Izo Hashimoto

Nanase is a rookie fire investigator whose parents were killed in a fire when she was young. Three years after she unknowingly saves the life of a serial fire-starter responsible for many deaths, the man reemerges to give clues and aid Nanase in her investigations. Yet what is this man's motive for helping Nanase, and how can she continue to accept the help of a criminal?

Fire Investigator Nanase is basically a detective story. A fire happens, and the rookie investigator works to figure out its origins, which are always more complex and devious than they seem. To add some extra spice the cases are solved not just with investigation but with lots of firefighting knowledge geekery, plus there's the interesting dilemma the main character has being helped by a criminal for mysterious reasons.

The formula sounds enjoyable, maybe even promising, but the execution of pretty much everything in Fire Investigator Nanase is boringly average, perhaps even below. Nanase is your generic strong female lead--brave, determined, stubborn, and with plenty of heart...and little to her personality besides that. Her superiors are less characters than figures present to constantly doubt her so it will feel all the more triumphant when she solves her case. Dialogue is filled with info dumps of information of fires, firefighting, or back story for characters, all so awkwardly inserted, in ways so unlike anything a person would actually say, that I occasionally felt embarrassed for the author while reading them.

If you're looking for particularly good writing, you probably shouldn't try Fire Investigator Nanase. Younger readers, though, or those just looking for a pleasant read, might find the clunkiness of the manga's execution less grating. If you can get past that and like detective stories, you might find the fun fire facts and Nanase's interesting relationship with the serial fire-starter a pleasant twist to the usual story.… (more)