The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (Light Novel), Vol. 1

Format read: paperbackReading time: 4-5 hoursTags: short stories, mystery, romance, slice-of-life, clueless MC, LGBT (bi, wlw), cozy mystery, detective(ish)Own a copy: yesReread likelihood: 10/10SummaryOne evening, on his way home from a nightshift at a local TV station, Nakata Seigi stumbles onto a scene where a beautiful stranger is being harassed by some drunks. After saving him, Seigi learns that the foreigner is Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian, an Englishman and jeweller newly settled in Tokyo, Japan. Through a series of events, Seigi begins to work for this mysterious man and encounters along the way a host of colourful clients at Bijouterie L'Étranger.ReviewLike most people here, I came across this series first through the anime, then the manga, and now the novels. I started backwards, seeing as how the novels came first, but I think it's actually quite nice to read the novels last as I'm already familiar with the story, but there's so much more detail here that it makes it a pleasure to read.Seigi is, quite possibly, the most unaware and clueless character I've ever read about. This series reminds me a lot of my ultimate favourite Japanese novel/manga series, [b:No.6, Volume 1 11976839 No.6, Volume 1 Atsuko Asano https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1331192827l/11976839.SX50.jpg 16940029] because of how Seigi and Shion are both massive airheads who just blurt out whatever they feel to their counterparts, Richard and Nezumi, respectively. The amount of time Seigi thought or said out loud how beautiful his boss is is staggering. Some of his compliments are so wild, I understand why Richard gets annoyed. At one point, Seigi says that Richard is like “diamond dust or an aurora,” yet he insists he just feels pure admiration for him; his true love is Tanimoto Shoko, a girl at his university... okay. Take this idiotic remark as an example of Seigi's level of unawareness: I lifted my head. Richard was smiling. Ever since I took that trip with him on the Shinkansen, every time I saw his smile, it felt like he has my heart in a vise. His expression was like a precious gem, cut and polished by the world's finest craftsmen. How was he human just like me? Were we sure we couldn't just consider this a natural phenomenon? ‘Today will be partly cloudy with a chance of Richard's smile.'SEIGI. Dude, who says stuff like that? I swear I threw my book across the room when I read it. It's so cheesy, but it's SO Seigi, I can't.Apart for this massive idiot, Richard is not any better, let's be real. He is the definition of tsundere. He's clearly being very disingenuous when he repeatedly brushes off Seigi's words and says he doesn't mind, he's used to it, etc. I love how moody he is and constantly bickers with Seigi in the novels. It shows that he is, in fact, not a marble statue and has feelings like everyone else.The “case files” in the novel can be read as individual short stories, which is a fun format in my opinion. Each one can be read independently, but obviously there's a small linear component to them. If you're familiar with the story already, you could easily read or reread your favourite case without having to read the whole book (kind of like how the Sherlock Holmes stories are constructed). In this first novel, there are 4 main cases and 1 short ‘extra' story at the end. Here's a brief breakdown:1. The Pink Sapphire of Justice: This first story features Seigi and Richard's first meeting, as well as Seigi's personal case about his grandmother's sapphire ring. He asks Richard to appraise the stone, which leads them on an adventure down to Kobe to untangle the mystery.2. The Ruby of Truth: Seigi has started working for Richard when a young woman visits the shop with a magnificent ruby brooch, looking to have it assessed for heat treatment. It turns out the the lady is stuck in a love triangle between her fiancé, a man who works in her office, and her long-term girlfriend, a musician in Shibuya, and the ruby is at the center of this quest for happiness.3. The Amethyst of Protection: the third story is about a nightclub host who desperately wants to recruit Richard as a fellow host. Despite his pushiness and brash exterior, however, the young man is also looking for a gem that can help him protect his girlfriend, a hostess in the same bar where he works.4. The Diamond of Memory: Tanimoto teaches Seigi about diamonds, and encourages him to study them on his own to understand how and why they are so valuable. At the same time, he and Richard receive a new customer who brings them a charred wedding ring belonging to his late wife and asks to have it refashioned into a new piece of jewellery. Extra: To Wish Upon a Rose Quartz: Seigi is looking for a stone that will bring him luck in love, and so he asks Richard to source him some rose quartz. Seigi wants to put all the chances on his side when it comes to winning Tanimoto's affections, but Richard isn't convinced that he's going about it the right way.As you can see, all of the chapters are mini stories that feature a specific gemstone in each one. This is quite nice as you get to learn about many kinds of gems throughout the book. Overall, this is a really fun, feel-good novel that is part cozy mystery and slow-paced slice-of-life too. I'm looking forward to the next novels!

Richard is a fairly young British man who lives in Japan, speaks perfect Japanese and various other languages, and has a shop selling gemstones and jewellery; which seems to be his hobby and passion as well as his business. He employs Seigi, a younger Japanese man, to make tea and do other odd jobs around the shop.

The novel is the story of their odd relationship and of their encounters with various different customers.

Seigi seems a nice lad, well-meaning, keen to help everyone, but he tends to say what's on his mind when it might be better to keep silent. He thinks he's heterosexual and is fascinated by a particular girl, but doesn't seem sure what he wants to do with her. He's also fascinated by his boss Richard, an unusually attractive man (other people think so too), although he doesn't think there's any sexual aspect to this fascination. He seems either asexual or sexually confused.

Richard is a very enigmatic man, and in this novel we don't learn much about what goes on in his head. His attractiveness seems an embarrassment to him, and he tends to avoid women; if he prefers men, that hasn't yet become clear. Like Seigi, he doesn't seem to have any sexual relationship with anyone.

The book seems quite well translated from Japanese, including some quite technical paragraphs about gemstones (presumably the author makes a hobby of them too). It's a readable and congenial story, although I find the main characters rather improbable and the plot relatively uneventful: I normally read sf and fantasy, in which more tends to happen.

I'll probably read the next book in the series, hoping that it reveals more about the main characters.

Actual rating: 2.5★

Yeah, this was a somewhat interesting read that didn't quite grab me. After saving a beautiful stranger from a group of drunks, Nakata Seigi is hired as a part-time worker at Jewelry Étranger. His boss is the titular Jeweler Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian, who is so beautiful he would put any top-ranking host to shame. From there, they encounter various cases related to all sorts of gemstones.

Clearly, I picked this up because of the mystery aspect. Each chapter features a different jewel, as well as people with different stories and backgrounds related to the gemstone. Sadly, the cases are often laid out in a flat tone and lack any depth, so reading about them brings no joy or satisfaction. It's really unfortunate, because some of these cases deal with realistic and modern issues in society, and yet it feels like it failed to reach its maximum potential. Like it could've been so much better.

Anyway, if you like chill, cozy mysteries that are rather light and on the smaller scale, you might like this book. But it's not for me, and not even an absurdly beautiful Englishman would change that.