Projects

Anchovie Akiyama

Tri Vuong

Dec 29, 2022 • 3 min read

Once upon a time, Anchovie Akiyama was a rising star in the Tokyo police department, but nowadays he's not much of anything, whiling away his time in the sleepy town of Saint Romaine. But old habits die hard when his brother, Spinichio, gets framed for murder and Anchovie finds himself back on a case that crosses paths with deadly assassins, a mushroom cult, and a terrible secret buried in the snowy peaks of a treacherous mountain. With only the aid of his old flame, Sophie Eclair, Anchovie must solve the mystery of "The Glass Chanterelle" if he has any hope of freeing his brother from prison.

The mystery begins on the snowy peaks of Chocolate Pass.

"Anchovie Akiyama" started as a short story created with my friend Irma Kniivila. The concept was simple: a classic, lighthearted detective story set in a fictional, nameless European country where everyone is named after a type of food. It's a quirky and fun adventure mystery, but it's also a story about complicated family relationships, past regrets, and the difficulties of coming home.

We developed "Anchovie Akiyama" on the side while working on "Everyday Hero Machine Boy," and it eventually got picked up for a 24-episode season on Webtoon Factory. Unfortunately, Irma had to bow out of the project due to scheduling conflicts. I considered shelving the project, but there was something really endearing about this quirky detective story that I just couldn't let go of, so I soldiered on and I'm glad I did.

Baron Bechamel. He's a snake in the form of a man.

In many ways, "Anchovie Akiyama" was the most difficult project I've worked on, but every time I read the story, these characters and their relationships with each other make me smile. What began as a fun murder mystery rapidy developed into a set of characters with a rich emotional life that I've only just scratched the surface at. I'm planning to bring the comic to print and also hope to return to the world of Anchovie Akiyama with more stories.

Anchovie journeys to some strange places when trying to solve the mystery of "The Glass Chanterelle".

I'm planning to bring the comic to print and with luck I'll be able to produce more stories in Anchovie's world as well. In the meantime, you can read "Anchovie Akiyama and The Glass Chanterelle" at Webtoon Factory.