From: VIZ Media LLC Publisher: VIZ Media LLC Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: VIZ Media LLC Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 200 Publication Date: February 05, 1999
Product Description: A retro-future where steam reigns supreme forms the backdrop to this unique action series. Our heroes are a band of intrepid young detectives; the villains are a diabolical assortment of masked dandies, mad scientists, and dastardly robots. Packed with pop culture in-jokes and cliff-hanging action, this series is a must for hip manga fans everywhere.
Simplistic beauty This is a very simplistic series of books. I must admit though, that the simple feel of the manga makes the series more enjoyable. Sometimes I grow tired of wading through the heavy and more realistic titles out there. Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of anime and manga, but every now and then it's nice to stop reading a mental buster and pick up something more light - kind of like the difference between Gerald's Game and Harry Potter ~_^
A Pleasing, Straight Forward Series Some people find "Steam Dectives" to be a bit too simplistic, considering other works from Kia Asamiya. However, one must remember that this manga was created for his son, and really is made to be one, enjoyable romp. The main character builds model trains and cars; this is supposed to fun for the most part, not deeply psychological. Also, if you're not one for the art, then by all means, just don't read the manga. I for one, adore Asamiya's art. Also, if you pay attention, he simplified his usual style for this series, to give it a more cartoony feeling. The big buttons everyone wears are even a salute to "Inspector Gadget," where he was an inbetween animator. The characters are wonderful. Narutaki is a great hero. Showing bravery where'd you expect a hero to, but then every so often we're suddenly reminded that he is, after all, just a young boy. Ling Ling might be a bit on the weak side for a few people, but I've gotten rather sick and tired of kickbutt female sidekicks. And Le Bread and Lang Lang are just cool villains. When you have a villain dressing like the Phantom of the Opera, with a sidekick nurse who believes death is the best solution to pain, you've got a great rogue gallery set up. This isn't for everyone, I'm sure. But this series is great for someone who wants to sit back, and just enjoy a pleasant read.
High Hopes... I like the whole idea of the steampunk genre but it's SO hard to execute, and so I was really hoping alot when I took a look at this series, but, it was really [bad] and didn't make anysense and I thought it was so cheezy that even a little kid would be disappointed by this.
GROOVY!!!!!!! This is a very good book. I got it hoping for something to last me a while, but it was so good I read it in less than 2 hours. A very good bit of mystery for the young reader. But I suggest parents look over this in a book store before sharing with children because of a shower scene. It's not explicit though. It doesn't show anything really, but it may offend some parents.
Too simplistic Steam Detectives suffers from the simplicity of its stories. Although it's not quite on the Scooby Doo level of simplicity, it's not nearly far enough above it. The villains are of the masked variety, with nonsensical schemes and goals. The steampunk--high technology based on steam power--setting is interesting enough (if derivative, considering the recent wave of steampunk stories), but it's really wasted. It's not so much that the stories here are bad; rather, there just isn't enough to them.
The art can either save this book or harm it. I've never been a big fan of Kia Asamiya's artwork--the noses of his characters are just too big for their faces (in length and width), and it doesn't appeal to me. Steam Detectives doesn't suffer this nearly so much as other stories (Silent Moebius, for one), but the artwork is also simpler and more stylized. My recommendation: click on the cover art to get a larger view of it. That's what the art looks like, except the book is black & white. Some people love the look of Kia Asamiya's artwork, so take a look at it and decide.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
