Who-Dunnit, darn it?!

FIR RB# 9
Title of Book being read: The Tokyo Zodiac Murders
Author: Soji Shimada
Genre: Mystery (Who-Dunnit), Comedy
Date that I started reading book: August 16, 2010
Chapters read: Prologue to Chapter one
Pages read: 33 pages

When I first read the title of the book a year ago, The Tokyo Zodiac Murders sent a chill down my spine. And it wasn't a scared sort-of chill; it was that of excitement. Although I admit I had some doubts. This was the second book that I read that was written by a Japanese writer, with the first one (although not totally an utter disappointment) being a bit bitterly mediocre.
But now, I'm back into reading this book with the purpose to blog about this to the world.

The Case Unsolved for 40 years
Before the prologue starts, a short note from one of the leading characters--Kazumi Ishioka--challenges the readers to solve the case ahead of him and the protagonist of the story, Detective Kiyoshi Mitarai. The clues are presented in the beginning of the book, with the two protagonists not far behind on discussing their theories and wishes the reader good luck.
In the prologue in the year 1936, the point-of-view switches that to the writer of his own testament and will: Heikichi Umezawa. Heikichi explains elaborately on what's been going on in his mind; that he is being possessed by the Devil and is hallucinating and had become completely delirious. He states that the only way that he can be saved is that he create Azoth: the perfect woman. In specific astrological detail, he also states that Azoth must be created from different female body parts with the females being astrologically different from one another and they have to be virgins so that Azoth will be truly perfect. Explaining further that he needed to chop up the bodies before they decompose, he also explains his past on how he had come up with the idea that Azoth will be his masterpiece as well as his and his country's salvation, and that Azoth--along with the will and testament that he had written--shall be put in the 'Center of Japan' while the bodies of the females he plan to chop up will be buried in different places in Japan, with an associated metal element buried alongside with their bodies.

The Japanese versions of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
In the start of the first chapter, the readers are met with the heroic duo: self-styled detective Kiyoshi Mitarai who plays as the Sherlock Holmes in the duo and his best friend and artist, Kazumi Ishioka, who is actually serving as the narrator of the story(except in the prologue and epilogue) and the one who plays as the Dr. Watson in the two.
Kazumi first describes himself as an addict in reading mystery novels, crimes, news, issues, etc. and was one of the people of Japan trying to solve the Azoth murders that had taken place 40 years ago. Now, in the year 1970, it seems not even police today--with all the technical advancements and better task forces and investigators--are able to figure out the mystery behind the Azoth murders.
Kazumi then switches his views to his friend, Kiyoshi, who--in unknown reasons--appears to be in a depressive state and decides to share to him instead the Azoth murders to cheer him up, as he seem to know that Kiyoshi has a fond for mysteries, despite that he is more of an astrologer and not a true licensed detective.
As the first chapter progressed, the two would-be detectives talked, argued, lectured and discussed their theories together as one-by-one they piece together the three different scenes of the crime: 1.) The murder of the writer of the will and testament, Heikichi Umezawa, 2.) the raped and murdered Kazue, Heikichi Umezawa's eldest daughter and 3.) the disappearances and murder of his six daughters and nieces, whose specific body parts appeared to have been cut up, probably used to create Azoth.
Now the big question mark now is that where is Azoth? Was she even created? If she was, who created her? And who would even go to the trouble of killing these people to create Azoth?

Insights
I was literally thinking when I read the book. I mean, it was obvious the author was also challenging the readers on this whole thing.
But for those who aren't used to this kind of mystery, I guess they won't be able to have a mind to really solve along with the characters, especially since the clues that had been presented in the book was not shown in an orderly manner and seems the whole investigation favored more to the fictional would-be detectives than the readers.
But still, the story is totally unique and wacky, as the two characters are very witty and also flawed, in the sense that they are handed with the difficulty that they are reacting to like any person would in the world, unlike their more intense, sexier Western counterparts where protagonists are unstoppable forces in the modern jungle, which is unrealistic.
Read this yourself, I dare you, and I'm sure you'll laugh and solve along the wacky and bumbling Japanese sleuths!