Cafe Occult 1

On her way home from shopping around, Suh Rin meets with an unfortunate end when she is hit by an on coming truck. The next thing she knows, she's being abducted by a stranger. Overwhelmed by the fact she had just been killed, Suh Rin has difficulty grasping the fact that she has entered a new existence in the realm of spirits. More importantly, she has yet to realize that tremendous supernatural powers lie within her... a power great enough to make her the target of abductions by tremendously powerful people within the spirit realm. However, thanks to Young and the mysterious owner of a cafe called the Cafe Occult, Suh Rin is rescued from a new existence as someone's servant. Instead, she joins Young on action packed thrills in which she assists Young fulfill requests as an 'errand boy' taking care of special requests by clients in a lawless world controlled only by power.

Grade 10 Up–Schoolgirl Suh Rin dies in a car accident, but her disembodied spirit continues on in a tangible afterlife or mental state. Her soul turns out to be a valued commodity that is being sought by a mysterious, unnamed villain. However, the proprietor of a café for the dead and a dark, gun-toting hero named Young attempt to protect her against various mystical, shape-changing thugs. The translation lacks fluidity, and the dialogue strains with too much on-face exposition. Unfortunately, even with so much simply being stated instead of revealed, the book still ends with an uninspiring cliff-hanger and a litany of unanswered questions. The manhwa artwork is clear, and the depicted violence–while bloody–is more stylized and implied than graphic. The fight sequences are not without flair and Young has a brash, irritated manner that is within the realm of bad-boy charismatic, but the suspense and characterizations are too slim to tempt any but the most hungry fans.–Benjamin Russell, The Derryfield School, Manchester, NH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.