I am an assistant professor of Japanese Language Literature, and Culture in the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature at Baruch College (CUNY) located in the heart of Manhattan, New York! I love reading mysteries and am a huge Sherlock Holmes and Detective Conan fan. As such, I mostly research 19th-century Neo-Meiji and Japanese Neo-Victorian adaptations of detective stories in modern Japanese media.

Manga, Murder and Mystery is my first monograph and the recipient of the International Crime Fiction Association Book Prize. In this book, I explore how commercially successful detective manga in 1990s Japan emerged during a period of national crisis, with the shōnen tantei (boy detective) serving as a cultural site to address perceived youth problems and national trauma.

As the first book-length study that critically examines the boy detective tradition in manga, Manga, Murder and Mystery advances new insight in detective fiction criticism, showing how, unlike the American and British traditions where boy detective stories seem to have lost some popularity and political relevance, they have a rich literary history in Japan and continue to thrive in Japan’s manga culture.

In addition to my research on detective manga, I study (and play) Japanese video games, which branch off into two distinct streams. 1) I analyze how tropes and themes of classic detective stories are deployed in Japanese game content. 2) I explore the production and consumption side of games and, specifically, women’s participation in the industry. As a feminist scholar, I’m passionate about exploring questions of gender inequality within video game cultures and industries. For more info, check out my publications, read my blog, or follow me on Twitter!

MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

In my classroom, I take a student-centred pedagogical approach that focuses on creating a cooperative rather than a competitive learning environment as I prepare students for research in the humanities by allowing them to interact in critical discussions. I believe that students learn best when they are not under pressure. For this to happen, I make learning accessible, fun, and interactive, while at the same time sparking new interests. Want to know how I achieve this? Connect with me! I’d love to learn from other passionate instructors!

At the end of the day, I want to be remembered in the way I remember some of my favourite professors when I was a student. To achieve this, I reflect and try to emulate some of their best qualities. I also think it is important for teachers to discuss and share their stories of success, as well as failure(s). I believe the more we can be honest with ourselves as instructors and transparent with others, the better teachers we will become.

Teachers are forever learners.

FUN FACTS ABOUT ME

I'm a former member of Edmonton’s Sherlockian Society, The Wisteria Lodgers, and a board member of The Bootmakers of Toronto: The Sherlock Holmes Society of Canada. I am also a member of Japan Sherlock Holmes Club and The Shaka Sherlockians of Hawaii! In January 2021, I was awarded the title, Master Bootmaker for my significant contribution to The Bootmakers of Toronto and the Canadian Sherlockian movement. If I wasn't a scholar, I think, I'd most likely be a sleuth. I’d like to one day find the time to visit all the famous Sherlockian landmarks in the world!

I was born in Miyagi, Japan but immigrated to Canada when I was 11-months-old. I've lived in Ontario for the majority of my life. I'm a bilingual speaker of Japanese and English and currently studying to achieve Level 5 proficiency in Mandarin Chinese with Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì  (HSK)  and preparing to write the Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française (DALF- C2). I also have a purple sash in Mantis Style Kung Fu from the Niagara Kung Fu Academy. I'm a self-proclaimed foodie (@mimirellaz) and collect anything related to Sherlock Holmes and Aoyama Gōshō’s Meitantei Konan--I currently have up to 102 volumes of the original manga series and counting! You can also find me on Twitter. It's my dream one day to visit the Gōshō Aoyama Manga Factory! 

In Winter 2017, I designed and taught my dream course entitled “Sherlock Holmes & the Transcultural Imagination” at the University of Alberta. On the last day of class, I brought Sherlock Holmes-themed cupcakes from Edmonton’s Whimsical Cakes Studio—everyone devoured them!