Prophecy (予告犯) by Tetsuya Tsutsui

 Prophecy is a cat-and-mouse story of the vigilantly group Paper Man and the cyber-crimes unit of the Japanese police. Those Paper Man targets escalates from people spewing vitriol on messageboards to politicians in a complex plan of revenge and retribution.

Paper Man broadcasts videos prophesizing who they will dole out vengeance on. They frequently target those whose crimes are either unable to be punished by the law or those who have skirted it. With each passing act becoming public, more people tune-in and champion Paper Man. The path that led the men to form Paper Man unfolds over the course of the first volume as we watch them gain traction in the public eye of the present.

As the same time, we are following the newly formed police unit that focuses on the Internet-related crime as they try to take on the growing Paper Man threat. The team, lead by Ms. Yoshino, are quick thinkers with resolute determination but even they can’t fully keep themselves from becoming fascinated by Paper Man’s story.

Prophecy explores Internet fame and anonymity, power, and romanticizing the vigilantly in the new world of cyber-crime. Tetsuya Tsutsui presents a suspenseful story that deftly tackles a current-world technology but the heart of this tale of revenge is quiet and simple.

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~ kate