Struggling magician Naoko Yamada, constantly fired and unable to pay her rent, is desperate. Her manager shows her an advertisement from Jiro Ueda, a smug physics professor who offers a cash reward to anyone who can prove the existence of supernatural powers to him. Needing the money, Naoko accepts the challenge. After she easily fools him with simple magic tricks, Ueda is impressed and drags the reluctant Naoko into a new partnership. Together, they begin debunking fraudulent spiritualists and cult leaders, with Ueda taking public credit while Naoko, who hates the work, provides the real expertise to expose the tricks.

The series is set in contemporary Japan, where the pair travels from rural villages to remote islands, investigating individuals who claim psychic abilities. They are often accompanied by bumbling police detectives Yabe and Ishihara, who are easily fooled but provide comic relief. Across all three seasons, Ueda develops a reputation as a famous skeptic while Naoko remains perpetually broke, and their love-hate relationship, filled with witty banter, never fully resolves into romance.

Season one establishes the core dynamic and the overarching mystery of Naoko’s past. Her father, a great magician, was killed by what might be a genuine psychic, and the final arc takes Naoko to her mother’s home, Black Gate Island, where she is revered as a saint. This season includes cases involving a cult leader called Big Mother, a man who makes villages vanish, and a killer who mimes her murders.

In season two, Ueda has published a successful book debunking psychic powers and enjoys minor fame. The cases become more complex, featuring a fortune teller who claims to time travel and a woman who delivers divine punishment. This season focuses less on the personal backstory of Naoko and more on the puzzle-box structure of each mystery.

Season three introduces Detective Yabe’s arrogant new sidekick, a Tokyo University graduate. The surreal humor and character traits become more entrenched. The villains include a man with a commanding voice and a woman who claims to teleport. The season returns to the lore of Black Gate Island, deepening the unresolved question of whether Naoko might actually possess genuine supernatural powers despite her profession as a trickster.