Black Box editions have published this year a one shot released in the 90s in Japan, The Cop of Roppongi. Immerse yourself in the adventures of Kyôsuke Takanotsume, a Japanese policeman not always recommendable! 
The Roppongi Cop – Hot cases is a seinen by Tadashi Matsumori, Yô Kobori and Masao Yajima. This one shot was released in 1990 in the land of the rising sun.
"An unstoppable womanizer, Kyōsuke Takanotsume is one of the elite police in Roppongi, Tokyo's vibrant nightlife. If this neighborhood never sleeps, so do criminals.
Between the cases of drugs, prostitution and corruption, Kyōsuke has his work cut out for him, and he will not hesitate to use unconventional means to ensure the security of the paradise of Japanese vice. »
Before we begin any more detailed presentation of this work, we must inform you that it contains some scenes that may be considered shocking. This work is therefore intended for an informed public.
Sex, drugs and violence!
From the start, we are informed that the story takes place in Roppongi, one of Tokyo's hottest districts. Indeed, the latter is renowned for its nocturnal atmosphere. When darkness appears, the neighborhood changes its face and becomes trendy and festive. Many nightclubs, restaurants, bars, massage parlors or hostess clubs punctuate the nights of partygoers. So here we are immersed in the daily life of Kyôsuke Takanotsume, a Japanese cop with sometimes questionable methods. From the first boxes, we are immersed in the action and more precisely in a shooting in a police station. This first chapter sets the mood of the story, sometimes dark and disturbing and can also become laughable and zany. So we follow our cop in different investigations revolving mainly around violence and sex. The author does not take tweezers to show us crime scenes or certain images showing rapes and beatings. The characters are not very detailed but this does not hinder the understanding of the story. Indeed, each chapter addresses a different investigation. Although this one-shot has just over 240 pages, the investigations are approached quickly and expeditiously. If you are interested in investigations, the search for clues and long interrogations, you may be disappointed when you discover the cop of Roppongi. However, each case contains its share of action, chase, settling scores or fights. This one shot shows us an image sometimes very different from the one we can have of Japan. Indeed, Japan is known to have a sometimes complicated relationship with sex. In The Roppongi Cop, the author has no taboo on this subject and approaches it with great freedom.
Realistic graphics!
One of the strengths of this one shot is the quality of these graphics. Indeed, Tadashi Matsumori has a really impressive pencil stroke. Whether for illustrations involving action, for sex scenes or for the representation of car / motorcycle chases, the quality is there. Some boxes are really nice to discover. Indeed, the background is not always exploited but when it is, it is a real pleasure for the eyes. In addition, the action scenes are also full of details and the pencil stroke allows us to immerse ourselves a little more in the story. Some boxes on the contrary, due to the quality of the graphics, can be disturbing as they seem realistic. This is particularly the case for scenes of rape or murder, which can sometimes be uncomfortable. Besides that, the designer also makes some boxes more "fun" and less serious by using a lighter drawing style, allowing to relax the atmosphere. Tadashi Matsumori is therefore able to play with graphics to accentuate or not certain scenes.
A one-shot in two parts!
It is true that this one shot tells us the stories of Kyôsuke Takanotsume. However, he is not the only protagonist of the story. Indeed, this one shot is divided into two parts. The first is based on Kyōsuke's police investigations and the second focuses on Tenko, a rebellious high school girl. Unlike the first part, the second part is more "fanciful" with the use of psi powers. So we follow Tenko and her friends in their more or less dangerous adventures. Indeed, these high school girls seem to be looking for thrills and they do not hesitate to put themselves in danger for a dose of adrenaline. However, we quickly realize that something is wrong. Indeed, strange phenomena take place when Tenko feels strong emotions, be it boredom or anger, to name just two. The causes of this power are unknown and it is not clear how long Tenko has benefited from it but it seems that she is not always able to manage them. However, these powers give him physical security allowing him to come into conflict with people who are sometimes unsavory. As in the first part, we find impressive action scenes, quality graphics and an interesting scenario. However, a new thing appears, it is the interest of the author in the feelings of the protagonist. Indeed, unlike our dear "cop", Tenko seems to suffer from this situation and ends up verbalizing it. We can then wonder if his malaise can not be at the origin of his misadventures. Unfortunately, we will not have the answer to our question. Although this one shot was published more than 30 years ago, its discovery is very appreciable. Indeed, it allows us to dive into a seinen that is both mature, fun, dark and disturbing. For those who would like to discover lighter titles, we invite you to immerse yourself in Shy, the latest bombshell from Kana editions.
