Muhyo & Roji's Volume 12 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Toru Muhyo and his assistant Jiro “Roji” Kusano are the ones people call when they have ghost problems.  Muhyo has achieved the highest rank in magic law, executor – someone who can perform exorcisms.  Roji is Muhyo’s sweet-natured and accident prone assistant/sidekick, who devotes himself to the study of magic law so that he can one day pull his own weight.  For Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation serving justice to evil spirits is their specialty.

As Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation, Vol. 12 (entitled Homecoming) opens, the M.L.S. (Magic Law Society) is able to take an important victory in its war against Ark, the forbidden magic law group.  After dispatching Mick (Michael Cortlaw), things start to look up for Muhyo and his comrades, but the monstrous entity, Teeki, arrives to lead Ark’s next charge.  Readers also discover the motivation behind Michael and the other Cortlaw siblings’ (sister Ivy and brother Kid) support of Ark.  The M.L.S. learns that only one thing can stop Teeki, the “Writ of Passage,” but where to find it?

THE LOWDOWN:  The Harry Potter of manga (being that there are some conceptual similarities) continues its recent upswing in the quality of the drama with this 12th volume of Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation.  This is perfect dark fiction in that it grabs the reader with its thick cast full of knotty relationships and its desperate struggle between salvation and damnation.  Creator Yoshiyuki Nishi amplifies the chills with his quirky drawing style that is pitch perfect for creating dark streets, haunted rooms, and weird and creepy characters.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  A spirited dark fantasy and engaging conspiracy series, Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation will thrill fans of magical struggles between besieged good and monstrous evil.

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