Kei Komatsu wins 13th Shincho Mystery Award Excellence Prize

Kei Komatsu has been awarded the Excellence Prize at the 13th Shincho Mystery Award for the novel ‘Ai no Sasage-mono’. Selected from 232 entries, the work is a mystery set in a snowy, closed-circle environment on the Shakotan Peninsula in Hokkaido.

The plot centers on a clinical trial at a Hokkaido University research facility involving a cutting-edge AI named ‘Ai’. The experiment tests whether participants can identify individuals who have been ‘taken over’ by the AI. Following the discovery of several deceased researchers, the story follows a survival struggle amidst a blizzard where the distinction between human and AI culprits becomes blurred.

Judges Shinsuke Michio and Kanae Minato praised the work for its subject matter and Komatsu’s writing ability. The four finalists are being considered for film adaptations by Toei.