Often they seem to fade into the background as the plot becomes more complex and it sometimes feels as if they become bit players in their own story. If I have one criticism it lies in the lack of character development. After all, you’d expect a body to be naked on the autopsy table. That said, both in terms of the story, as well as the art work, it’s not overly graphic, but presented in a clinical, matter-of-fact style. Despite the supernatural theme of the stories, it essentially boils down to a detective series, as the team combines their powers, to solve the mystery behind the lost souls and help them reach final peace.Īlthough some of the set-ups are dazzlingly original (the actuary who can calculate not only how many will die, but also the who and when the funeral home offeringĪ ’special’ service to the families of crime victims and then there’s the episode with the snails, that’s put me off escargot for life!) others seem to get lost within themselves, becoming overly wordy and meander clumsily to an end.ĭespite its humourous undertones (with comic relief provided by the foul-mouthed sock puppet) this isn’t a manga to be taken lightly (I believe it comes with an 18 age restriction), as it does feature nudity, violence and more dead bodies than you can shake a big stick at. Luckily, Otsuka gets it right more often than not in this strange series. Lay it on too thick and it becomes a dirge, lay it on too thin and a farce results. Black comedy is an incredibly hard genre to pull off.
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