Mitsuko Hoshino is a working woman — working as the first female detective (albeit fictional) in 1930s Japan that is! It’s work she loves doing, even if it sometimes seems like the world isn’t ready for her yet, and with Saku, her self-proclaimed assistant, helping her out with a variety of talents, she’s ready to take on just about any case the world throws her way!
Much like Usotoki Rhetoric (the other currently publishing detective manga set in the Showa-era with a male-female duo with great shipping potential), My Dear Detective could be considered to be in the realm of “fair-play” mystery, where enough details and clues are revealed to both the characters and the readers so the readers can guess the solution as the story goes along. This may make the mysteries feel a bit more basic to some readers but I for one prefer mysteries that don’t suddenly conjure identical twins etc. as a solution.
Plus, My Dear Detective leans so fully into the setting that the “clues” often aren’t just clues, they’re a wonderful bit of world building. Quite a few of the conflicts are tied into the gender and class divides of early 20th century Japan (the series is quite a bit queerer than I expected) and translator Samuel R. Messner provides detailed translation/cultural notes at the end of each chapter, further playing into the idea that “clues” are sometimes just “contest” (and, according to the Azuki ANYC panel, started doing it entirely of his own volition! Don’t worry folks, he is paid for it).
Mitsuko’s status as the first female detective certainly earns her some ire from people outside of her organization (although thankfully, so far no one inside of it has shown signs of resentment) and Saku makes for an excellent detective’s assistant/foil to her in this regard. He’s supportive and accepting but never at all snooty about the cases Mitsuko takes on or interested in showing her up; he’s simply happy to be along for the ride and understandably nervous when she does something more fool-hardy.
It’s hard to capture in words how exactly the story accomplishes all of this without being bland and predictable; I will say that the moments of visual humor definitely keep it from being straight-laced (Natsumi Ito’s semi-detailed art style and non-extravagant use of screen tones definitely also helps with establishing the setting, in addition to being pretty) and Mitsuko herself is a very fun lead. Mitsuko’s Case Files is a fun romp that digs a bit deeper than you’d first expect, how very much like a mystery for a series to hide something from the reader at first glance!