Reviewed by Cassiel Kelner 
 

Jiraishin is a long-running cop drama that has been appearing in Kodansha's Afternoon magazine since 1993. There is no set storyline - instead, it follows different cases of one man, Kyouya Iida, a homicide detective in modern day Shinjuku. Kyouya is cold, hard, and uncaring.. but he'll do anything, no matter how insane, to close his case and bring the bad guys to justice. His harsh attitude doesn't win him many friends, but nothing really matter except justice anyway. And at least his boss knows just how good he is at his job, and lets him handle things the way he wants. Which is never quite by the book. 

Jiraishin is very gloomy and sobering; the Shinjuku represented is bleak and depressing, and every case shows another facet of the darkest sides of human nature, reminding us just what people really are capable of. Takahashi is not afraid to show us the worst, and usually in glaring detail across many pages. The stories are always original and thought provoking, and the layout of the manga itself is stark and ambient, fitting the mood very well.. especially in the more recent volumes, as Takahashi's artwork and style improves constantly. 

As well as the fascinating stories, the interaction between Kyouya and his partners is always interesting, the way that he does seem to care and yet refuses to care. Kyouya's dealings with other people - suspects, victims, and superiors all - is refreshingly honest, abrupt, and very amusing. He'll often leave you blinking in suprise, wondering.. "My god, did he really just say that to him/her?!" 

Jiraishin always hits very hard, rarely has 'happy endings', and is definately not for everyone, but if you like a bitter taste of reality, then it comes highly recommended!