Ghost Hunt, Vol. 2

HOUSE OF HORROR

High school student Mai Taniyama, her handsome boss Kazuya Shibuya (aka Naru), and other members of Shibuya Psychic Research are now tackling the eerie case of the Morishita family. What is the tragic story hidden within the Morishitas’ old house? Is it haunted by a mischievous poltergeist, or by something far more sinister?

As Mai and Naru dig deep to uncover the home’s dark secrets, they learn that every child who has ever lived there has died under mysterious circumstances. And they soon discover that the malevolent forces at the house have a disturbing face: the creepy smile of Ayami Morishita’s doll. Of course, destroying a child’s toy should be a simple matter, right?

Grade 7 Up–Enthusiastic but uninformed Mai continues to assist arrogant 16-year-old entrepreneur Naru with his paranormal investigation service. Most of the volume is taken up with a story called Doll House, in which the extended members of Shibuya Psychic Research visit a house to investigate poltergeist phenomena associated with a doll belonging to an eight-year-old girl. Effectively creepy in places, the predictable story is elevated by the visuals. However, any success is undercut by the solution that allows Naru to finally dispel the malevolent spirit. As with the first volume, readers are given no advance information about his secret weapon. So while the story is visually effective, it lacks drama. Furthermore, this particular bag of tricks begins to make the supporting characters seem less valuable and, in retrospect, makes their earlier efforts at exorcism seem like a waste of readers time. The last chapter, a side story, maneuvers the characters closer to the standard manga love triangle farce that will undoubtedly feature heavily in future volumes.–Benjamin Russell, The Derryfield School, Manchester, NH
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