, Michiru stands out due to his easily aggravated behaviour, and is widely known as a gangster, both in and out of school with his fearsome nature. Deep down, he is anything but that, he is also a good cook and has a family-oriented side to him. And get this, his habit of satirical metaphors is what gives him an edge to stand out from the club in various ways
- The yellow-haired 1st year middle schooler: Hyota "the Adonis" Ashikaga, the angel and speed demon of the club. Being an ace of the track and field team, Hyota is largely noticeable for his long, bare, pure legs, that stems from the fact that he modified his uniform to make it look like he's wearing shorts. The beauty which comes from his well-developed face, as is looking the part like an archangel, this bare legs-exposing boy poses strength and speed when the situation calls for action.
- The black-haired 1st year middle schooler: Sosaku "the Artiste" Yubiwa, the expressionless artist of the club. He is a child prodigy with both financial and artistic talents, though expressionless and of few words, and that Manabu can only read his thoughts and interpret that to the T.
- Last but not least, the newest member of the club: Mayumi "the Seer" Dojima, the star-studded girl of interest. I hear you say: "Wait, isn't one of the rules of the club mention that to "be a boy"?" Yep, she was once part of the club's very first case of NisiOisin's introductory book in the series, titled "The Dark Star that Shines for You Alone", of finding a star that she has been searching for 10 years since young, of a dream that she wished she'd become, but to no effect. Following the resolution of the case, she often cross-dresses as a boy (though the other Bishounens know her true nature) to visit the club, and as the series progresses, be accepted as part of the elusive beautiful "Shine like a diamond" club. Her eyes are what captured the attention of the Bishounens, and with excessively-good eyesight, she usually wears glasses to suppress her "powers". She gives names to the Bishounens for easy memory: Mr. Leader for Manabu, Mr. Senpai for Nagahiro (after Michiru noticed that Mayumi is always calling him Sakiguchi-senpai, which is a mouthful), Mr. Delinquent for Michiru, Mr. Bare-Legs for Hyota, and Mr. Child Genius for Sosaku. There, this is as pretty as a picture as you can get.
This is an excessively beautiful team of boys, but without a specialized production team, how does one take this beauty to showcase it further? And that's where Shaft comes in with the help of in-house legendary director Akiyuki Shinbo, the chief director of the Monogatari shows from the last decade. Having an in-depth knowledge of how NisiOisin likes to rehearse and rephrase (or say, take a gander of) his works, Akiyuki Shinbo does the insanity of a engrossing and psychedelic work with his production team that rehashes all the intricacies of how a modern-day Monogatari adaptation would possibly look like, while keeping true to the testament of the now decades-old experience that he is known for. And it certainly looks great no doubt, I had the nostalgia of watching the many Monogatari adaptations before, and this show's niche themes just urge me for more of that coming-of-age, mystery theses of decorative compositions and motifs.
That prepossessing action alo trickles down to the OST, and the boy band sumika has done it once again to present a rock-solid OP that reminds me a lot of WotaKoi's iconic and highly memorable OP, one that's easily another magnificent and catchy song, no doubt. The Beautiful Bishounens come back to deliver 2 EDs, the former for being every ongoing case and the latter for the ending of each case. Personally, I prefer the latter as the most attractive of the 2, but still, both are lovely charming songs. Simply...delightful.
Bishounen Tanteidan a.k.a the Pretty Boy Detective Club is a very niche show, that's the obvious part. It's when the irresistible feel of watching those drop-dead gorgeous young boys do their action that it arrests you with its bonny aesthetics and fancible Shaft visuals to become one heavenly bewitching experience just to see more Bishounens mark with stylistic valour and grace.
Dang, I could call this show being the opposite of the overly common CGDCT formula, dubbed CBDCT: Cutesy (and Handsome) Boys Doing (en)Chanting (and Engaging) Things. A buffet treat for the ladies (and few men).
