[Seongchan Eol's Comic Book] A Mystery Comic Born in the Same Year as 'One Piece'... No, You Should Read This Science Comic 「Q.E.D. Proof Complete」

​Question. What comic has been consistently serialized since 1997? Here, you can confidently press the answer button and shout, "One Piece!" But what if there is another comic like that? Can you believe it? It is the mystery comic series 「Q.E.D. Proof Complete」. Of course, there are differences in weekly serialization and monthly serialization, as well as genre, but still, the fact that the 「Q.E.D. Proof Complete」 series (hereinafter referred to as 「Q.E.D.」) has been serialized for nearly 30 years guarantees it is as entertaining as any other comic.

「Q.E.D.」 begins when a 15-year-old genius boy, Toma So, who graduated from MIT, transfers to the high school attended by Mizuhara Kana. Toma is a typical genius who does not move unless necessary and is awkward in human relationships. As he gets closer to Kana, who acts before thinking, they solve various incidents together. Like the abbreviation derived from the Latin term 'Quod Erat Demonstrandum', meaning proof complete, episodes follow where Toma and Kana clearly solve various cases. When one thinks of mystery comics, it is easy to recall murder case-focused stories like 「Young Detective Kim Jeon-il」 or 「Detective Conan」, but 「Q.E.D.」 deals with not only murder cases but also unsolved cases, school ghost stories, and memory-dependent mysteries, maintaining interest.

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The first part, 「Q.E.D. Proof Complete」, the second part, 「Q.E.D. iff Proof Complete」, and the third part, 「Q.E.D. UNIV Proof Complete」, which has been serialized since last year, totals over 80 volumes of this grand (?) comic, which I can confidently recommend due to its simple structure. The principle that 「Q.E.D.」 maintains throughout the series is that 'every case is concluded within one volume.' The 「Q.E.D.」 volumes typically cover two cases per volume, and very rarely one case. Additionally, 「Q.E.D.」 does not have a main story. While there are developments in Toma and Kana's relationship and Toma's past, the events in the comic rarely revolve around these central axes. Supporting characters consistently appear, but not knowing their backstories rarely hinders understanding the cases. Therefore, it is easy to take a break and return when a certain amount of serialization has progressed.

I mentioned the external characteristics of the work first, fearing that readers might flee from the overwhelming volume, but 「Q.E.D.」 also has excellent inherent fun. The core point is that it integrates various specialized fields such as mathematics and science into the cases. Since the protagonist is a 'once-in-a-lifetime genius', events based on science or mathematics are often depicted, along with general common sense, culture, and philosophy. For example, a trick shown by a vagrant relates to the Poincaré conjecture, or the relationships between characters are interpreted based on chaos theory. While it may not be easy to understand the theories themselves, they are explained in relation to the events or characters, making it not overly difficult (I assure you as someone who struggles with math) and well-reflected in the work's characteristics. Of course, since the manga artist studies and incorporates these into the work, and since it has been serialized for a long time, one should not assume it is 100% accurate, but at least it differentiates itself by not solely relying on circumstantial evidence or psychological descriptions to solve cases.

The diversity of these cases is closely linked to the variety of characters. Unlike murder cases, where the motives usually boil down to revenge or concealment of secrets, 「Q.E.D.」 deals with various incidents, and the characters are equally diverse. Therefore, observing these human figures is also a unique charm of 「Q.E.D. Proof Complete」. Toma, who seemed robotic, gradually reveals his human side, and Kana, who initially was just a straightforward action-oriented person, increasingly shows a higher level of intellect, making it enjoyable to watch the changes in the main characters.

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Of course, no work is without its flaws. One of the drawbacks of 「Q.E.D.」 is that there is a lot of artistic license. No matter how genius he is, Toma's intelligence is overwhelming enough to take on national institutions, and Kana, who initially was just a straightforward action-oriented person, suddenly shows cultured sophistication for the sake of plot development, which even fans might point out as "this is a bit...". Especially as the serialization has prolonged, the exaggeration has become more pronounced, which could become a barrier to entry for some readers. In fact, this artistic license is a characteristic of the author Kato Motohiro. From the perspective of someone who has watched the long serialization, the simplification of the art style is also one of the disappointments. As mentioned earlier, errors in theoretical explanations may be bothersome to readers with rich knowledge in the subject.

Nevertheless, if you are looking for something to enjoy at home during these cold days, I can confidently say that there is nothing quite like this mystery comic with over 70 volumes. Sometimes it offers the thrill of just desserts, sometimes the bittersweet irony of human affairs, while also stimulating intellectual curiosity. I hope you get to experience 「Q.E.D.」 at least once.

​*Additionally, this series has a live-action drama, but it received poor reviews, so I hope you meet the original comic. If you dislike mathematics and science, I recommend Kato Motohiro's other work 「C.M.B. Museum Case List」, which is based on archaeology and natural history.