Mugen Shinshi

Mugen Shinshi (Japanese: 夢幻紳士, Hepburn: Mugen Shinshi, "Dream Gentleman") is a Japanese manga metaseries by Yosuke Takahashi. The story follows the adventures of Mamiya Mugen, a teenage detective from the Showa era Japan, retold in multiple alternate continuities. The second and main series was loosely adapted into an OVA in 1985, while a crowdfunding campaign for a live action film opened in 2015.[1]

Mugen Shinshi
夢幻紳士
(Mugen Shinshi)
GenreMystery
Manga
Mugen Shinshi
Written byYosuke Takahashi
Published byAsahi Sonorama
MagazineManga Shonen
DemographicShonen
Original runJanuary 1981 – December 1982
Volumes1
Manga
Mugen Shinshi Bōken Katsugeki-hen
Written byYosuke Takahashi
Published byTokuma Shoten
MagazineBetty
DemographicShonen
Original runAugust 15, 1982 – October 18, 1990
Volumes10
Original video animation
Mugen Shinshi Bōken Katsugeki-hen
Directed byHatsuki Tsuji
Produced byAkio Wakana
Tomoko Sato
Written byIzo Hashimoto
StudioGallop
JVCKenwood Victor Entertainment
ReleasedFebruary 1987
Runtime50 minutes
Episodes1
Manga
Mugen Shinshi Kaiki-hen
Written byYosuke Takahashi
Published byTokuma Shoten
MagazineMedium
Shonen Captain
DemographicShonen
Original runApril 1982 – June 1991
Volumes1
Manga
Mugen Shinshi Mugen Gaiden
Written byYosuke Takahashi
Published byAsahi Sonorama
MagazineNemuki
DemographicShonen
Original run1992 – 1996
Volumes3
Manga
Mugen Shinshi Gensho-hen/Oma-hen/Meikyu-hen
Written byYosuke Takahashi
Published byHayakawa Shobo
MagazineMystery Magazine
DemographicShonen
Original runMarch 25, 2004 – February 15, 2007
Volumes3

Plot

The first manga series introduces Mamiya Mugen, the child heir of a rich family that enjoys solving crimes for the Japanese police during the Showa era. Although young, he has telepathic powers and a keen intellect, and is helped by his faithful butler Alucard. Some of the cases he gets involved with are occult or supernatural in nature.

The series was revamped for the second manga publishing, Boken Katsugeki-hen, where the story remains almost the same, although containing more gags and humor. Mugen lacks any superpower now, and solves cases with the help of his butler Alucard and his love interest Atsuko. However, the shady story of his family intervenes as well, forcing him to confront his villainous father and aunt. This iteration of the series received an OVA whose story conflates and references several of the manga's chapters.

A much more serious, almost horror-oriented view of the series is given in its third continuity, Kaiki-hen, where Mugen is now a suave, distinguished ladies man in his twenties. He works mostly alone and meets a long string of lovers in his cases, but is helped by his spiritual powers and his mentor Professor Yokomizo. This style was kept in the work's fourth version, in which Mamiya has a different set of powers.

The last series is the trilogy Gensho-hen/Oma-hen/Meikyu-hen, in which Mugen is presented as a supernatural entity unrelated to humanity that fights monsters and demons.

Characters
Mamiya Mugen (夢幻魔実也)
Voiced by: Keiko Toda

The work's protagonist, a child detective who solves crimes with his genius mind (and in some continuities, his supernatural powers). He wears a black suit and sometimes a matching bowler hat, and while his personality often changes between series, he is always boyish and quirky. He's 15 in Katsugeki-hen, where he is also a master of disguise and a good shooter. He abandons Japan with the outbreak of World War II, but returns years later, married to Atsuko and having a daughter named Mako.

Alucard (アルカード)
Voiced by: Banjo Ginga

Mamiya's butler, a huge, bald old man with a surprising strength. Katsugeki-hen reveals he was born in Transylvania and has vampiric blood, but swore loyalty to the Mamiya family after Kyoshiro saved his life during World War I. His name is Dracula backwards.

Inspector Edogawa (江戸川 警部)
Voiced by: Junpei Takiguchi

Mamiya's liaison in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, a bumbling man who often becomes skeptical or cowardly at his plans. His name comes from Edogawa Ranpo.

Atsuko Fukune (夢幻魔実也)
Voiced by: Hiroko Emori

Introduced in Katsugeki-hen, Atsuko is a girl Mamiya meets during one of his cases, after which she becomes his sidekick. An orphan, she used to earn a living as an exotic dancer in Asakusa. She's intelligent and determined, though quite short-tempered and a bit uncultured. At the end of the series, she marries Mugen and has a daughter with him.

Mako Mugen (夢幻魔子)

The daughter of Mamiya and Atsuko. During the 1950s, she starts working as a Japanese vigilante named Tokyo Kid.

Kyoshiro Mugen (夢幻狂四郎)

Mamiya's father, introduced in Katsugeki-hen. He is a professional delinquent, which brings Mamiya troubles to no end, though he sincerely loves his son and wife. At the end of the story, it is revealed that he used to be a friend of Adolf Hitler.[2]

Yukie Mugen (夢幻雪絵)

Mamiya's mother, an elegant women constantly infuriated by his husband's antics.

Neko Mugen (夢幻猫)

Mamiya's aunt, a beautiful femme fatale murderer.

Dr. Lao (老博士)
Voiced by: Joji Yanami

Another enemy to Mamiya, a Chinese mastermind. He's ostensibly a parody of Fu Manchu, though his face is officially based on popular Japanese actor Akira Oizumi, while his name comes from Charles G. Finney's The Circus of Dr. Lao.[3]

Koho (老博士)
Voiced by: Koji Totani

Dr. Lao's main henchman, a plump Chinese man. Though he looks stupid, he can be surprisingly competent. He's a parody of Japanese professional wrestler Thunder Sugiyama.[3]

Kaitō Kurenai Okoze (怪盗紅オコゼ)

Another of Mamiya's enemies, a phantom thief (怪盗, kaitō) of unknown identity.

Prof. Yokomizo (横溝教授)

A scientist who understands psychic abilities. He only appears in the first chapters of Kaiki-hen.

References
  1. Mugen Shinshi Mystery Manga Gets Crowdfunding Campaign for Live-Action Film
  2. Interview with Yosuke Takahashi (in Japanese)
  3. Yosuke Takahashi, Mugen Shinshi, 1984, Tokuma Shoten
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