Reiko the Zombie Shop

Rei Mikamoto, Reiko the Zombie Shop, vol. 5 (Dark Horse, 2006) I have to admit to being somewhat amazed. Of the manga series I'm currently reading, Reiko the Zombie Shop, despite the fact that the subject matter was almost tailor-made for me, has been my least favorite of the bunch; loose, episodic, with little justification for the extreme gore--the manga equivalent of an American big-budget brainless horror film. Volume 5 may be changing that, as it looks like Mikamoto's actually working on setting up a major story arc here. After learning that her sister didn't actually die in their confrontation, Reiko transfers to Cross High School to get close. Problem is, big sis isn't the only thing in the town of Cross that's gone horribly, horribly wrong--the two of them, along with a number of the town's other residents, are being stalked by the mysterious Star Collector. It finally seems as if the series is getting meaty enough to sink one's teeth into and hold on for a while. This is the first time I've ever been impatient for the next volume of Reiko. *** ½

After repeated bullying, the newly awakened Midori Yurikawa killed the daughter of the very doctor that has been taking care of her since she came out of her coma. A coma brought about by her sister, the infamous Saki, who now serves as one of Reiko's combat zombies. Reiko doesn't really want to kill Midori. In fact, she finds herself sympathizing more and more with the girl. Reiko too was victimized by an older sister as she was growing up and she could have very easily turned out like Midori but for her own inner strength. Not everybody has the will to stand up to repeated abuse and still be normal mentally. Not that Reiko is exactly normal, seeing as how her head is stapled onto the dead body of one of her former friends! Speaking of her sister, Riruka is back in action and is recruiting a new zombie army to bring her vision of a world ruled by the undead with her as queen to life. Grotesque as most of Reiko the Zombie Shop is, Rei Mikamoto has always found a little time for some human pathos along the way. In this volume it's all about the effects of familial abuse and the effects it can have on a person's life. Was Midori doomed to be a killer simply by the fact that she shared blood with Saki? Mikamoto's view on this is "NO" since Reiko has turned out the opposite of Riruka. This manga never quite falls into predictibility and comes up with one or two shocking moments each volume that keep your interest and keep you loving each book. The art is beautiful and clean, even though it focuses on bust sizes too much at times. Get ready for dark adventure.

If there's one thing Reiko the Zombie Shop never fails to deliver, it's the shocking plot twists. While volume 4 ended with Midori Yurikawa on the loose as a psychologically unstable rage-infused serial killer, the first part of volume 5 briefly focuses on that. From there on, it builds with Reiko pursuing the younger sister of Saki and the events that unfold as a result is shocking enough to drop jaws for a few seconds. The second half of the volume focuses on Reiko's transfer to a different school called the St. Cross. There, she meets fellow summoners (including Gohjin Iwata) and encounters a new dilemma. Two antagonists named Shiroko and Hakuei (siblings) are turning people into irregular super zombies in order to expand the army of Riruka. However, the real problem doesn't lie there. There's a third-party threat named Star Collector who has the ability to take other summoners' stars and abilities. What happens next is just as entertaining as the first two volumes of this gore-bloated series. Of course, the ending is an unbelievable cliffhanger that rivals the first volume. This is a must-read for Reiko fans and B-Movie horror fans in general.