Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigation is anime’s answer to the forensic science/mystery genre. Also known as A Corpse is Buried Under Sakurako’s Feet, the series is an adaptation of the light novel series of the same name. The original light novels were written by Shiori Ota and illustrated by Tetsuo, with seventeen volumes published. The anime adaptation was handled by TROYCA in 2015, and a live action series was also produced and aired in 2017 with ten episodes. A two-volume manga illustrated by Tou Mizuguchi was published between 2015 and 2017 by Kadokawa in Young Ace Magazine.
Reception to the series has been mixed, leading to this series being mostly forgotten by the larger anime community. Here's where to find the series' novels and anime and how to get started.
The Plot of Beautiful Bones
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Sakurako Kujo is a beautiful, wealthy young woman with a fascination for death, particularly bones. She would rather spend her days examining skeletons than conversing with people, aside from her fiancé Naoe Ariwara and high-schooler Shotaro Tatewaki, her assistant.
Shotaro helps Sakurako with her studies, which often lead them into investigating strange cases. This often has them working closely with the police department, thanks to Naoe's job as an officer. The more they work together, the more it appears someone is pulling the strings of a larger conspiracy.
Where to Read the Beautiful Bones Light Novel
Unfortunately, as of writing, there isn’t any official English translation of the light novel. The original Japanese version is available for $7 USD per physical copy on Amazon Japan, Rakuten, Kinokuniya, Kadokawa, and Yodobashi. A complete list of distributors can be found on the novel's page on Kadokawa's official site. Digital copies are also available on Book Walker for around $5 per volume.
Where to Read the Beautiful Bones Manga
Like the light novels, there isn’t an English translation of the manga series. It can be purchased in Japanese from Amazon Japan, but mostly secondhand and for less than $10. A new copy will run anywhere from $15 to $20 USD. Digital copies of the manga are available on Book Walker for about $6 USD.
Where to Watch the Beautiful Bones Anime
The only site currently streaming the anime is HiDive. Crunchyroll has a page for the series, but the episodes are not currently available. The series is available on Amazon Japan, but requires a dAnimeStore subscription with a Japanese credit card to view. The subtitled BluRay Disk of the series is available on Amazon for $30.99 while the DVD is $64.95. A used copy costs slight less at $21.95. A German version is also available on Amazon, but costs $47.41 and $54.77 respectively.