Isei Soga

Isei Soga’s face has been in the window of every bookstore worth its salt for the past two years. His fame comes from his compassion in dealing with crime. Biographies detailing the lives of famous and infamous criminals across Japan have touched the hearts of the public as he seeks not to vilify or condone the crimes of his subjects, but to understand the circumstances leading up to them.

His books are popular among true crime fans and housewives alike due to his gentle tone and charming interview excerpts. With his books, he publicly seeks to reform society. “If the causes of crime are clearly based on cultural issues, then if we abolish those issues, we may abolish crime altogether,” he famously said in an interview for The Japan Times.

These remarks have been met with some controversy. Detractors insist he would have all criminals freed and loves criminals more than law abiding citizens. They ask why he only depicts criminals in his biographies, rather than good people who contribute to the community. They say he’s a bad example for children.

However, this controversy in addition to his many, many fans has lead to his books to remain on the Best Seller lists for months at a time, attracting much attention from publishers and Hope’s Peak Academy alike.