Ghost Hunt, Vol. 1

PARTNERS IN FEAR

The decrepit building was condemned long ago, but every time the owners try to tear it down, “accidents” start to happen–people get hurt, sometimes even killed. Mai Taniyama and her classmates have heard the rumors that the creepy old high school is haunted–possibly by ghosts from the Second World War. So one rainy day they gather at the told school to tell ghost stories, hoping to attract one of the suspected spirits.

No ghosts materialize, but Mai and her friends do meet Kazuya Shibuya, the handsome young owner of Shibuya Psychic Research, who’s been hired to investigate paranormal activity at the school. Also at the scene are an exorcist, a Buddhist monk, a woman who can speak with the dead, and an outspoken Shinto priestess. Surely one of them will have the talents to solve this mystery. . . .

Based on a popular series of Japanese YA novels of the supernatural, this manga outing is a glacially paced exercise. A ragtag group of teenage paranormal investigators, psychics and exorcists set out to document strange goings-on at a supposedly haunted Japanese high school with predictable results. The cast of characters includes a mysterious and handsome upperclassman, a haughty traditional Shinto exorcist, a Vatican-sanctioned exchange student, and two students with psychic powers. The group is rounded out by a female student who serves as the story's everyman. The script hints at ominous happenings looming on the horizon, but the minimalist artwork provides little suspense, relying on two-dimensional "zoom shots" and other would-be film techniques in an attempt to garner interest from the reader. The supernatural manifestations amount to little more than a chair sliding from left to right and a collapsing floor, while the characters stand around shouting alarmed dialogue. Those in search of real chills should look elsewhere. (Sept.)
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