Ghost Hunt

Japanese high schools must have something wrong with them -- they're always being haunted. And the third volume of "Ghost Hunt" takes Kazuya and Co. to another unfortunate high school plagued by supernatural goings-on, which may (or may not) be truly supernatural, and may (or may not) be ghostly. Along the way, Shiho Inada and Fuyumi Ono explore the phenomenon of faked psychic abilities, although the perpetrator is a bit obvious from the start. A classroom and certain desk at Yuasa High seem to be haunted -- mystery illnesses, ghostly stomach-rubs, strange sounds, and a series of freakish train accidents plague anyone nearby. Kazuya turns them all down, until the principal himself asks for help. And the dozens of accounts seem to point to a genuine problem -- and the most likely suspect is a psychic student, Chiaki Kasai. Though all signs point to Chiaki (including her threatened curse), Mai is convinced that the girl is innocent. But then the apparitions start targeting her and Kazuya -- and he realizes the deliberate curse method that has been tormenting the students. And discovering what the curse's nature is doesn't explain who the malicious person behind it is... Fuyumi Ono's third ghost-hunting story has a lot of intricate supernatural content here -- voodooesque curses (complete with little wooden dolls), onmyodo, and psychokinetic phenomena (both faked and real). It adds a bit of extra spice to what could have been just another ghost story, especially since much of it comes down to detective work. And though the story unfolds at a rather gradual pace, there are some nasty chills thrown into the mix -- a ghostly hand rubbing someone's stomach, a grinning mad-eyed child-specter, or a leering lank-haired woman pulling a bloody scythe out of her mouth. The suspense climaxes with Mai and Kazuya getting stuck down an old manhole, with specters crawling out of the walls. The biggest problem is that there are only a few suspects provided, and it's pretty obvious from the beginning who the guilty one is (although not necessarily why that person does it). Fortunately Mai's increasingly romantic feelings for Kazuya keep things light (she squeals internally whenever she's alone with him), and the last chapter reveals a surprising twist concerning her own possible psychic abilities. Ono and Inada also reveal some new details about Lin and Takigawa -- particularly about the latter, since it turns out that this Buddhist monk actually wants to be a rock god. "Ghost Hunt Volume 3" returns to the familiar turf of a high school, but the new supernatural problems keep it from seeming monotonous.

In this volume we again see the gang going to a high school to investigate a mysterious supernatural crime, but you can't help but wonder how so many mysterious things happen without it becoming a more everyday thing for the general public. A school has a mysterious curse on a desk that causes anyone who sits at it to be harmed or die. Of course Naru & all get called in to investigate, and inevitably their lives are put in danger. Would I recommend this? For the most part, yes. I actually liked this, despite it's moments of tedium. It's still entertaining. Maybe it's not as consistently good, but it's still worth purchasing.