Credits
Story: Otaro Maijo, The Detectives United
Art: Yuuki Kodama
Translation: Amanda Haley
Lettering: Bianca Pistillo
Synopsis
When I open my eyes, I find myself in an unfamiliar car, in an unfamiliar town, in front of the on-ramp to an unfamiliar highway. Before I can process any of this, I see the fiery explosions of multiple car crashes in the distance, and without thinking, I stomp on the accelerator and race toward the scene. I soon find that I’ve driven straight into hell at full speed with no brakes, just like everyone around me...! In the midst of this insanity, I discover the corpse of a girl, and suddenly I know—I am the brilliant detective. And I must solve the mystery of her death.
Id: Invaded #Brake-Broken review | Written 10/09/2024
A man wakes up in a car with no memories of who he is. Around him is vehicular madness: no one on this highway has functional brakes and they are all stuck in a trap reminiscent of Speed. When he finds a body in his car’s boot, the man remembers: this woman is Kaeru, he is the brilliant detective Sakaido, and he is here to solve the mystery of her death.
Id: Invaded #Brake-Broken is the manga sequel story to the original anime, and it continues the narrative and tone seamlessly. The art is clean and clear, delivering the most kinetic scenes in the franchise with conviction. This sequel convinced me that the end of the anime did not close as many doors to stories as I had assumed — this world can keep going and telling compelling stories as long as it is given the chance.
Id: Invaded’s premise is one that appeals to me in its sci-fi-veneered ridiculousness: a special police force has devices which can pick up particles generated by the desire to kill. They feed this information into a much larger machine which generates a simulation of the killer’s psyche, allowing investigators to dive in Matrix-style to find information that could lead to their capture. As in the anime, the strange details the investigators notice and pick apart are there from the start, making for a satisfying detangling despite the larger-than-life circumstances of the simulation.
One of our two protagonists, Hondoumachi, is often on the outside, in pursuit of the criminals as new information is uncovered, and in #Brake-Broken she is just as brilliant as ever. Competent and unstoppably alive, she brings the less flashy half of the narrative up to the same levels of engagement as the car-crash strewn simulation. The supporting cast keep everything moving smoothly and convincingly, each with their own role to play in the investigation, and the new addition to the team shakes up the dynamics for our protagonists.
If any of this sounds up your alley, I would highly recommend giving the anime a watch and this manga a read.