RogerBW's Blog

2015 mystery novel adaptation, 12 episodes: AniDB, vt "Beautiful Bones: Sakurako`s Investigation" or "A Corpse is Buried Under Sakurako's Feet". Kujou Sakurako, osteologist and amateur forensic anthropologist, investigates the remarkable number of human bones to be found locally.

Yes, this is basically an amateur-detection, mystery of the week (or at least fortnight) show, obviously loosely inspired by Bones. And as with most such shows, any real strengths it has must come from the relationship between the principals rather than the details of the crimes. Sakurako is one of those stock characters who spent all their points on investigative skills and had none left over for basic social graces, and high-school student Tatewaki Shoutarou (who's a little in love with her) tries to manage her interface with the real world while learning a bit about her profession. Either of them individually would get annoying; together they make an appealing pair of protagonists.

The art is also unusually appealing, with many lovingly-rendered outdoor scenes as well as detailed interiors. Characters and animation are the usual modern computer-assisted forms, but have a reasonable amount of personality to them.

The crimes themselves start off pretty basic (and there's a notional "transformation scene" in the first few episodes, as Sakurako switches into bone-savant mode, that's distinctly distracting) but get more interesting later on, as well as becoming more closely linked.

It's all pretty low-key stuff, though perhaps after Kanojo anything else would have had more excitement. I like low-key, and this worked rather well for me, as a contemplative look at life, death, and what comes afterwards (in a crude physical sense).

This isn't a complete story but does at least reach a break-point. No sequel has been announced.