Gravity. Not only a force tethering us to the planet, but pulling us to specific people, people we share so much in common with that much greater forces pull us to one another. It especially pulls strong on those people on the fringe. People who have common interests find each other to relate with when it comes to sports or film or music. A person who, let’s say, can speak with the dead, may not know it, but forces are pulling them toward others with similar abilities and desires. It’s only that there aren’t as many with which to converge.
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service starts with a group finding each other and their abilities. From a Buddhist College come the people that will meet and form a bond. One that will sprout from their abilities and blossom into a business. A business called The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service.
You would think that sounds more like a business that delivers dead bodies from point A to point B, but nay, dear reader, it is much, much more. When you have a psychic who can hear the dead, a badass who can use dowsing to locate the deceased, a hacker, an embalmer, and a young man who channels an alien through a hand puppet, you need to start a business. Granted, you have to go looking for clients since they can’t come to you, but the hunt is only the beginning. Once you hear their stories and pleas, you can deliver them to final rest. Though, getting paid helps, too.
Imagine, if you will, a group of young adults, each with similar predicaments – to solve mysteries, uncover the truth, and possibly have a dog or puppet sidekick. We call those groups “Scoobies.” The original Scooby Gang solved mysteries . . . for free, I suppose? Maybe they just dig free food and old men dressed as monsters. “The Scoobies,” as dubbed by Xander, are the group that rally around the Slayer in support. If you don’t know what I’m referencing here, by all means, please take a few moments to watch all of Buffy and Angel. Please, go on. I’ll wait.
. . . And, we’re back! So, now that you’re up to speed, we can go on and make the same comparison to The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, which (Coincidentally?) came out a few years after the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series started. I won’t say “rip off” whatsoever, it’s that Buffheads who knew about this book when it came out were very lucky to have such a similar (but unique) manga to read.
Yes, dear reader, it’s a manga. If I had this to read during Buffy and Angel downtime while in my huge manga/anime phase, I would have had a joygasm.
For those unfamiliar with what manga is, you can look it up and I’ll wait here. . . Got it? Good. If you’re confused by having to read it backwards, don’t worry. It gets easier with time. The layout is beautiful, and it comes with a neat, little glossary of what certain Japanese symbols mean, especially when it comes to the sound effects put onto a panel.
It’s a haul to read all in one sitting, as this omnibus of the first three books pulls in at just under 650 pages. Pages that have fun content, some very nice artwork, and create a desire to read more.
Give it a try and tell me what you think!
You can thank me later.
