Steam Detectives (Volume 1)

By Kia Asamiya

A retro-future where steam reigns supreme forms the backdrop to this unique action series. Our heroes are a band of intrepid young detectives; the villains are a diabolical assortment of masked dandies, mad scientists, and dastardly robots. Packed with pop culture in-jokes and cliff-hanging action, this series is a must for hip manga fans everywhere. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1569313172
• ISBN13: 9781569313176
• Release Date: February 1999
• Publisher: Viz Media
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Simplistic beauty

This is a very simplistic series of books. I must admit though, that the simple feel of the manga makes the series more enjoyable. Sometimes I grow tired of wading through the heavy and more realistic titles out there. Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of anime and manga, but every now and then it's nice to stop reading a mental buster and pick up something more light - kind of like the difference between Gerald's Game and...

A Pleasing, Straight Forward Series

Some people find "Steam Dectives" to be a bit too simplistic, considering other works from Kia Asamiya. However, one must remember that this manga was created for his son, and really is made to be one, enjoyable romp. The main character builds model trains and cars; this is supposed to fun for the most part, not deeply psychological.Also, if you're not one for the art, then by all means, just don't read the manga. I for one,...

GROOVY!!!!!!!

This is a very good book. I got it hoping for something to last me a while, but it was so good I read it in less than 2 hours. A very good bit of mystery for the young reader. But I suggest parents look over this in a book store before sharing with children because of a shower scene. It's not explicit though. It doesn't show anything really, but it may offend some parents.

Techno Paradise?

Asamiya's normally known for the "Blade Runner"-inspired "Silent Moebius"; for "Steam Detectives", he turns the clock back instead of forward, putting us at the turn of the century... or is it? I love it when an artist freely intermixes past and present metaphors as a way of enriching a story, and "SD" does that excellently. Some of the translations are not quite up to snuff, but the quality of the work as a whole is...