Ghost Hunt, Vol. 1

Adapted from the Evil Spirits series by Fuyumi Ono Ghost Hunt is an enjoyable delightful read with enough spook factor to keep me in suspense without keeping me up at night with nightmares.

After she accidentally causes his assistant injury Shibuya employs Mai Taniyama as his temporary assistant while he investigates a supposedly haunted old school building. Shibuya or Naru-chan as Mai calls him due to his narcissism has been hired by Mai's school principal along with a Buddhist monk, Catholic priest, Shinto priestess and psychic medium to figure out why accidents keep happening around the old building. But it seems that all of these professionals might be in over their head when their exorcisms turn out to have no effect and Naru-chan's equipment along with the medium detect that there are no spirits in the building. Still how do you explain the strange noises and violent activity that seem to point fingers to a poltergeist?

Filled with a cast of colourful characters Ghost Hunt is different from the usual manga I tend to read, not necessarily shoujo or shounen I think both genders would enjoy this series greatly. Mai is a heroine with a subtle strength, she's not terribly brilliant but she asks questions , is observant and sympathetic and kind. Naru isn't your typical male manga MC as he's narcissistic and mean most of the time but he's also intelligent and knows what he is doing. And he does give respect where it is due but don't expect him to be nice to you if your a nuisance.

What I also liked about Ghost Hunt was that an entire story was finished in one volume as opposed to other mangas where one story is dragged over a course of many volumes. It didn't feel rushed and it didn't feel like anything was missing and this volume was also a great set up for the next volumes to come because it introduced us to the characters without delving out too much information on them. I want to know what other adventures these guys will have and I want to know how the relationship between all of them will develop.

Points to the publisher (DelRey): I appreciated the explanation on honorifics and the translation notes at the front and back of the book.