For avid mystery enjoyers, Mystery to Iu Nakare’s cases might seem rather pedestrian, but in my opinion, the simplicity of the cases humanize the main character, Totonou, and did a good job on making him not look like a “genius detective” and rather an observant person -- and I think that this is a very important factor in terms of the concept and how the story is built. Grounding the show and the characters in reality. Totonou, at the end of the day, is just a regular person; in terms of where the show is, the cases work in the context of his character.

Procedural is a tricky genre, as characters flip through the episode and thus it is easy for the supporting characters to just become a blur of faces, but putting the psychological and emotional aspect of the “mystery” is what makes this show work really well. Every of their stories are handled with care and depth; it reminds me a lot of the way Meitantei Conan handled its suspects, just with more focus on character-driven cases.

The tone of the show is also very balanced -- it’s in every aspect melancholy and serious at the same time as funny. The writing is good. Suda Masaki is a wonderful actor and I continue to love his range -- he can deliver any ‘preachy’ lines so well that it still seems so realistic.

Of course, if you prefer more on the crime aspects of mystery shows, Mystery to Iu Nakare is not the right show for you. This is a show that cares more about the why and the how. It’s a show that cares about the lives and the emotion and not just how a murder is done. Go into this show with the right expectations, and you will enjoy it very much.