Manga artist Shima Shinya, celebrated for their mystery series Glitch and Lost Lad London, is set to launch a new horror manga titled Hai Kochira Kaiki-bu Desu (Yes, This is the Mystery Solving Club). The announcement came from the November issue of Shueisha’s Ultra Jump magazine, with the series slated to debut in the magazine’s upcoming issue on November 19.
A New Chapter in Horror
Hai Kochira Kaiki-bu Desu promises to be a horror manga, centering on a mysterious duo of unknown ages who employ their sharp wits to unravel puzzling mysteries. This new venture follows the cancellation of Shinya’s Void: No. Nine (9-ban me no Utsuro), which ran in Kadokawa’s Monthly Comic Beam magazine and concluded with its fourth and final volume shipped on August 12.
Shinya’s Distinctive Style and Previous Works
Shima Shinya has garnered critical acclaim for their unique storytelling and artistic approach. Their previous works, Lost Lad London and Glitch, have established a reputation for compelling mysteries with diverse casts and distinctive visuals.
Lost Lad London: A Gripping Murder Mystery
Lost Lad London, which concluded in May 2021 with three volumes, is a murder-mystery that earned Shinya the 25th Japan Media Art Festival’s New Face Award for Manga in 2022. The series features a British-Indian student and an older Black-British gentleman as its main characters, delving into themes that include the struggles of facing racism in British society. Yen Press has released all three volumes of Lost Lad London in English.
Glitch: Supernatural Phenomena in a Quiet Town
Glitch, which ran from July 2021 to June 2023 for four volumes, is a sci-fi mystery exploring a town filled with strange, unsettling phenomena. The story follows siblings Minato and Akira as they move to a seemingly haunted town where “glitches”—ghostly figures and inhuman creatures—are commonplace, yet largely ignored by the locals. The siblings form an investigation club to uncover the truth behind these anomalies. Critics have praised Glitch for its unique art style, effective pacing, and its ability to blend coming-of-age drama with the supernatural. Yen Press has also licensed Glitch for English publication, with its fourth volume released in August 2024.
Shinya’s artwork in Glitch is particularly noted for complementing the surreal nature of the mysterious town, using thicker lines and minimal shading to make characters pop, and weaving personality into their expressions with few lines. The manga also features diverse characters, including a main character who uses “they/them” pronouns.
Fans eagerly await the fresh mysteries and distinctive horror that Shima Shinya will bring to Hai Kochira Kaiki-bu Desu in Ultra Jump.
