Customer Reviews

Ghost Hunt, Vol. 1

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I recently read Ghost Hunt volume 1, and it has quickly become one of my new favorite manga titles. While you may not find the type of horror seen in such titles as Junji Ito's Tomie or the Ring saga, keep in mind this is a shoujo title. It is more in the context of the mood set up at the beginning of the book: a group of girls telling ghost stories at school. I found it particularly eerie when reading it at night before bed, and there are moments of suspense and tension. The story, however, was most effective for me because of the characters.

We start off with Mai Taniyama and her friends meeting Kazuya Shibuya, who claims to be a transfer student. It isn't until Mai inadvertently injures Shibuya's assistant and is somewhat extorted into filling in for him that she finds out Shibuya is really a ghost hunter hired to investigate an old building by Mai's school. They are soon joined by a miko (Del Rey gives nice explanations in the back of the book about this and other cultural references the reader might not be familiar with), a Buddhist monk, a priest, and a famous psychic medium from television to solve the mysteries surrounding the building.

This isn't just about the supernatural; there's also a good deal of humor and hints of romance. The art is great. While it may not be as intricate as, say, an early work of CLAMP, that doesn't take away from its beauty. The character designs and development are fantastic as well. Mai is really cute, and she makes some of the funniest/cutest faces. Shibuya in particular is beautifully drawn (truly one of the best designed bishounen I've seen). What really hooked me to this manga is Mai and Shibuya and seeing how their relationship might develop, seeing as how he is an ardent narcissist, and she is a stubborn girl not suckered by his good looks (while just about every other women in the story seems to fall for him instantly ^^;;). Shibuya also remains a pretty mysterious character throughout, so I anticipate having some more of his background revealed.

If you enjoyed Ghost Hunt, you may also like Akino Matsuri's Petshop of Horrors and CLAMP's Tokyo Babylon.

I'm loving the influx of the Del Ray Manga collection. I'm already a fan of Wallflower and Ghost Hunt is just as good in a different way. Mai the main character fits a 15 year old girl perfectly by being impressed by how much ghost hunting equipment costs to wondering what the heck it is used for? This first book shows that the series isn't all about finding ghost is every haunted place but keeping the reader wondering if a specter really exists? Through scientific investigation and some more supernatural findings the mystery is finally solved. Background character provide humor and I love the art style. It is rather realistic for manga as compared to say the more outlandish Yu-gi-oh style or line based Inuyahsa, but not as good as Descendants of Darkness. If that helps? I would highly remommend this book for its intriguing storyline.

I'm surprised everyone seems to be missing the point with this series. While on the surface, this is just another Ghostbusters, a close reading shows there's much more to the story than meets the eye, and all the things you may think you know about what's going on are probably wrong. The manga is actually chock full of clues that eventually lead you to one revelation after another until you finally understand the real story (I say this only knowing how the novels ended, but so far the series seems to be following them). So if you enjoy a good puzzle with some spookiness thrown in, this one is worth checking out.

Now i'm not an expert on manga (just started to get into manga, after being an anime fan for about 8 years) but in my opinion this is a reall good title. Ultimately what drew me to the manga, was the creator, Funyumi Ono, who created the wonderful Twelve Kingdoms. While this story is completely different from that one - its still great storytelling never-the-less. While i'll agree with the haters on that fact that the characters don't really stand out.. but at the same time thats a plus for me because we're not subject to the tired old formula of stereotypical characters. A lot of people dislike the slow moving plot as well. This also doesn't bother me.. i've rather enjoyed stretching the stories and events out and learning more about the situation and chracters. I look forward to buying volume 2 next and continuing this interesting story. The only thing I hope changes is the addition of more creepy moments.

For the record, "Ghost Hunt" is not all about the spookiness and scares. In fact, the first volume of this manga -- adapted by Shiho Inada from Fuyumi Ono's novels -- is more like a mystery than a straightforward spook story. It moves rather slowly, but has plenty of humour and interlocking mysteries to keep the story afloat -- as well as a likably bombastic heroine and a bunch of odd exorcists.

A handsome young man, Kazuya Shibuya, happens to wander in while Mai and her friends are telling ghost stories -- and later Mai encounters him in the seemingly haunted part of her school.

But since Mai accidentally injured his assistant and demolished an expensive camera, he allows her to work for him as compensation -- turns out he's a professional "ghost hunter" hired by the principal. He's skeptical about the presence of ghosts -- despite a weird student who insists she's psychic -- and his cold attitude starts rubbing Mai the wrong way.

They're soon joined by some exorcists: a slinky Shinto priestess, a rockeresque Buddhist monk, a TV psychic and a teenage Catholic priest. And more and more odd things happen -- blackboards crack, chairs move and doors jam. Is there a rational explanation for the strange events, or is this part of the school really haunted?

Those expecting spookery galore in "Ghost Hunt's" first volume will be disappointed -- we don't get skulls and ghastly ghosts leaping out at people. In fact, it's more of a mystery story, and until the end we're never entirely sure if this is an earthly problem, a ghostly infestation, clever fakery, or a paranormal event that has nothing to do with ghosts.

It does move at a rather slow pace at first, with lots of talking about microphones, past demolition work and Mai griping about her new boss. Fortunately things pick up a bit once the weird exorcists enter the scene, and we get some comedic bickering and sniping (such as Kazuya irritating the not-so-pure priestess). And there are plenty of clues to the mystery's final solution sprinkled throughout.

The artwork is quite nice, although there is a slight problem with Mai's appearance -- she and John are VERY similar-looking. Short blond hair, similar height, flat chest. It gets a bit confusing when they're in casual clothes.

Mai serves as a feisty schoolgirl stand-in for the ordinary reader, while Kazuya's sharp brain and chilly attitude make him a good counterpoint. The prickly, sultry priestess Ayako and laid-back monk Houshou add some colour to the cast, as does the sweet-natured priest John. Although, y'know, Catholic priests can't be ordained that young, let alone appointed exorcists.

The first volume of "Ghost Hunt" is a solid little mystery that is low is actual chills, but manages some solid storytelling and comedy.

I picked this one up as a browse title after having been somewhat burned on manga. I'd fallen too often for beautiful looking manga that promised a lot, only to deliver very little. I'm very glad that this was the title I picked up.

The premise isn't that new, a cute young girl falls in with a troupe of ghost hunters, one of which is someone that she immediately clashes with (yet is also subconciously attracted to). However the manga stands out from the usual fare with it's truly individualistic characters & beautiful artwork. The stories are also unique as they are actually scary and the main heroine doesn't immediately gain super powers & defeat all of the ghosts in the beginning. (She does gain some, but they start off weak & she has to work to use them.)

Would I recommend this to a friend? I would. It reminds me of the Kindaichi manga series, which is a very good thing.

Though most are good, I'm surprised at the two poor reviews given for this series. It is my number 1 favorite manga right now. Here's why:

I like the romantic tension between Mai and Naru, including the inevitable love triangle with Masako. The stories are indeed about ghosts, but they're really more like detective stories. As each story unfolds, more information is revealed until, usually, there is a surprise ending. The stories are satisfying. There's a lot of character development, especially in Mai, and as the series progresses we learn more about each one of the supporting characters and Naru.

This is a family-friendly, engrossing series with good art and pacing. I would recommend it to anyone.

I had high hopes for this series because of all the positive reviews, but upon finishing the first few pages I was all ready dubious. Our story starts out in a school classroom, on a rainy day, where our protagonist Mia and her friends are telling ghosts stories. In the process of scaring the gibbies out of themselves they are joined by bossy, stoic, impatient and handsome Shibuya. Indeed Mia comes to call him Naru-chan because of his apparent narcissism. We learn that Shibuya has been hired to find the cause of "spiritual activity" in the school. An accident gets Mia recruited to assist him on his project and shortly after they are joined by four other supernatural specialists who have been hired by the principal when he learns that Shibuya is only seventeen. After numerous attempts the characters still fail to resolve the mysterious activity, and Mia, just as mysteriously, falls for Shibuya. New characters appear suddenly, without much introduction, get themselves in trouble when they wander off to assess their surroundings and with just as little preamble attempt their exorcisms. Mia doesn't seem to have any family to be concerned about where she is when she's hunting ghosts or her low class attendance. Manga is not one of the better mediums for ghost stories- or perhaps Shiho Inada fails to convey the scariness of the setting, with numerous "tmp"s all over a panel to indicate the sound of steps. This is not a series I care to continue with.

Ghost Hunt reads like an episode of Scooby-Doo, except the main male-character "ghost buster" does not out-and-out deny existence of paranormal-- he simply disproves the paranormal is at work.

The gist of the plot: The story is told from the point of view of a stupid school girl who becomes Mr. Science's helper (not his actual name). Mr. Science is a pretty boy who shows up to a supposedly 'haunted' school with his high-tech equipment. The principal would like to demolish the old building but cannot because of a plague of weird 'accidents' surrounding the site. After one day of Mr. Science, the principal invites a medium, a miko, and a Catholic priest to help solve the problem. These people do not get along. Of course, Mr. Science solves the case.

The story is not particularly interesting, nor original. The main female-character is annoying. The book ends with her becoming Mr. Science's employee for sequels. *yawn*