, also known as ''Do Not Say Mystery'', is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written and illustrated by Yumi Tamura. It has been serialized in

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...

's manga magazine '' Monthly Flowers'' since November 2017. A

television drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...

adaptation was broadcast on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

from January to March 2022. By January 2023, the manga had over 18 million copies in circulation. In 2022, ''Don't Call It Mystery'' won the 67th

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is ...

for the general category.

Plot

One day in winter, university student Totonō Kunō was accompanied to the police station to be investigated by detectives from the Ohinari Police Station, who visited his apartment in connection with the murder of Sagae, a fellow student and high school alumnus. It is said that Sagae was seen arguing with someone who looked like Kuno around 10 o'clock last night. Kuno categorically denies committing the crime, and goes to question and investigate an Inspector called Yabu and his friends every day.

Characters

; Totonō Kunō : ; Shioji Kariatsumari : (film) ; Yura Akamine : (film) ; Asaharu Rumazaka : (film) ; Rikinosuke Kariatsumari : (film) ; Neo Hahakabe : (film)

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Yumi Tamura, ''Don't Call It Mystery'' was first published as a one-shot in

's manga magazine '' Monthly Flowers'' on November 28, 2016. It started as a serialized manga in the same magazine on November 28, 2017. Shogakukan has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was published on January 10, 2018. As of March 10, 2025, 15 volumes have been released. At

Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...

2022,

Seven Seas Entertainment Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as w ...

announced that they licensed the series for English publication.

Volumes

Drama

In June 2021, it was announced that the series would be adapted into a

drama series In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular su ...

, starring Masaki Suda as Totonō Kunō. It was broadcast on

from January 10 to March 28, 2022. It was directed by Hiroaki Matsuyama, with scriptwriting handled by Tomoko Aizawa, and music composed by Ken Arai.

King Gnu King Gnu is a Japanese band formed in 2013. It consists of Daiki Tsuneta (vocalist and guitarist), Satoru Iguchi (vocalist and keyboardist), Kazuki Arai (bassist) and Yu Seki (drummer). The band's main songwriter is Daiki Tsuneta, who also perfo ...

performs the series' theme song . The streaming service Viki added the series to its catalogue in May 2022.

Episodes

Live-action film

In November 2022, Fuji TV announced that a

live-action Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games or ...

film adaptation was being produced, again starring Suda as Totonō Kunō. Matsuyama, Aizawa and Arai return from the drama series as their respective positions. The film premiered on September 15, 2023. It is based on the manga's "Hiroshima Arc".Pineda, Rafael Antonio (March 24, 2023).
Live-Action ''Do not say mystery'' Film Reveals More Cast"
''

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...

''. Retrieved April 2, 2023. It screened at the

28th Fantasia International Film Festival The 28th Fantasia International Film Festival was held from 18 July to 4 August 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Juries Compétition Cheval Noir * Matt Johnson (director), Matt Johnson, Canadian filmmaker – Jury President * Steve Dollar, ...

on July 26, 2024.

Reception

By July 2021, the manga had over 9 million copies in circulation; over 13 million copies in circulation by December 2021; over 16 million copies in circulation by June 2022; and over 18 million copies in circulation by January 2023. In 2019, the manga was nominated for the 12th

Manga Taishō The is a Japanese List of comics awards, comics award recognizing achievement in manga. It is awarded annually to a manga series published in the previous calendar year of eight or fewer Tankōbon, collected volumes in length. The Manga Taish� ...

and ranked second with 78 points; in 2020, it was nominated for the 13th award and ranked sixth with 54 points. In 2019, the series was nominated for the 65th

in the general category; it won the 67th award in the same category, along with '' Nigatsu no Shōsha'', in 2022. It was nominated for the 44th

Kodansha Manga Award is one of Japan's major manga awards. The event is sponsored by publisher Kodansha. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga in its third iteration since 1977. Categories The award was originally called the until 1968. In 1970, it was ...

in the general category in 2020. The manga was nominated for the 26th

Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Named after Osamu Tezuka, the is a yearly manga prize awarded to manga artists or their works that follow the Osamu Tezuka manga approach founded and sponsored by Asahi Shimbun. The prize has been awarded since 1997, in Tokyo, Japan. Current ...

in 2022. On

Takarajimasha is a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is known for publishing subculture-oriented fashion magazines aimed at teens, fashion magazines in general, as well as guide books. History The company was founded on September 22, ...

's ''

Kono Manga ga Sugoi! is an annual reference mook series published by Takarajimasha since 2005 featuring yearly rankings and reviews of manga. The rankings are compiled by surveying professionals in the manga and publishing industry. The first two years saw two s ...

'' list of best manga of 2019 for women readers, the series ranked second; it ranked fourth on the 2020 list; sixth on the 2021 list; and tenth on the 2022 list. The series ranked 24th on the 2019 "Book of the Year" list by '' Da Vinci'' magazine; it was fifth on the 2020 list; second on the 2021 list; fourth on the 2022 list; and eleventh on the 2023 list. The live-action film debuted at first at the Japanese box office, earning over ¥850 million on its opening weekend. Within the first 31 days of its premiere, it earned over ¥3.76 billion, and ranked first at the Japanese box office for five consecutive weekends, becoming the first Japanese live-action film to do so since ' in 2021, a film also starring Suda. By December 2023, while still showing, it earned over ¥4.74 billion in Japan.

References

External links

* * * {{Shogakukan Manga Award - General 2023 television films Detective anime and manga Fuji Television dramas Josei manga Mystery anime and manga Seven Seas Entertainment titles Shogakukan manga Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga