Rin-ne 3

Rumiko Takahashi – Viz – 2010 – 3+ volumes

I think the series is finally starting to hit its groove. I like that it has found itself a strange sense of humor.  It’s more subdued than either Urusei Yatsura or Ranma 1/2, but also way less serious than Inu-Yasha.  But after reading all the stories in this volume, which included the beginnings of romance, it still feels like Rin-ne lacks character.  Both Rin-ne and Sakura are still pretty… faceless, and just take things as they come.  It can be funny when neither of them have any sort of reaction to the myriad of strange situations, but it doesn’t help develop them into likable characters.

There is a new character introduced this volume, a classmate named Tsubasa who can see spirits like Sakura and has decided to exorcise them with sacred ashes.  He immediately clashes with Rin-ne, who believes in giving spirits a chance to settle all their unfinished business and make the choice to pass on rather than forcing them with the spirit ashes.  Tsubasa also has a huge crush on Rin-ne, so Rin-ne and Sakura begin to question their feelings for one another.

The problem there is that neither one of them have a romantic bone in their body, and the thought process behind this romance is extremely forced.  It only comes up a few times, and the characters only think on it for a panel or so when it does.  Add to this the fact that both are a little… ambivalent about nearly everything, and you have problems.  They also don’t feel like a couple, which is very strange for a shounen series like this.  It looks like Rin-ne will get a little bit more character development next volume, and there’s also unlimited time to develop both the characters and the romance, so it’ll probably get better in the future.

The stories in this volume were pretty funny, though.  I like the absurdity involved in some of them, like the fact that flat-broke Rin-ne has to sponsor a ghost on a date to the amusement park so that he can settle things with the girl he had a crush on.  There are lots of funny jokes sprinkled around in there, but my favorite was a panel where Rin-ne was crying tears of blood for having spent so much money.  Later, he is chasing a spirit with a huge bounty, and the spirit just happens to have possessed a lesser ghost, the Hanako of the Toilet that inhabits all school bathrooms in Japan.  The evil spirit with the bounty also uses an old-fashioned Tahakashi monster design, one that shows up in Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura, and probably every single one of her other series.

Rin-ne’s pretty light when compared to Takahashi’s other series.  Inu-Yasha is a more compelling read because of its ongoing plot, and Ranma 1/2 is more manic and funny.  But Rin-ne does have a lot of good stories, and I appreciate its somewhat dry sense of humor and the way it incorporates urban legends with all the shinigami stuff.  At this point, it still hasn’t quite clicked as a lovable Takahashi series, but it is entertaining, and Takahashi’s track record is such that I’m more than willing to keep reading.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.