.015 - mysteries + drama = addicting show

Who would've thought that a central message of "teamwork" could make for such a great TV show without feeling like cheesy Barney-eqsue stuff. Tantei Gakuen Q (aka Detective Academy Q) is a detective anime that follows the journey of five aspiring detectives that wish to become master detectives(sounds kinda like Pokemon). Their paths cross as they try to get into the renowned Dan Detective Academy. At this academy only the best of the best students are let in. The sheer difficulty of the entrance exam in the second episode shows just how hard it is to get into this place.

Anyhow, they get in, but through teamwork. They discover they all have unique abilities(not superhuman) that compliment the others in the group. The main character Kyu has the uncanny ability of deduction(akin to Sherlock Holmes) yet he is humble and servant-like. The others consist of a girl with a photographic memory, a genius programmer, a martial arts expert with the senses of a dog, and another deductive genius.

Early on, these abilities and their trust in each other seem a bit strange, especially since they just met. But the writers of this show do an excellent job of wrenching each character's psychological weaknesses through the first few episodes. For instance, in one episode Megu(the one with a photographic memory) experiences the unavoidable pain that comes with being a detective that can never forget a crime scene. No matter how brutal it is.

Not only are the characters well done, but the crimes are remarkably clever. Clearly, the show borrows from Detective Conan(aka Case Closed) in its storytelling method. But Conan is not consistantly clever in its creation of crimes. In Conan, there are times when I'm baffled as to how a crime was committed and unfortunately some end up as disappointments as they seem too convenient. In Tantei Gakuen Q, no episode has disappointed(at least so far, I'm on episode 14).

Check this out if you love mysteries even if you don't love anime. Veronica Mars has nothing on this stuff. Watch this episode if you don't believe me.