Currently watching: Biblia Koshodou no Jiken Techou

So this is my newest subbing project, chosen simply on the basis that I like second hand bookshops.

This series is one of a type that I haven't seen in Britain. It's a kind of murder mystery without the murder. In this show, clues left behind in a second hand book are put together to tell a story about the owner of the book. It's similar to shows like Voice and Shinzanmono. These dramas are more about uncovering hidden family secrets than whodunnit (although Shinzanmono did, in the end, focus on a murder).

The opening episode is neatly structured and cleverly done, apart from a terribly contrived chance meeting at a coffee shop. The directing is good, even if it does try far too hard to make Gouriki Ayame look angelic. And there's nothing bad about the acting so far. Nothing too great either, though. I got the feeling that the characters, for this episode at least, were just there to move the very clever storyline along.

We shall see how the characters develop. At the moment, it's hard to tell, but that could just be because it's early in the series. But so far, it looks like this may be a neat little mystery series. It's adapted (from the novel of the same name) by Aizawa Tomoko, who adapted Kagi no Kakatta Heya for TV, so let's hope it continues at the same level.