The story takes place at a certain middle school where several murder cases take place. Kobayashi, a boy who goes to this school, meets genius detective Akechi, who comes to the school to investigate. Kobayashi takes an interest in Akechi and, in spite of his friend Hashiba's worries, he volunteers to be Akechi's assistant.
The story takes place at a certain middle school where several murder cases take place. Kobayashi, a boy who goes to this school, meets genius detective Akechi, who comes to the school to investigate. Kobayashi takes an interest in Akechi and, in spite of his friend Hashiba's worries, he volunteers to be Akechi's assistant.
The series maintains a neutral stance by focusing on the apolitical themes of mystery, crime, and human psychology, while critiquing ideological extremes in the pursuit of justice from multiple perspectives without endorsing a specific political solution.
The movie adheres to traditional character representation typical of its Japanese anime origin, without explicit race or gender swaps of roles that would be considered traditionally white in a Western context. Its narrative focuses on mystery and psychological themes, and does not explicitly critique traditional identities or center DEI themes.
The anime features a prominent character, Hashiba, whose deep romantic devotion to the male protagonist, Kobayashi, is a central and un-problematized aspect of his character arc. While the series is dark and psychological, it portrays this same-sex attraction with dignity and complexity, without framing it as a source of ridicule or inherent tragedy. Kobayashi's frequent cross-dressing also challenges gender norms in a neutral context.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
The anime adapts characters inspired by Edogawa Ranpo's works. While some characters have stylized appearances, their canonical genders in the show remain consistent with their male portrayals in the original source material. Kobayashi's cross-dressing is an in-plot disguise, not a gender swap.
Rampo Kitan: Game of Laplace is an original anime series featuring new characters inspired by the works of Edogawa Ranpo. There is no prior established canon for these specific characters to constitute a race swap.
Combines user and critic ratings from four sources