True Book

True Book is an Ongoing manga series from the Fallen version of Earth. It follows the story of a young detective through multiple adventurous investigations. It was written by Toriuma Run and illustrated by Kurosaki Itsuki.

This page is written from an in-world perspective.

Volumes
True Book has not yet concluded as of Fallen Part I, and spans many volumes, all of which are self-contained story-lines only vaguely connected to each other other than all being investigations of the main character.

Volume 1: Junior High!
Released: August 12th, 2005. 98 pages.

The first volume is primarily an introduction to the cast and premise of the series. The protagonist, Narupoto Haki, enters his first year of junior high, and has difficulty adjusting to the new school and finding friends. He eventually, almost offhandedly, finds a missing item and returns it to the student that lost it, and is soon wrapped up in searching for lost objects all over school! By the end of first term, he'd made a small reputation for himself as the master item-finder, although he still had not made any friends. The volume ends with a cliff-hanger, leading into volume 2.

Volume 2: Haki-kun's First Case!
Released: August 19th, 2005. 86 pages.

The second volume picks up directly where the first volume ended, with Haki-kun searching a park for a dropped dog collar and stumbling upon an unconscious man! The man had been mugged and robbed, and the perpetrator got away. Haki-kun, who was watching from the sidewalk as the police sectioned off the park as a crime scene, noticed some clues and followed to investigate. It is in this volume that Haki-kun's investigative prowess is truly revealed, as he manages to stay two steps ahead of the police investigators for the entire case. Near the end, he tries to confront the criminal alone, and is injured by the older man, but luckily the police arrive shortly to save the boy and arrest the criminal. The volume ends with Haki-kun returning to school and remembering he was supposed to find a dog collar.

Volume 3: Another Case?!
Released: September 9th, 2005. 90 pages.

The third volume rejoins Haki-kun near the end of his second term of first year junior high. After the events of Volume 2, he began keeping track of what he could of police investigations and trying to help out, but the adults turned him down. Once again while searching for lost items, Haki-kun is witness to a crime; a man attacking a woman on the street and sprinting off with her bag after knocking the woman to the ground. Haki-kun tried to pursue, but the man was much too fast for him. Utilizing what he saw of the criminal, and what the victim spoke of him, Haki-kun manages to track him down, and - after notifying the police first - confronts him. The police arrive as the boy is explaining to the man how exactly he managed to catch him, and he's taken into custody. Later, Haki-kun bumps into a man on his way home from school, who he immediately recognizes as the villain! He caught the wrong criminal! Unable to stop himself, Haki-kun calls the man out, and he flees with the same speed as before. Haki-kun, distraught, quadruple checks all of his evidence in a break-down, and discovers the flaw. Meanwhile, the police catch the correct criminal, and the false alarm is set free. Haki-kun attempts to apologize, but the man doesn't let him. The volume ends with Haki-kun returning to school and meeting a girl named Watanabe Naomi, the daughter of the man he accidentally arrested!

Volume 4: Extra, Extra! Watanabe Naomi!
Released: January 13th, 2006. 156 pages.

The fourth volume rejoins Haki-kun at the end of his final term of first year junior high. After surviving Watanabe Naomi indenturing him for arresting her dad, Haki-kun started considering Naomi as a friend, and the two become close very quickly. Naomi is revealed to be somewhat of an Otaku, and a hikikomori, so she didn't have any friends either. Naomi's father, the man Haki-kun arrested, also turned out to be the CEO of a small chain of convenience stores throughout the prefecture! It is for this reason that Naomi is kidnapped and held for ransom during this volume. Haki-kun dives into investigation mode and, using clues left at where Naomi was abducted, is able to track down where she was being kept. After confirming Naomi's presence, Haki-kun alerts the police and then attempts to sneak in to rescue his friend. But, when he finally finds her, she has already incapacitated her captors and had been berating them angrily for kidnapping her. Haki-kun just stared on in awe until the police arrived and took the men away. The volume ends with Naomi embracing Haki-kun and thanking him for saving her, not giving him enough time to point out he didn't actually do anything.

Volume 5: Mori-chan's Murder Mystery!
Released: April 7th, 2006. 192 pages.

The fifth volume rejoins Haki-kun and Naomi at the start of their first term of second year junior high. Naomi delivers to Haki-kun an invitation to a special event one of the school clubs put together; a Cosplay/Roleplay Murder Mystery party. The two join up with eight others, and everyone is given roles they are to fill. The host, Riniko Mori, explains that among the ten there is one murderer, and not even the murderer knows who they are, but everyone must work together to discover who the culprit is, but it is difficult, as nobody knows who the murderer is, and so trust is thin. After two 'murders', Haki-kun begins noticing the clues; although it would have been impossible to discover without the murders, and even though it was just a game, he felt uneasy that the 'deaths' were necessary to find the truth. After the fourth 'death', Haki-kun manages to unearth the fact that he, his character, is the murderer! He alerts the other guests, who call Constable Mori-chan, who arrives to put the dreaded Haki-kun into custody, successfully saving the day! The volume ends with Naomi and Haki-kun walking home together, still dressed in their cosplay outfits.

Volume 6: Thrill of the Hunt!
Released: June 30th, 2006. 178 pages.

The sixth volume rejoins Haki-kun and Naomi at the end of their first term of second year junior high. After exams are over, the two hatch plans to go out of town for the summer break, and leave with Naomi's family for the beach. While there, Haki-kun hears about local problems with poachers, and decides to look into the matter, starting an investigation. The investigation lasts all week, and Haki-kun never got a chance to join Naomi and her cousins for the beach parties. After successfully tracking down the poachers and alerting the police, Haki-kun is finally ready to have some fun in the sun. The volume ends with Haki-kun being ushered into the car, sadly too late to go to the beach.

Volume 7: Operation: Senpai!
Released: December 15th, 2006. 188 pages.

The seventh volume rejoins Haki-kun and Naomi at the start of their second term of second year junior high. Their friend Mori has a crush on a student in the year above them, and the three work together to come up with a plan to entice and convince him to consider going out with her. The volume is more humor-filled than its predecessors, but there are instances of over dramatically dark tones as Haki-kun begins to notice small hints and subtle signs that the senpai might not be the nice guy he presents himself as. Haki-kun's gatherings and theories were proven correct near the end of the volume, when very soon after the trio's plan succeeded, two girls from his year appeared, both claiming to have been dating him already. The two got into a short argument while Naomi attempted to console Mori, but Haki-kun pointed out that they shouldn't be angry with each other. The volume ends with the trio leaving for ice cream as the ex-Mori-crush calls out for help off-panel.

Volume 8: Bittersweet Success!
Released: February 23rd, 2007. 190 pages.

The eighth volume rejoins Haki-kun and Naomi during their second term of second year junior high. The introduction shows that Naomi has been getting into a popular MMORPG recently, and has dragged Haki-kun into it, and the entire volume takes place as a representation of the in-game world, where the two take on the infamous mystery quest that has never been completed by a player. Using his problem solving and deduction skills, Haki-kun manages to make quick work of most of the questline, although it's shown later that the volume spans about a month and a half, despite not having any major transitions until the end. A major event in the volume is when Haki-kun struggles over one of the puzzles of the quest, not being able to figure it out at all, despite all his efforts. Naomi steps up while Haki-kun is agonizing over it and solves it handily, pointing out the sheer simplicity of the problem. Upon finally completing the quest, the two are rewarded greatly and gain the appropriate popularity in-game, as they are the first to succeed in completing the quest. The volume ends with Haki-kun staring at an email informing of the upcoming closure of the MMORPG.

Volume 9: M-Murder!
Released: April 13th, 2007. 256 pages.

The ninth volume rejoins Haki-kun and Naomi near the end of their second term of second year junior high, reminiscing happily over the times they had in the now shut down MMORPG. The volume continues on to Haki-kun learning of a new case; another kidnapping! The police were having trouble all-around, and no progress was being made. Haki-kun steps up and takes on the case, which proves to be more difficult and stressful than any he'd taken on before now. After a lot of seemingly dead ends and only miniscule hints to the situation, Haki-kun finally tracks down the criminal, and once again moves in to confront him after alerting the police. The volume then takes on extremely dark tone, and was rife with controversy, as the young girl who had been kidnapped looked very obviously abused in every way, and after an intense scene between the criminal and Haki-kun, once the police arrived, the criminal panicked, which ended with him executing the kidnapped girl. The volume ends on a multiple frame zoom into Haki-kun's terrified face.

Volume 10: The Prince who Stole Christmas!
Released: December 21st, 2007. 244 pages.

The tenth volume rejoins Haki-kun near the end of his second term of third year junior high, more than a year after the events of the previous volume. It is revealed that he's been suffering through severe depression ever since what happened in the previous volume, and has drifted gradually away from Naomi, the rest of their friends, and life in general. The art style of this volume is dramatically different from that of the rest of the series to accentuate the feelings of the main character. The events of the volume involve Naomi and Mori's attempts at cheering up Haki-kun, a minor case concerning alleged tampering of school documents (which Haki-kun hardly payed attention to.), and the introduction of two more main cast members; Ametsu Kotatsu, and Hayaito Osoku, who seems to know more about Haki-kun than he lets on. After a sentimental scene involving those two and Haki-kun on the roof of their school, the focus jumps to Christmas. The main cast get together and decide to hang out as a group due to none of them being in any romantic relationships. Haki-kun continues to act very detached and depressed, which puts a damper on the mood of the scenario. It is also revealed that Hayaito Osoku is the older brother of the girl that was kidnapped in the previous volume, and much to everyone's - especially Haki-kun's - surprise, pulls Haki-kun into a kiss at some point during the night. Following with words of encouragement and consoling, Osoku offers to take him out for a Christmas date as an attempt to cheer him up and let the others have their fun without bothering or being bothered by Haki-kun in his state. Haki-kun, confused and conflicted, refuses the offer and leaves, now aware of his effect on the mood. The volume ends with Haki-kun struggling over the feelings surrounding what just happened, and moving on to solve a case as a distraction; the art style gradually fading back during this last chapter to that of the previous volumes.

Volume 11: Haki-kun?! (Part 1)
Released: January 25th, 2008. 194 pages.

The eleventh volume rejoins Haki-kun during the winter break of his third year of middle school, and starts with him already on another serious case. A string of break-ins and burglaries happening recently has the police in a slump, and Haki-kun steps up to solve the problems. Working alone for the first time since Naomi's introduction, Haki-kun is showed to be more serious and subdued, and some elements of the previous volume's unique art style remain in use for certain details of his character art alone. As the case begins coming to a close, Haki-kun discovers that despite all the similarities, only two of the burglaries were connected, and that there were actually six different criminals, and all of the signs were merely coincidence. After a quick montage of finding and arresting each of them, Haki-kun encounters Osoku while ordering at a fast food restaurant. The situation is awkward, and it becomes obvious that Haki-kun has been avoiding Osoku since Christmas, which has left Osoku somewhat irritated. He follows Haki-kun even after he leaves to return home, and continues attempting to get some answers or something out of him, despite Haki-kun's dismissive attitude. The volume ends on a To Be Continued for the first time in the series, with Osoku getting fed up and forcing Haki-kun into an alley, some sort of off-panel scuffle takes place and the final frames hint at some sort of important revelation, being Osoku's face with a surprised arrogant expression and the words "I knew it."

Volume 12: Haki-kun?! (Part 2)
Released: February 29th, 2008. 164 pages.

Information to be added at a later date

Volume 13: The Final Case!
Released: May 2nd, 2008. 188 pages.

Information to be added at a later date

Volume 14: Senior High!
Released: August 12th, 2008. 200 pages.

Information to be added at a later date

Volume 15: Operation: Nidaime Senpai!
Released: November 28th, 2008. 166 pages.

Information to be added at a later date

Volume 16: The Ninja Problem!
Released: February 13th, 2009. 182 pages.

Information to be added at a later date

Volume 17: The Ghost of Numa Gakuen!
Released: August 14th, 2009. 198 pages.

Information to be added at a later date

Volume 18: Finals?!
Released: December 18th, 2009. 186 pages.

Information to be added at a later date (Yet to be released)

Characters:
This is the list of main characters in True Book in order of Appearance

Narupoto Haki
Information to be added at a later date

Watanabe Naomi
Information to be added at a later date

Riniko Mori
Information to be added at a later date

Ametsu Kotatsu
Information to be added at a later date

Hayaito Osoku
Information to be added at a later date

Tanaka Dan
Information to be added at a later date

Itsusa Tomoki
Information to be added at a later date

Fuuten Tsubasa
Information to be added at a later date.

Anime Adaptation
The series is planned to get an Anime sometime in 2010, and despite the popularity of the series and the amount of demand for an anime series, there has been no information regarding the studios or animators that will be involved.