It is required of every man, the ghost returned, "that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide; and, if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death." ~Charles Dickens
Genre: Horror/Drama/Comedy/Ecchi
Review Status: Incomplete (8 Volumes/10 Volumes)
Licensed: Licensed in the US
Art/Animation: Pretty good. On par with many good manga. The color inserts are vibrant but with an ethereal color and aura to the pictures.
Summary: This story is centered on a main character named Saiki Misaki who has two jobs, neither of which she is particularly happy with. Officially she is a dominatrix in a BDSM club who writes a column for a sex magazine. Additionally she works for a government agency, The Livelihood Preservation Group, as a necromancer. The term necromancer in this story refers to a person who can speak to and see ghosts, and who sometimes can allow the ghosts to speak with their voice to people who cannot see the ghost. Her government job usually entails helping to remove a troublesome ghosts. Misaki considers her government job to be less respectable than her work in the sex industry. (Wiki)
Review: This is one of the few ecchi I will not only review, but will openly admit that I greatly enjoy. Why? Because the stories and storytelling are so great! The dominatrix thing is never really sexual- instead it’s used for fodder for jokes and embarrassing situations, never really going over-the-top and usually with good taste.
That is where this story shines. It effectively mixes good horror with good comedy. The stories are all fairly dark and effective, from the boy who commits suicide due to bullying, the girl who loses her mom and little sister, and more. The people and spirits she interacts with all have feelings and motivations, and she goes above and beyond to try and make sure that they can rest peacefully.
That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her fair share of troubles- she has a bit of a stalker… one that may be perpetrating many of the crimes in order to get her to those places. Her job also requires a certain type of dress, which she covers with a coat when she doesn’t have time to change. Doesn’t mean that she’s immune to tripping or a clumsy tug at it… in public! But it never is more than necessary, and doesn’t get in the way of the story.
Overall, 16+, preferably older if you’re going to pick this up. There’s language, parital nudity, somewhat sexual situations (one story actually takes place in her BDSM club!), and some general raunchiness. There’s also some gore and murder. You see dead bodies.
Recommended: Yes, if you can handle the movie Friday the 13th. There’s far less sexual stuff in the entire 10 volumes than there is in that one movie, and the gore seems to be about on-par.
Other titles you might enjoy:
Ghost Hunt (anime),
Zombie-Loan (manga),
Darren Shan (manga),
Kieli (manga),
Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (manga)
Shigofumi (anime)
Muhyo and Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation (manga)
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