You are currently viewing an archived back issue of Animefringe Online Magazine. Click here to read our latest issue!
 Afringe Home / Reviews / Ghost Sweeper Mikami Book 1 10/02/2023 
Animefringe
Reviews 
Contents

Features

Editorial

Anime Briefs

Reviews

Web Showcase
 PAGE 16 - PAGE 17 - PAGE 18 

INFO FILE
Title:
Ghost Sweeper Mikami Book 1
Format:
softcover
180 pages
Hong Kong version
Production:
Shiina Takashi
Ching Win Comics
Comments:
GS Mikami never made it to the anime hall of fame.
Overall Rating:
67%

Animefringe Reviews:
Ghost Sweeper Mikami Book 1
By Rebecca Lee


Reiko Mikami is the best exorcist in the ghost sweeping business and in a monster-ridden Tokyo, her powers are in high demand. Unfortunately for paying customers, she is also the most money hungry woman you will ever meet. As an employer, Reiko tries to pay her assistants as little as possible. By utilising her feminine wiles, Reiko prevents her assistant Tada Yokishima from asking for a raise from his meager wages. Later on, the 500-year-old ghost Kinu (also hardly paid anything) joins Reiko's team in the quest to make more money in this 9 chapter book.

Sounds interesting? While the anime is a whole bunch of laughs, the manga still lacks that special something to make it interesting. I picked up a copy of the comic in a bookstore in Singapore and was sorely disappointed. In the manga, the characters have very one-sided personalities. Even the main character, Reiko, dosen't have a personality, she just moves from story to story showing her bust line and destroying monsters. Relationships between characters are not fully fleshed out. In fact, I'm not even sure that there even are any relationships PRESENT in the stories at all (unless you call Yokoshima peeking into Reiko's shower a "relationship"). Although the art work is almost beautiful, it didn't quite make up for the fact that the same storyline was being recycled. Basically, it is all about fan service, action and lust.

Putting beautiful cleavages aside, the manga still has one more saving point: the outrageously funny settings. Even with recycled plots, you'd still be laughing your head off at a funny and unexpected twist or the fact that the "evil monster" was found in the most unlikely of places. There even is a "barbie doll" monster who wants to use humans as dress-up dolls in one of the stories.

The other good thing about this comic is that it has characters that are easy to differentiate. Each character has a different look to their face and hairstyle so that you always know who is talking at any given time. The comic has a "layout for beginning readers" so that you don't get confused about which panel comes next when reading it. It's a good read for beginning otaku and slightly hentai otaku. Overall, it's a pretty good start for a first book, I give 100 points for effort. I only hope that the following books are an improvement over this one.

If you want to have a good mindless laugh or just something slightly ecchi to drool over, pick up this book and leaf through it. It's also a pretty good book to rent if there isn't any other manga available in the nearby vicinity. However, if you're looking for a good plot and diverse, well-developed characters, don't even touch it, all this will leave you with is ink stains on your fingers.

 PAGE 16 - PAGE 17 - PAGE 18 
Original Material © 1999 / 2001 Animefringe, All Rights Reserved. "Fukui-san?" "Take it away, big fella!" 
Comments/Questions? 
You are currently viewing an archived back issue of Animefringe Online Magazine. Click here to read our latest issue!