Imitation Crime: Part 1, Upper and Lower

Author: (Japanese) Miyuki Miyabe
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: A "six-time crown" honor work unprecedented in the history of Japanese literature! Created a record-breaking bestseller of 1.4 million copies across Japan! One day, the sudden destruction of a famous life, though you beg me to let you die, I let you live in such humility! From the park's trash can, he discovered a woman's right hand, which was the declaration of war from a criminal who finds pleasure in "killing"! The sound reached his ears, coming from the garbage heap before him, the groans of a woman just waking up. He blinked hard, only then could he see the finger sticking out of the trash bag, straight as a pointer, pointing at you, it's you, no doubt. Have you come back? Although you escaped once, you came back after all, this time you're caught why do so many girls run away from home? – Missing? Where did they all go? The lingering nightmare, what kind of preceding cause and effect did it come from? Were all the victims women? Why? Behind the handsome and charming smile, what true face is hidden? In crime reporting, does the media provide entertainment news to readers? Or are they accomplices that incite crimes? What is truly terrifying? When darkness and evil gradually seep into your heart, forcing you into the depths of sin, witnessing and participating in that bloody violence and crimes. When the people closest to you, the ones you trust most, suddenly become those who hurt you deeply, what can you still believe in? A girl disappeared, soon after, someone found a woman's handbag and a severed right hand, and the case began. Kikuko, the granddaughter of Yozo Hamada, who had been running a tofu shop in the suburbs of Tokyo, suddenly went missing. Ten months later, someone found a woman's handbag and a severed right hand at Odaiba Park along the Sumida River. Japanese TV stations and newspapers reported the incident on a large scale, and all the Japanese people were paying attention to the progress of the case. "I am the man who threw the right hand into Odaiba Park. Do you not want to report on this incident anymore?" Suddenly, a phone call came into the live broadcast program of the TV station. "The handbag and the right hand belong to two different people. The owner of the handbag is a woman named Kikuko." As the unexpected case progressed, people became more and more surprised. The criminal called the program team more than once, excitedly discussing the details of the case. The criminal not only mocked the media reporting the case but also mocked the audience excited by the content of the case. Soon after, the body of Kikuko was found at the location the criminal told the media. "Live my crime." The criminal who called the live broadcast program again announced a terrifying event later, an unprecedented "killing plan." The entire Japan was captivated by this case. The day of the announcement finally arrived, and everyone struggled against reason, standing motionless in front of the TV. Then, the report began. Two suspects died in a car accident! Would the case end so simply?