I was looking for a second copy of this volume, and found one at the Methuen MA Borders closeout sale. [Sad to see a bookstore go, but glad of the savings!]

I discovered this series after stumbling across Vol. 5 at a local used book store, and promptly fell in love with it. The TV Tropes page calls it a black comedy horror manga, which certainly fits, but the actual mix of emotional, spiritual, mundane, funny, and gruesome elements is hard to describe...

While there are some ongoing story elements, for the most part each story stands alone, so you can enjoy one volume without having read the previous ones.

I also like the unusual cover design. For one thing, the covers have a matte finish rather than the typical gloss; for another, each one includes a stylized illustration showing one or more of the subjects from one of the cases in the book. (This can include some spoilers, so purists may want to avoid examining the covers too closely!) The covers also include pictures of each of the team members, with that of the "corpse-whisperer" always staying the same, while the others are presented in a different style on each book.

This volume opens with our heroes discovering the corpse of what they assume is an illegal immigrant in a dark alley - too dark for them to notice what the panel shows the reader all too clearly, that the eyelids have been sewn together {shudder}. That's in frame 2, but it's far from the worst shock of this episode! (This is also the episode that introduces the bald, scarred, one-legged Sasayama, who turns out to be a crossover character with another series. But here he's something of a thorn in the side of our gang.)

The story gets even more nightmarish as it goes on, one of the most heart-wrenching and disturbing ones in the series for me, with plenty of ghoulish scenes along the way, including at least one "Gotcha" that may make you regret you turned the page. It's an involved enough story to take up the first two parts of this volume - and to send the gang on quite a trip, where they discover (of course) even more bodies. [Yaichi, Karatsu's guardian spirit, makes an appearance here, nearly always a sign that a body's going to start moving. He doesn't look as fierce here as he did in Volume One, though; in fact, allowing for the eerie eyes and the scars, he looks almost benevolent {wry grin}. I really love Yaichi, enigmatic though he is!]

Chapter three changes pace quite a bit, and deals with a mysterious graffiti symbol that seems to be causing sudden deaths. Our gang sets out to try and solve the puzzle, but the first victim isn't helpful - he can't remember who he is, never mind why he was killed. Despite all the deaths, this one's actually more comic than most - a nice break after the previous story.

The last story in this volume opens with a guy falling (or jumping) in front of a train, and then shifts to our gang as their dowser homes in on a body - only to find a magazine stand offering fan-mags with buxom girls on the cover. But when a human ear falls out of the magazine, they're on the case! But why are so many people in the area showing suicidal tendencies all of a sudden? [Yaichi shows up again here, but not to Karatsu this time - he actually gives words of warning to another member of the team. Interesting...]

As always, the notes at the end are well worth reading too.

[Click here to see all the books I've registered from this series.]

This book's going into the re-started Medicine Chest bookbox (see the forum thread here); next stop, azuki in Florida. Enjoy!

I am so happy to see this in the box. I usually don't expect to see manga in bookboxes other than manga box, but certainly this fits into the medical theme.

I got hooked on this series after joining the ring, and still regret not grabbing one of the volumes when I saw it at the BC con book buffet (which happened before the bookring arrived), so I am not letting this pass.

Thanks a lot, Gory!

I find the second story my favorite of the three. The idea is quite an interesting game, I almost want to participate in, though not at such high cost... But imagine the whole city a scavenger hunt game...

Totally agree that he end notes are excellent. Very informative for anyone interested in Japanese culture.

This is to be sent to VeganMedusa in New Zealand. She has vol 1 on her wishlist, which I don't have, but I hope she will enjoy this and the other two volumes I send.

Thank you, azuki! I bought Volume 1 once you told me you were sending the next ones on to me. This series sounds great.

I enjoyed the game story, and the last one with the suprise falling out of the magazine.

Now travelling to shnedwards.

It's here! Thank you VM!

My favourite character is the guy with the emo haircut and the hand puppet who's always having to say "That wasn't me".

This volume will shortly be on its way to HI77, who chose it from my TBR shelf.

On its way to HI77 by surface mail.

Sometimes going with what your gut tells you,

is just gross.

But the intestines are calling
from a jar