This volume reminds me a bit of one of the darker stories in Jigoku Sensei Nube, but with a definite CLAMP twist. Subaru has been hired by a phone company to research a group of dumb teenagers that make apparently innocent prank calls on any phone number that includes a 99 in it in order to perform a curse that harms the poor sap who answers the call. As always, the ever jolly Seishiro quips that he got one such call on the job and the instant he presumed it was a spam call, he left the phone seated next to a bunch of barking dogs under the prankster hanged up.

Apparently the culprit phone club is like a 1990's version of a messaging group by voice only where anyone can call the aforementioned number and join the fun. Little does Subaru know, the culprits are three disgruntled female teenagers with a chip on their shoulders who they all believe they will become the saviors of the world when it ends in 1999. Huh? Are we getting a bit of an X vibe over here?

The exorcist trio all think the pranksters are nuts, but when Subaru attempts to reason with the girls, he gets attacked by a poorly performed spell by an uninitiated wannabe exorcist and falls ill. Can Subaru grow a spine and destroy the malignant spells that have been summoned by the three girls? Or will Seishiro remove his jolly alter ego and prove to us how terrifying he truly is?

With a story that is taking a more horror oriented turn, Tokyo Babylon is sure to keep you interested until the very end!

4 1/2 stars! ( )