Name: Part mystery, bigger part weirdly morbid slice-of-life
Item: Beautiful Bones -Sakurako's Investigation-
Rating: 73
Author: Kalladry

Waifra

Part mystery, bigger part weirdly morbid slice-of-life · Waifora

Coming off the murder mystery fun of Young Kindaichi, I was hoping to continue in the same vein. Sakurako sounded like it might fit; I saw someone online compare it to the TV show Bones.*

“Sakurako Kujō is a genius beauty in her mid-twenties whose life is centered around one thing and one thing only: bones. With little tolerance for others, she would be completely isolated in her study full of skeletons if it weren’t for high school boy Shoutarou—her new assistant and constant companion. Why exactly she has taken a shine to him remains a mystery, but one thing is clear: Whenever the two go out together, the chances are high that they will come across a human corpse.”

*Note: it has little in common with the American TV show Bones, except that a main character is female, loves bones, and doesn’t much care for being polite.

Visually, I was immediately drawn in: the poster image is of a canny-looking woman sitting in an older house (vibes of “golden age” mysteries in Victorian/older mansions), with articulated animal skeletons in the background. The details are gorgeous, and she looks intriguing; I probably could’ve been convinced to watch on the basis of this picture alone.

It starts strong, with human bones, and a case that requires figuring out if these are recent humans or not, and whether it was a disguised murder, suicide, or accident. This also establishes Sakurako as a ~weirdo~ who tries to keep one of the skulls. The woman just likes bones, who are we to judge?

(We are normal humans, that’s who. Audience expy and normal high schooler Shoutarou is alternatingly freaked out and exasperated at her bluntness, skeletal preoccupation, and overall disregard for social conventions that would get in the way of her lovingly touching every single bone, ever.)

Don’t get me wrong: Sakurako is a fun character, and I enjoyed watching her, and would watch more! It’s not really a pure detective series, though, and definitely not a Kindaichi-style show you can solve. Instead, you’re going to be watching Sakurako et. al. enjoy bones and solve some problems.

Verdict

English dub? No, so it’s not something to stream when you can’t commit to watching the screen the entire time.

Visuals: Nice, with beautifully rendered skeletons. A rainbow palette is used to gorgeous effect, particularly during a somewhat magical girl-style sequence when Sakurako pulls on her gloves for examination, and contrasts nicely with the often-dark subject matter.

Worth watching? Yes, I enjoyed it, but it’s not a straight-up procedural series. The episodes aren’t so much mysteries as weirdly morbid slice-of-life; Sakurako herself observes that people around her tend to die and Shoutarou mentions they always seem to find dead things around her. There’s quite a bit of talking, not a lot of running around solving murders. The main draw is the titular Sakurako, a blunt woman who loves putting bones together, doesn’t understand why others find them (and death) creepy, and has a Sherlock-like gift for noticing details. It’s not a frustrating ending, but it does leave several things open for presumably another series (or for the novels). With 12 episodes, it’s not a huge commitment (at this time, no further seasons have been announced, but the novel series it’s based on is ongoing).