Creative Staff
Story/Art: Shima Shinya
Translation/Adaptation: Eleanor Ruth Summers
What They Say
The whole of London is shocked when the mayor is found dead on an Underground train, but perhaps none more than university student Al Adley. Though he took the Tube at the time of the fatal stabbing, he doesn’t remember seeing anything unusual—certainly nothing to explain how a bloody knife found its way into his pocket that night. However, in spite of this damning evidence, Detective Ellis believes Al’s claims of innocence. Now the two must work together to conceal Al’s involvement and clear his name in the face of shadowy forces working to see Al take the fall for a crime he didn’t commit…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
An entire town is in shock: the beloved mayor has been found dead on a subway. Entire worlds have been turned upside-down and there are demands that the killer (or killers) be found. As Al Adley reads the news on his phone, he is struck by the fact that it appears that he was on the same train the mayor was on and could have easily been the victim himself if fate had turned a different direction. Across town, Detective Ellis is one of the many detectives assigned to solve the murder as quickly as possible to bring ease to a city that is restless over the crime.
It appears fate brings the two men together as Al finds a bloodied knife in his jacket pocket. He doesn’t know where it came from and feels compelled to tell someone about it. When he reveals his findings to Detective Ellis, the detective is uneasy about how the scenario is playing out and promises to help find the person who may have potentially framed Al. As Detective Ellis follows the clues and Al discovers more about a family he never knew existed, it becomes more and more clear that the killing wasn’t a random crime. What’s more, Al may not have been an innocent bystander: he may be deliberately targeted as the fall guy for the murder. As the case gets more and more complicated, time may be running out to prove Al’s innocence.
In Summary:
Although I’ve read my fair share of detective manga, Shima Shinya’s “Lost Lad London” immediately stood out for its authenticity and realism. Most manga fans are used to reading detective stories with flamboyant murders, complicated setups, and a deduction that only the hero can deduce after analyzing all the over-the-top evidence. Once one case is solved, it’s time to move on to the next one. With long-running series like “Case Closed” the formula is fun, but it does make me wonder why the kid with glasses doesn’t gain a reputation for being around whenever a murder takes place?! In this book, there are no fancy gadgets to play with. No supervillains with grand ambitions (that we know of). Detective Ellis has been put in a situation where he knows he should probably take this kid into custody and wrap the case up quickly, but something doesn’t seem right, so he silently breaks protocol to find out more information.
Unlike most mystery manga, solving the mystery of the mayor’s murder is neither glamorous nor is it exciting. There are a lot of mundane questions asked of family members. Lots of words are spoken that have nothing to do with the case. There is a lot of paperwork involved. In short, this is a manga that is treating this murder as most people in real life would: it’s a process that is slow, boring, and very, very frustrating. I know I may have just described something that sounds like a tedious read. Why would anyone want to read such a slow-moving story? The reality is that though the surface of the story is less extravagant than most readers are used to, “Lost Lad London” is an immensely satisfying read thanks to characters showing themselves to be very complex reacting to a situation that becomes more unsettling as it goes along.
What Shinya has delivered is as riveting a read as any James Patterson novel you can find. It forces the readers to really take in what is being said and what everything may or may not mean. As I was reading it struck me that this is the kind of story that would have made for a great airport novel; one of those books you pick up to read on a plane and before you know it the flight is over because it was that darn interesting. All that being said, I must report that the artwork isn’t as strong as the text it accompanies. It is drawn with purpose, being extra sure not to overwhelm the reader with unnecessary images that dilute the story at hand.
I understand why it was done this way and I applaud the author for creating art that is subtle and quiet, yet pointed enough to draw the reader’s eyes to thinks they need to see (at least on a subliminal level), but having an understated art style does mean that the series isn’t the most visually interesting thing to view in the world. What “Lost Lad London” does provide is a captivating story, complex characters, and a story that was a page-turner despite a cover that was about as welcoming as a summon to jury duty. Although the cover doesn’t look like much, “Lost Lad London” is the easiest manga recommendation I’ve been able to make in months!
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: B-
Packaging Grade: C
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen (13+)
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: May 24, 2022
MSRP: $15.00
This review was done with a review copy provided by the publisher. We are grateful for their continued support.
