CLAMP School Detectives

Don't let the elementary school setting fool you — a trio of boys running a detective agency out of one of the most absurdly overbuilt schools in anime history works better than it has any right to. CLAMP School is a fully self-contained campus spanning kindergarten through graduate studies, funded by one of Japan's most powerful families. Running the whole operation — at least on the student side — is 12-year-old Nokoru Imonoyama, heir to said family and the kind of kid who can detect a crying girl from across campus. His partners are Suoh, an 11-year-old who handles the martial arts side of things, and Akira, a 10-year-old treasurer who somehow also cooks better than most adults. Together they take on cases, mostly involving people in distress, within this enormous campus that functions almost like its own small city. The tone is light and comedic — nobody's dying here — but the mysteries are genuinely fun to watch unfold. The CLAMP art style gives everything a clean, elegant look that holds up even from 1997. If you enjoyed Ouran High School Host Club's mix of comedy and surprisingly capable young men being earnest, this hits a similar note. Fans of Detective Conan will also recognize the appeal of watching a kid who's weirdly competent at things adults usually handle. It's a 26-episode TV series that doesn't overstay its welcome, and for anyone into older shoujo anime with charm to spare, it's worth your time.