funbook-pk Chapter 187 A Miniature Version of "And Then There Were None"
Chapter 187 A Miniature Version of "And Then There Were None"
Chapter 187 A Miniature Version of "And Then There Were None"
"Shota, how's it going?"
Are you satisfied with Professor Kyosuke Maijo's answers in the book?
Sanae Fukasaku waved to her son, who was sitting on the sofa with a dazed look in his eyes.
While Shota Fukasaku was lost in thought, he saw his mother waving her hand and quickly came to his senses: "Buy it! If we can get the adaptation rights to Kyosuke Maijo's work at a very reasonable price—"
"I think—it should be a sure-fire way to make a profit no matter what!"
In less than fifteen minutes, Shota Fukasaku was like a completely different person.
This made Kinji Fukasaku, who was standing nearby, feel a little strange.
"Shota, didn't you just say that Kyosuke Maijo was unworthy of his title?"
"Why did you suddenly agree to buy the adaptation rights to Kyosuke Maijo's work after reading the answers to 'Object X from Outer Space'?"
Shota Fukasaku scratched his hair, a slightly embarrassed expression on his face: "Well—I take back what I said before."
"Dad, as you know, I'm a fan of Haruhiko Oyabu."
"Since February 14th, when the president of the Japan Mystery Critics Association, Kazutaro Nakajima, declared that Kyosuke Maijo would become the standard-bearer of the new era..."
"This has angered many of our fans!"
"After all, whether it's Akimitsu Takagi, Tetsuya Namikawa, Shizuko Natsuki, Haruhiko Oyabu, Toshiyuki Nishimura, Takashi Atoda, or Jiro Akagawa and Tsumabuchi Awasaka, these are all candidates who could compete for or were once the standard-bearers of the new era."
"Under these circumstances, it's natural that we fans of other authors would dislike Mr. Maijo Kyosuke."
"And as you know, Dad, I've always been a fan of hard-boiled mystery novels," so I'm bound to side with Haruhiko Oyabu.
"From this perspective, I naturally feel I must speak out for Haruhiko Ōyabu!"
"After all, in my opinion, without the emergence of Seiichi Morimura, the standard-bearer of the new era from the 70s to the 80s" would undoubtedly have been Haruhiko Oyabu!"
"Therefore, I naturally and subjectively believe that Professor Maijo Kyosuke is unworthy of the title and does not deserve to compete with Professor Oyabu Haruhiko for the title of 'flag bearer of the new era.'"
"But—after I finished reading the entire book by Kyosuke Maijo, 'Object X from Space,' and shed my fandom as a Haruhiko Oyabu fan—"
"I must admit, Mr. Maijo Kyosuke is quite talented, although whether he deserves the title of 'standard-bearer of the new era' is still debatable."
"But he truly deserves the title of a bizarre genius!"
"Especially this story, 'Object X from Space,' makes extensive use of many techniques and elements from detective novels."
"The more mystery novels you read, the more you can appreciate the hidden highlights in this short mystery story."
"In my opinion, rather than calling 'Object X from Space' a short mystery story, it's more accurate to say that it's a gift from Kyosuke Maijo to mystery novel fans!"
"It not only contains abundant sincerity, but also countless romantic touches!"
"Dad, just trust me this once."
"If we can acquire the adaptation rights to Kyosuke Maijo's work at a reasonable price, we might be able to recreate the success of the 'Proof of Humanity' film adaptation!"
Kinji Fukasaku originally wasn't very interested in Kyosuke Maijo's works.
My understanding of Kyosuke Maijo is entirely based on the high praise he receives from directors in the industry.
But when Kinji Fukasaku heard his wife and son praising Kyosuke Maijo's work in the same way...
Then, the film "Proof of the Doll" by Seiichi Morimura, which made him a famous director, was mentioned, which naturally piqued Kinji Fukasaku's curiosity.
Kinji Fukasaku placed the script in his hand on the table, took the sixth issue of "Top Hat" magazine from his son, and quickly flipped through it.
As the story progressed and the mystery was revealed, Kinji Fukasaku's face showed a look of utter dismay, and his brows furrowed tightly.
Seeing Shinji Fukasaku's expression, Sanae Fukasaku and Shota Fukasaku exchanged a knowing smile.
Because I've already finished watching "Object from the Universe X".
Both of them were well aware of their thought process while reading this short mystery novel.
It's not surprising that viewers of "Object from Outer Space X" might look speechless or puzzled.
After all, no one could have imagined it.
It's astonishing that Kyosuke Maijo was able to construct such an outrageous riddle.
Furthermore, a wealth of clues can be hidden within such a riddle.
And all these foreshadowing elements will be brought together and detonated one by one in the final few pages of the ending!
Half an hour later, a look of joy flashed in Kinji Fukasaku's eyes.
He slapped his thigh hard with his hand!
He then looked at his wife and son with a radiant expression and said, "Great! Professor Maijo Kyosuke's 'Object X from Space' is excellent!"
"In the story, whether it's the cases of Kaneo Yoichi, Banno Yutaka, or Shitani Motoharu."
"The way the riddles were designed was so incredibly absurd!"
"When I got to the middle of the story, I thought that Professor Kyosuke Maijo would lose his composure because the mystery was too bizarre and give an unacceptable answer."
"But it's clear that I underestimated Mr. Maijo Kyosuke's abilities."
"Amidst such a bizarre mystery and a jumble of clues, all the foreshadowing elements that Mr. Maijo Kyosuke planted in the story were eventually connected into a single thread, proving useful, and each loose end was perfectly resolved!"
"This feeling of sudden enlightenment, of being struck by a thunderbolt, gives me an indescribable sense of comfort!"
"The last time I read a book that was so enlightening was when I read 'The Uncontrollable Toy' by Tsumio Awasaka, a classic mystery magician."
"I didn't expect the Japanese mystery genre to have evolved so quickly!"
Upon hearing his father's words, Shota Fukasaku shook his head with a wry smile: "Dad, you really don't know, Mr. Kyosuke Maijo is someone that Master Kazutaro Nakajima calls someone who will influence the future of the Japanese mystery genre!"
"While I think Kazutaro Nakajima has exaggerated a bit, there's no doubt that among the new generation of writers, Kyosuke Maijo is absolutely a top-tier figure!"
After listening to Shota Fukasaku's evaluation of Kyosuke Maijo, Kinji Fukasaku pondered for a moment.
He then looked up at Shota Fukasaku: "Shota, when you went to Sanseido Bookstore just now, did you notice any other works by Kyosuke Maijo?"
"To be honest, after reading Mr. Maishiro Kyosuke's article 'Object X from the Universe', I also developed a strong interest in Mr. Maishiro Kyosuke."
"At the same time, I also had the idea of collaborating with Mr. Kyosuke Maijo."
"But—buying the film and television adaptation rights to a writer is a big deal."
"We must not act rashly. I think we should buy and read all of Mr. Keisuke Maijo's other works. Only in this way can we have a basic understanding of Mr. Keisuke Maijo."
"It will also help me understand Mr. Maijo Kyosuke's overall abilities."
"After all, as you know, there are many mystery writers who either reach their peak right from the start, or whose best works are either masterpieces or complete fiascos."
"When it comes to selling adaptation rights to a work, if you buy a good one, you might make a fortune, but if you buy a bad one, you might lose everything."
"And Shota, you mentioned before that Professor Maijo Kyosuke is going to have a 'hard-boiled mystery' competition with 'King of Hard-boiled Mystery,' Nishimura Juyuki?"
"Given the current sensitive situation, we need to consider this matter even more carefully!"
Upon hearing his father's words, Shota Fukasaku sighed heavily: "Dad, you've been so busy with your movie script these past few months that you have no idea how popular Mr. Kyosuke Maijo is outside."
"Based on what I've learned about Mr. Maijo Kyosuke over the past few days."
"In addition to 'Object X from the Universe' released today, Kyosuke Maijo has two more novels and five short stories."
""
"Two full-length novels: his debut work, *The Tokyo Zodiac Murders*, which was presented with a riddle and solved with a shocking solution, and *The Summer of the Ubume*, which pioneered a new mystery genre: 'Monster Mystery'."
"These two novels have sold 650,000 and 400,000 copies respectively."
"Could it be that Kodansha is waiting for the next sales boom? Or is it trying to control the secondary market?"
"Even though both works had already sold out, Kodansha did not choose to reprint them immediately."
"So now, if you want to see these two novels, you need to buy them from the secondary market at a higher price."
"The other five articles published in Top Hat magazine, namely 'A Bellflower,' 'The End,' 'The Mystery of the Death Row Inmate,' 'The Third Statute of Limitations,' and 'Dear Mr. S,' follow the same principle. Even though Top Hat magazine has a huge circulation, the lowest single issue circulation has reached 800,000 copies."
"But the magazine 'Top Hat' doesn't only feature the works of Mr. Keisuke Maijo."
"Considering the fans of other authors and the control of the secondary market, under these circumstances, to see these works, one would probably have to buy them at a higher price on the secondary market —"
Upon hearing what Jiko said, Kinji Fukasaku looked somewhat surprised: "In my memory—aside from the works of Mr. Mushitaro Oguri and Mr. Seicho Matsumoto, this is the first time I've heard of having to go to the secondary market to buy a work by a certain author at a higher price if you want to read it."
Shota Fukasaku spread his hands and shrugged: "After all, Kyosuke Maijo is the author who broke the record for fastest-selling author, and also the youngest well-known author."
"It's understandable that this situation exists."
Kinji Fukasaku's original plans were completely disrupted by "Object X from Space," and he lost interest in reading the script: "Buying used books at a higher price on the secondary market is fine in terms of money, but it's such a waste of energy."
"It's especially infuriating to encounter issues like overcharging customers or incomplete product selection."
"How about this, I'll call the veteran director Yoshitaro Nomura and ask him."
"Director Yoshitaro Nomura is a huge fan of mystery novels."
"Not only did he serve as an assistant director for Akira Kurosawa, and was praised by Kurosawa as the best assistant director," he also co-founded a film and television company with Seicho Matsumoto, producing numerous film and television adaptations of mystery novels.
"Among them, Seicho Matsumoto's 'The Sand Vessel' and 'Kichiku', and Seishi Yokomizo's 'The Village of Eight Graves' were all written by Yoshitaro Nomura."
"So whether it's borrowing books or consulting with Yoshitaro Nomura about Kyosuke Maijo, it should be much more convenient than asking someone else."
After finishing speaking, Kinji Fukasaku grabbed the telephone receiver from the table and quickly dialed Yoshitaro Nomura's number.
They are a group of fans of Maijo Kyosuke.
The group consists of fans of Takagi Akimitsu, Namikawa Tetsuya, Natsuki Shizuko, Oyabu Haruhiko, Nishimura Toshiyuki, Atoda Takashi, Akagawa Jiro, and Awasaka Tsumabu.
双方各执己见，在报纸上开展的「舞城大争辩」从1980年2月14日深夜开始，一直持续到了1980年2月18日上午。
As a supporter of the Maijo Kyosuke school.
Critics Manji Gonda and Kiyoshi Kasai initially thought this "Maijo Grand Debate" would be a protracted and fierce battle!
Based on Gonda Manji's past experiences of "debating" with other commentators over the years.
This fierce battle will last at least until March 24.
That is, after the "hard-boiled mystery competition" between Maijo Kyosuke and Nishimura Hisayuki was decided.
After all, if Maijo Kyosuke were to write a "hard-boiled mystery" that he had never done before...
It competed with "hard-boiled mystery king" Toshiyuki Nishimura in sales and even surpassed Nishimura in sales.
It's almost equivalent to readers voting with their actions, acknowledging the quality of Maijo Kyosuke's works and his audience!
Under these circumstances, while other things cannot be guaranteed, it will certainly allow Kyosuke Maijo to step into the realm of "bestselling author".
After all—that drunkard Nishimura Hisayuki, although he looks drunk all the time, is no different from an old drunkard passed out on the street.
"But he is, after all, a writer of the 'powerful writer' level in the Japanese mystery world. His single work, 'My Lord, Cross the River of Wrath,' has sold more than three million copies, and his total sales have reached ten million. He has won the 'Best Hard-Hard Mystery No. 1' award held by Bungei Shunju.
Under these circumstances, even if he performs severely poorly during the competition.
His popularity over the past ten years is more than enough to make his works sell nearly a million copies!
But—Gonda Manji was, after all, just a master of mystery commentary, not a fortune teller.
The "Dance City Debate" did not turn into a protracted and fierce battle.
Because of the publication of "Object X from the Universe" in the sixth issue of Top Hat magazine.
All the news reports in Japan suddenly came to a standstill.
The reason is self-evident.
Kyosuke Maijo's "Object X from Space" is just too amazing!
This strength far exceeds expectations!
This kind of strength is unprecedented!
This strength is superior to modern reasoning!
It can almost be said that "Object X from Outer Space" followed Seishi Yokomizo's declaration that "orthodox mystery should take flight," and thoroughly led "orthodox mystery" into a new era!
When Gonda Manji and Kasai Kiyoshi met the readers, authors, and critics who had previously smeared, slandered, and belittled Maijo Kyosuke, they all chose to remain silent.
They immediately struck while the iron was hot and began to cheer for Maijo Kyosuke!
Manji Gonda was the first to publish a short essay entitled: "On the Impact of Kyosuke Maijo's 'Object X from Space' on the Future of Japanese Mystery Fiction!"
This essay is over 20,000 words long.
It details all the elements involved in "Object X from the Universe" by Kyosuke Maijo.
For example, the story's opening pays homage to the great science fiction film "Alien".
The case of Kino and Ichi's death simultaneously features an absolutely locked room, an unexpected murder weapon, a substitute trick, a disguised faceless corpse trick, and a strange arrangement of corpses.
The case of Yutaka Banno's death is still an absolutely locked-room environment with an unexpected murder weapon, but it also features a bizarre murder method and an interesting death note.
In the case of Motoharu Shitani's death, it is still an absolutely locked room environment, but with the addition of long-distance murder, mechanical tricks, and strange scene arrangements.
After the truth of the case was fully revealed, everyone realized that it was actually a masterpiece of impossible crime!
Gonda Manji dissects the setup, methods, and homages of these cases one by one.
Ultimately, it was concluded that "Object X from Outer Space" is a short masterpiece that blends science fiction, locked room mystery, impossible crime, death message, remote killing, mechanical trickery, substitute trickery, faceless corpse trickery, and strange corpse arrangement.
Although Manji Gonda stated at the end of his essay that the character treatment in "Object X from Space" was too perfunctory, and that apart from Mr. Y, the "armchair detective," all the characters were flat and completely lacked any distinctive features.
However, considering that this is a short mystery novel.
Kyosuke Maijo manages to cram a massive amount of foreshadowing and countless elements of reasoning into such a short story, while still maintaining logical consistency and providing a perfect solution.
In this case, the flattened character design is actually a minor flaw that doesn't detract from the overall quality.
As soon as Gonda Manji's essay was published, it immediately drew high praise from Maijo Kyosuke's fans.
As Maijo Kyosuke's "number one fan," Kasai Kiyoshi also published a commentary three hours after Gonda Manji published his essay.
However, its concept elevates "Object X from the Universe" to an unexpected level, with the title: "On the Adaptation and Transcendence of Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None' in Kyosuke Maijo's 'Object X from the Universe'!"
Kiyoshi Kasai's entire essay and commentary compares the cyclical murders of Yoichi Kaneo, Yutaka Banno, and Motoharu Shitani to a miniature version of "And Then There Were None," and focuses on discussing Kyosuke Maijo's innovations in Western mystery fiction, as well as his adaptations and transcendence of those ideas.
It expresses a deeper admiration for Kyosuke Maijo and a hope that he can continue this excellent story structure.
Kiyoshi Kasai's idea was very simple.
I just hope that one day...
Kyosuke Maijo was able to weave this story structure, similar to "And Then There Were None," into a full-length mystery novel, creating a unique "isolated island serial murder case" that belongs to Japan!
Kiyoshi Kasai's essays and commentaries quickly generated a huge buzz in the market.
After all, Agatha Christie, known as the "Queen of Crime," is famous for her masterpiece, "And Then There Were None"!
Not only did it successfully promote the "island model" to a wider audience.
With "And Then There Were None", he achieved the astonishing feat of selling over 100 million copies worldwide!
It is apart from Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities.
Aside from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's "The Little Prince," it is the world's best-selling literary work!
Throughout the entire Japanese mystery fiction community, not to mention ordinary mystery writers.
Even the three great masters of Japanese literature—Edogawa Ranpo, Yokomizo Seishi, and Matsumoto Seichō—were all loyal fans of Agatha Christie!
Therefore, after Kiyoshi Kasai published this casual commentary, it immediately caused a huge uproar in the mystery fiction community!
This praise made fans who liked Kyosuke Maijo even more.
Those who dislike Maijo Kyosuke are even more disliked.
The "Maijo Grand Debate," which had already ended its truce, was reignited by Kiyoshi Kasai's essay commentary.
This has sparked a new wave of heated debate!
However, this "Dance City Debate" is quite different from the last one.
Because "Object X from the Universe" is so well written.
As a result, many fans of other authors switched sides to the Maishiro Kyosuke faction.
Of course, there will also be readers who cannot accept "Object X from Space," which is too unconventional, and who will abandon Kyosuke Maijo and turn to other authors.
However, the number of new readers joining far exceeds the number of readers leaving.
However, Maijo Kyosuke, the "central figure" of the incident, was unaware of this.
Because at this very moment, he was in his study, furiously writing *The City That Never Sleeps*, a "hard-boiled mystery masterpiece" that could determine his path to becoming a "bestselling author" —
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