Remote

The manga is quite average. Visually, it isn't particularly beautiful; some might have enjoyed its style, but I personally did not find it appealing. The story was decent, yet nothing extraordinary. For a manga centered around police investigations, it was far too predictable. To prove my point, I managed to guess the culprit each time from the character introductions alone.

The main character initially came across as incredibly annoying and bland. There wasn't much character development, but eventually, I did come to appreciate him somewhat. As for the other characters, they were likable but not outstanding, which is disappointing. In conclusion, it was an enjoyable read, but ultimately, it was just too mediocre.

I haven't finished reading this manga yet, but I still want to write something about it. Currently, I'm in the middle of the whole story, at volume 5, and the next case I'm going to read is about Assassin Bob. Anyway, this manga shares some similarities with Q.E.D., where there's a balance between brain and action in every case. However, to be honest, I prefer Q.E.D. because it feels more logical to me in terms of solving crimes. In contrast, Remote leans more towards action rather than focusing on the crime story itself. Still, I recommend this manga for fans of the mystery crime genre.

One of the things that make me enjoy reading it is how the author incorporates some romantic elements as the story progresses. This involves the situation of the main character with her fiancé and his current boss in the police. It adds an extra layer of complexity and interest to the narrative, making it more engaging.

Oh my goodness, the artwork is truly terrible. Seriously, it's awful. The excessive and unnecessary fanservice stuffed into this series is laughably bad. The first case was somewhat engaging, and most of the subsequent ones were at least enjoyable to read, but the glaring issue with this series' take on the whodunit genre is that the author doesn't equip the reader with the necessary tools to solve the mystery. Instead, we're forced to depend on the male protagonist (you know, the low-budget "L" knockoff) to spoon-feed us clues. However, he tends to keep his cards close to his chest for most of the time.

I don't know. I'd recommend just reading Death Note instead. Even though I'm fully aware that Death Note came out later, I can't shake the feeling that Remote is a cheap imitation, minus the supernatural element.

I didn't enjoy this manga, but I'll give you an overview. It revolves around a genius detective who never leaves his room and relies on someone else to follow his instructions via cellphone. It doesn’t matter how incompetent the police officer is; they even promote a completely useless meter maid.

The ecchi elements are enjoyable, with lots of fan service typical for a seinen series, including nudity. Characters don't just get cut; sometimes they lose limbs or get torn in half.

I tried reading until chapter 25, but I couldn't tolerate the characters any longer. The story itself is interesting, but the characters are incredibly weak. I enjoyed solving some of the riddles because they seemed intriguing and logical, but the protagonist is too painful to read about.

The plot is good, and the puzzles make sense. However, it felt too convenient at times. The detective always seems to be in the right place at the right time, mysteriously involved in each case. For example, she happens to be meeting a friend where a clown murder occurs or having dinner at a café when a bomb is about to explode.

When I say the characters are weak, I'm referring mainly to Ayaki, the protagonist. Her partner Himuro has a personality similar to mine. He’s yelling, "THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO BE DOING, SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE IN 5 MINUTES," while she's crying, wanting to treat a child's scraped knee. She screams back, "HOW CAN YOU BE SO COLD?!" I seriously want to punch her right now.

The story treats Ayaki like an "incompetent hot ass." She gets her butt slapped by her superior, and no one complains. She does almost nothing and would just be eye candy if not for coincidentally being at the right place at the right time. She eventually realizes she's the basis for a serial killer's actions after five clues, solving the case.

If you can overlook characters like King Yuuri from Kyo Kara Maoh, who refuses to shed blood under any circumstances, or the kid from The Breaker who tries to sell his girlfriend into rape because he gets bullied, you might enjoy this. But if you're like me, it might drive you crazy.

Well... It's been a long time since the last review, but I'm writing one anyway.
This manga is fantastic when it comes to its mystery elements (as others have noted), but some people had issues with character development and the main character's personality in general. Which is understandable, but... I don't fully grasp the complaints. She starts working as a meter maid and suddenly finds herself in dangerous situations (an excessive amount of them). Not everyone can stay cool, calm, and collected when facing a blood-painted clown. While I say this, I do acknowledge that the main character does whine quite a bit, but she isn't entirely bad (which can't be said about many manga characters).
Moving on to Himuro... his character really stood out to me. (That doesn't make this review biased... *cough* moving on!) He had a STORY. That's what I truly loved about him. His character developed in a good way, and everything came together nicely in the end.
To be honest, I got this series on sale without knowing what to expect, but I certainly wasn't disappointed. :)

In the beginning, the premise appears quite promising. For the most part, the mysteries are captivating. I was always eager to uncover the culprit in the who-dun-it and found that I could follow most of the presented clues. I also appreciated that it focused on a woman about to get married rather than a teenager searching for romance, which was a refreshing change.

However, I rated this so low because the characters significantly detract from the story. They all seem one-dimensional: Kouzaburo is perpetually brooding and angry, the fiancé is foolish with only sex on his mind, and the police officers are incompetent and sexist. But my main issue was with the heroine Ayuki. She starts off as an incompetent character. Although there are attempts to show her evolving into a stronger, more confident woman, it isn't portrayed convincingly. By the end of the story, she still comes across as arrogant and remains pretty incompetent.

Overall, if you're really in the mood for a mystery manga, I would hesitate to recommend this one. There are likely far better options worth your time.

As a detective drama, Remote manages to be competent and even enjoyable. Its cases are intriguing and diverse, and while the solutions can sometimes feel contrived, they generally follow a logical thread that allows readers to guess the conclusion before it's revealed. This internal logic isn't as coherent as in a Sherlock Holmes novel, but it still makes guessing worthwhile.

In terms of romance, Remote falls short. Kurumi's relationship with her detective partner Kouzaburo does develop into something more romantic than professional by the end, but there's an issue: I find myself disliking her for it. She has a fiancé, yet neither he ditches her nor she him, despite the increasingly cruel and dishonest nature of stringing him along. This subplot is never a major plot point and is treated more humorously than dramatically, but it's hard to enjoy a budding romance when you're constantly feeling sorry for the loyal guy she's cheating on.

The additional elements surrounding these two main threads make Remote even more challenging and unpleasant to read. The series features consistently amateurish art, relentless egregious fanservice in the form of upskirts, downshirts, and unnecessary nude scenes (not to mention chapters where the plot devolves into bad hentai). On top of this, there's constant grating misogyny throughout. The way this manga treats women, especially our protagonist Kurumi, is spectacularly awful even for the 2000s standards.

Kurumi is completely incompetent. She's ruled by her emotions. She cannot fire a gun until Kouzaburo convinces her to shoot (and then she'll almost always miss), she can't walk without tripping (expect an upskirt every time), she refuses orders if she finds them too scary and shuts down until Kouzaburo consoles her, she constantly walks into danger any thinking adult should spot and needs Kouzaburo to bail her out, and she cannot add 2+2 until Kouzaburo tells her it's 4. She is utterly dependent on Kouzaburo for everything, and this is supposed to be romantic.

If this wasn't bad enough, Kouzaburo is "complex." Due to a traumatic incident before the story begins, he is left "unable to feel emotions." As a result, he is brusque and unsympathetic, arguably to the point of abuse at times. Only Kurumi can endure his hostile behavior long enough to get to his true loving self—only she can fix him! This isn't an interpretation; it's barely a paraphrase of what is told to Kurumi to keep her with Kouzaburo. She stays, obviously (they're the main couple, after all) and eventually gets the loving partner she deserves, which many women in similar relationships never achieve. Morally, the arc of this relationship leaves a bitter taste, even if it technically ends sweetly.

Ultimately, who is Remote for? Readers less concerned about these issues may find it a fun read for its crime mystery aspects. Those looking for a less intellectually engaging experience will probably find the fanservice ruined by the crude art. Readers seeking a romance have better options available.

Remote was a compelling read, but its ending left me pondering what happened and what could have happened. Some readers enjoy creating their own endings, but at times, I prefer the author to spell it out for me. Nevertheless, just like many other good manga with intriguing storylines, this one also falls into the trap of having a less-than-satisfactory conclusion when the author seems to lose steam or direction. Despite that, I still recommend this manga to anyone who enjoys police cases intertwined with romance. It was enjoyable piecing together clues for some of the cases, and I managed to get a few right, at least. (giggle) Oh, I almost forgot to mention the ecchi parts; they were very, very nice, even in my opinion as a girl. (giggle)