<onlyinclude>is a mystery manga series written and illustrated by Natsumi Ando. Appearing as a serial in the monthly shōjo (targeted towards girls) manga magazine Nakayoshi from the April 2001 issue to the January 2003 issue, the chapters were compiled into four bound volumes by Kodansha and published from November 2001 to March 2003. Set in present-day Japan, the series focuses on Lili Hoshizawa, a teenage detective who uses astrology to solve cases.
In North America, Tokyopop licensed the series for an English-language translation, and published it from July 2003 to December 2003, although the translation has since gone out of print. The series has also been translated into other languages. The series has been generally reviewed as being light entertainment.</onlyinclude>
Plot
Set in modern-day Japan, the series centers on 13-year-old extrovert , who uses astrology to solve crimes, For File 2, which deals with a mystery in a piano school, Ando researched a local music school. The design for the Libra astral spirit originated from the winner of the Astral Spirit Design Contest; many of the design submissions were for the Libra, Pisces, and Cancer spirits.
Ando included references to Greek mythology in Zodiac P.I. in the names of the astral spirits. The astral spirit of Virgo, Demeter, takes her name from the goddess of the harvest, while the astral spirit for Capricorn, Parn, is a reference to the god Pan. Astrea, the astral spirit for Libra, is named after the goddess of justice. The twin astral spirits for Gemini take their names from twin brothers Castor and Pollux. The name of astral spirit for Taurus is a reference to the woman Io. Other references include stars. Ando named Antares, the astral spirit of Scorpio, Praesepe, the astral spirit of Cancer, and
Regulus, the astral spirit of Leo, after the Antares, Praesepe and Regulus stars, respectively. Aries is the only astral spirit that named after the zodiac itself. It published the series in four bound volumes from November 6, 2001, to March 4, 2003. It published the series from July 8, 2003, to December 9, 2003; Zodiac P.I. has also been translated into other languages, such as Finnish, German, and Italian.
Volume list
Reception
Zodiac P.I. generally received positive reviews from English-language critics as light entertainment. Joseph Dexter of Mania Entertainment praised the series as light entertainment with nice plot twists; he enjoyed the different personalities of the astral spirits. In his review of the second volume, Anime News Network's Allen Divers described the series as similar to Detective Conan and wrote that despite the predictable endings, the series was potentially enjoyable for readers interested in astrology and mysteries. According to Jason Thompson, author of Manga: The Complete Guide, the series worked as light and "formulaic" entertainment for a young audience, and the artwork proved easy to understand.