Rin-Ne vol. 8 Manga review
Title: Rin-Ne vol. 8
Author/Artist: Rumiko Takahashi
Distributor: Viz Media
American Release Date: Mar 6, 2012
Format: Manga
Genre: Comedy, Supernatural, Action, Romantic comedy
Publisher Age Rating: T+ for older teen
Overall Personal Rating: A-
Synopsis:
Rin-Ne stars Sakura Mamiya, an ordinary high school girl (who looks eerily like a female Ranma) who can see ghosts. One day she runs into a new student at school who seems to BE a ghost… except he’s alive. It turns out he’s a human who’s doing the job of a Shinigama, a spirit who takes ghosts to the afterlife to pay off his grandmother’s (a Shinigami) debt. He’s always broke and uses tons of weird gadgets to solve the problems of various spirits and let them move on peacefully. Rinne, Sakura, Rinne’s spirit cat partner, Rokumon, amateur exorcist Tsubasa, and Ageha, a young shinigami with a crush on Rinne, engage in mostly light hearted adventures with classic Takahashi romantic comedy.
In this volume we learn that the training of Shinigami children involves a “homestay” on Earth to learn about helping spirits safely to rest. Shoma, a young shinigami is spending his time with Rinne, but his perpetually in debt lifestyle is wearing on the kid. Determined to prove his worth and get back faster, Shoma and Rinne get involved in a case with an alligator woman spirit and the return of the crafty devil Masato, still determined to revenge himself against Rinne. Shoman has a lot to learn though, and his impatience could spell big trouble for them all.
The rest of the volume is filled with shorter humorous stories about Rinne and his friends; Ageha buys a product called a “friendly square” which is said to “generate an intimate space” from a somewhat unscrupulous looking shop in an afterlife festival…that’s really just a kotatsu (A kind of heated box/table thing with leg space under it. A warm bit of upholstery in a Japanese household which from all accounts, is pleasant but not actually magical). Hijinks ensue, etc. There’s a day in home ec up next where Rinne can finally get a nice cooked meal…if the ghost of the cooking stove in the classroom doesn’t interfere. Then the legend of the “strangling scarf”, a vengeful scarf that strangles people who get scarves as gifts from their girlfriends depends upon the investigation of Rinne; and Sakura is going to make him wear the scarf to get the ghosts attention. Cue furious blushing from Rinne.
Commentary:
Rin-Ne has started to settle into a predictable pattern. There’s a supernatural threat, usually more silly than menacing, and Rinne steps up to solve it, along with jokes about his poor finances and his developing crush on Sakura. While the overall arc hasn’t evolved much if any this volume, the character of the young kid Soha is far less irritating than one would think a little kid showing up would be; I love when one of the spirits is discussing its troubles with him (Rinne instructed him to listen to their troubles to help them move on) and he begins snoring and the spirit is all “You’re not taking me seriously!” Menaces like a ghost scarf and a woman with an alligator face (Which looks goofier than you would think) and the general quick pace of the series keep it lively and fun.
The devil is really in the details in Rin-Ne; his wistful expression as he snatches feed meant for pigeons while in his invisible “Haroi of the underworld”, or Masato’s arrogant smirks; to the familiar bug eyes or bumps on people’s head as they get clobbered. If you’ve read one of Takahashi’s works before, such as Inuyasha or Ranma, you’ll recognize the art style and sense of humor. I’m enjoying Rinne more as the cast of characters expands, so I hope Shoma will return again for a repeat performance in the future. Any kid that ends up inside the mouth of a giant balding Japanese salary man ghost is a kid who is destined for comedy, and although many of the same jokes are used (For example, Tsubasa is still throwing his sacred ashes at everything), Takahashi has a veritable master’s hand at finding new variations on an old joke; Rinne is more irritated at Shoman for using high quality meat as a monster bait than for losing the spirit, for example. But a joke is just not as funny when not in context, and so much of what makes Rin-Ne fun is the timing.
Overall Grade: A-
I’m a Takahashi fan, and I’ll always give high marks to something that contains her typical level of humor and inventiveness; Rin-Ne is the kind of series she has always shined most at, a gag focused series. At only volume 8 the characters and setting still have some of that “new” sparkle, but, as always, if you haven’t been a fan of Takahashi before, this volume isn’t likely to change your mind. Of course, if you’ve just read Inuyasha, give this a try and see what she’s like when she doesn’t have one arc that just goes forever with a villain that just won’t die. You’d be amazed how much more fun it is.
In the Radius: Ranma 1/2, Love Hina, Tenchi Muyo, standard romantic comedy stuff especially if it includes battle or monsters from time to time.
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Categories: Manga R, Manga Reviews, March 2012 Releases, Newly Released and Pre-Release Reviews
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