Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation 15

Yoshiyuki Nishi – Viz – 2010 – 18 volumes

If I didn’t know better, I would think this was the final volume of the series.  The person who I took to be the main villain is dealt with here, and there is a rather epic and long battle scene involving dozens of characters in what appears to be at least three different locations.  Muhyo does what he sets out to accomplish, friendships are reaffirmed even among enemies, it does pretty much everything you would expect of a shounen finale.

Except then it keeps going.  For three more volumes.  I have no idea why… unless the better parts of the series were earlier, shorter stories and the author wanted to re-capture that before ending it?  I do have the next volume, and I’ll probably tackle that next.

It’s actually very good that I have the next volume after the major story arc, because I’d love to pick up the series at a point without all the characters running around.  Since I came late to the game, I’m clueless about them, but I am enjoying the unusual artwork and supernatural themes.  I think I could really get into the magic systems the series uses, too, especially if the grouchy Muhyo is the one who is master of all of them.  I mean… look at what he summoned.  And how he summoned it.  Muhyo is one of the most unlikely-looking heroes I’ve ever seen.  It’s pretty cool.  I’d also really like to learn more about the strange working relationship between him and Roji.

Not that I didn’t like what I saw of the characters.  Teeki made for a great villain, and I also got a huge kick out of all the summon and supernatural creatures, especially the girl in the chariot.  I also liked that there was a punishment for the foes.  I’m not entirely sure of the extent of their crimes, but it’s interesting that they don’t get off easy simply because they decided to switch sides again.  Everyone seemed to want it another way, but I did like that aspect of it.

I like it, and I think it’s a unique and unusual series, but I’m still not at the point where it’s making me want to try it from the beginning.  There really were too many characters at this point in the story, and the finale leaned a little too heavily on making friends with people who hated you in school, and I hate when the final foes are defeated with friendship.  I’m sorry.  I mean, these people are being sucked down into Hell, and they’re talking about how much they like each other.  On one hand, that’s kind of amazing.  On the other hand… not so much.

I bet the early volumes of this series are great.  So yeah, I’ve got one more here to read, and that a new storyline is starting, so hopefully that will give me enough of a taste to make me go back to the beginning for more.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.