Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace

Synopsis

In "Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace," middle schooler Yoshio Kobayashi comes to in his classroom only to find his teacher brutally killed and himself holding the weapon used in the murder. Despite being framed under these grim circumstances, the aloof and mysterious Yoshio feels a secret thrill about the situation. His loyal friend Souji Hashiba works with him to prove Yoshio's innocence. Meanwhile, brilliant high school detective Kogorou Akechi arrives to investigate the crime. When he meets the accused boy, a fascinating mutual fascination develops between them. Yoshio wants to help Akechi solve mysteries, while Akechi aims to test Yoshio's abilities in the difficult world of detective work. This surreal horror mystery anime features bizarre and grotesque crimes, taking inspiration from the stories of Ranpo Edogawa, a celebrated writer who had a major impact on Japanese literature.

Background

Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace (lit. Strange Tales of Rampo: Game of Laplace) is inspired by the works of author Edogawa Rampo (a pseudonym for Tarou Hirai) and commemorates the 50th anniversary of his death in 1965. He was a Japanese author and critic who played a major role in the development of Japanese mystery fiction. Many of his novels involve the detective hero Kogoro Akechi, the first recurring detective character in Japanese fiction and is clearly inspired by Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.