Fuminobu Kurihara
Created by: Uketsu
With his sharp wit and logical reasoning, Fuminobu Kurihara is an architect that takes on the "detective" role as a hobby in solving mysteries that involve visual diagrams and media. He is a reoccurring character in Uketsu's Strange novels series. Not much is really known about Kurihara outside of the mysteries in the novels (and also because i've still read one of these novels so far >_<), as he himself isn't directly a part of the mystery but is moreso an observer that gives the answer or puts all the pieces together for the readers. He is friends with the author, Uketsu, who is a really fascinating and eccentric figure. He wears a skintight suit and a mask and aside from being a writer, he is also a YouTuber and makes really creative and surreal content that's creepy to watch.
Books
The Strange series has 4 books so far, 2 are officially translated to english as of writing.
Strange Pictures
Book #2
Multiple
connected stories each featuring a mysterious picture that hides a secret.
A nice, creepy, and unsettling mystery story. I really admire the way
Uketsu
was able to integrate the pictures into the story, it may be gimmick-y but
it is effective in telling a story. The book has some flaws, there are some
awkward jumps in the reasoning for some explanations in the first story.
And the motive of the murderer for certain kills feels pretty forced. But
the book makes up for it with its engaging visuals and a haunting atmosphere
especially during the part where we get to read a firsthand account from one
of the victims where i think the book really dials up the horror.
This is a
prequel
to the first book, Strange Houses, and Kurihara is still an
architecture student in this one. This and Strange Houses were apparently
big hits
in japan and both even have manga adaptations.
