It was honestly the name that drew me into give this series a try. This manga has a bit of a refreshing quality to it. It has traditional/supernatural, contemporary and modern themes and is filled with dark humor. ( )

4 out of 5 stars on Looking Glass Reads.

One of my favorite manga genres is quickly becoming the horror genre. I had my eye on The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Omnibus Volume 1 by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki for some time now. This omnibus edition collects volumes 1 to 4 of the manga together in one place, is a monstrous 640 pages long, and is perfect for binge reading. Which is exactly what I did.

This manga features five students and ex students studying to become monks. However, the job market isn’t what it should be and none of them exactly fit in well with the regular 9 to 5. But that’s just with the living. The dead have lingering desires, wishes they want fulfilled, and even in death they’re willing to pay. This follows Kuro Karatsu and four others as they fulfill the last wishes of the deceased clients.

The story starts a bit episodic. Each chapter in volume one tells its own story, a format the manga largely follows throughout the omnibus. We follow Kuro Karatsu as he volunteers with a group helping to find bodies in a forest famous for suicides. Things intensify quickly. Each character has their own skill, whether on the mystical or scientific side. Our main character is able to speak with the dead. Another uses traditional diving to find bodies instead of the traditional water. The oddest ability, and one that is odd even to the other characters, is a character who, supposedly, is able to channel an alien spirit to a hand puppet he carries around with him. This is, by far, the oddest most ‘only in anime’ thing about the series thus far. I can see some people finding this strange, maybe too strange, but I found it fit with the theme and characterization well, especially since some of the other characters seemed to find this odd as well, even if they had special abilities of their own.

However, magical powers aren’t all we see here. More scientific abilities are shown as well – one character is an embalmer, another is impeccably skilled at research. While none of the jobs would occur if Karatsu couldn’t speak with the dead or Makoto Numata couldn’t using divining to find bodies, much important information would be lost if Keiko Makino wasn’t a trained embalmer. Each character has their own talent, and they work very well together as a group. Science and magical and spiritual abilities come together wonderfully in this manga, and was an aspect I liked.

As can be expected, this manga can get quite dark and pretty graphic. Remember, it comes wrapped in plastic for bookstore shelves for a reason. Graphic murder scenes, dead bodies, and more are shown throughout the manga. The manga definitely has a frightening, creepy tone, and the art reflects this.

I really enjoyed the art in this manga. The character designs were great; each character is very distinct and memorable. This isn’t a manga where characters have a sameness to them at all. The panels flowed very well, naturally dragging the eye along. There were some wonderful, extremely detailed one and two page spreads scattered throughout the omnibus as well. Now, I do have to complain here. The two page spreads, while beautiful, are were a little difficult to see. The way this particular omnibus was created would have meant breaking the spine in order to see everything where the two pages meet. This is a common problem for a lot of omnibus editions, and this one is no exception. If you’re a collector of manga and this is a deal breaker I’d definitely recommend buying the individual volumes instead of the omnibus editions.

What starts out in a rather episodic manner does change going into the second and third volumes. Story arcs become a little longer. Character’s backgrounds are explored and are more relevant to the plot. There is still an episodic feel here, but it doesn’t lack the sort of forward momentum that other series I’ve read have fallen into.

I would definitely recommend reading The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service by Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki. This was a truly great read. It was atmospheric with some very creepy sequences. If you like the horror genre this is a series you’ll want to pick up. Though I must admit that if you want the full effect of the two page spreads purchasing this series in single volumes, while more expensive in the long run, would be the better option. ( )

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service is comprised of five people with special skills. Kuro talks to spirits when he touches corpses. Numata uses a pendulum to dowse for the location of corpses. Makino is one of the few people in Japan that embalms the dead. Yata has a hand puppet that insists he's an alien completely independent of him. Lastly, Ao has a mercenary nature. She makes sure they are paid and figures out unique ways to make money with their talents. Together, they fulfill the wishes of the dead and make a meager living off of it.

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service is an odd manga series and their adventures helping the dead and the living. The most unique thing about this is how it's a horror series that has reverence and respect for the dead. Many of the gut punch moments are emotional in nature, not because of gore or extreme situations. Corpses walk occasionally and it seems to be only if a spirit has an overwhelming need to accomplish something. The author wanted to make the walking dead scary again and does so while maintaining the emotional aspects of the situations. I also very much enjoyed how Buddhism is their main training and faith rather than any Christian religion.

Each story brings something unique that I haven't seen before. The first story is the most extreme with a pedophile, necrophile father and two suicide pact teens. The other stories are less offputting. One of the most emotional ones is when the group finds an elderly woman dead in an abandoned alter. It turns out she put herself there, sacrificing herself so she wouldn't drain the resources her family has. It was tragic and uplifting at the same time, especially with the ending. Other stories I enjoyed involved an elaborate assisted suicide insurance scam (that almost claims the lives of some of the Delivery Service), a melody that influences people into killing themselves with a mundane source, and a funeral home that offers to resurrect murderers for families to kill in revenge. Each story has an element of mystery and an attempt to fulfill the dead's wishes.

Some characters are developed well like Kuro, the main character of the piece, Ao, and Yata. At first, I thought the hand puppet thing was super obnoxious and just there to be weird, but over time, the hand puppets personality is shown to the be completely different from Yata's and actually helpful sometimes. I know the series isn't over yet, but Numata and Makino are useful without much development at all. My only other criticism is the constant inclusion of women either nude or half dressed for no reason at all. When it's just a part of the story, I don't mind. However, when it's completely unnecessary like Ao answering the phone topless or questionable wardrobe choices for only female characters or posters on walls or magazines in the background, it gets annoying and frustrating that this manga is clearly aimed at men by the artist. At least add some sort of detail that makes sense if the artist really wants it there.

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service is a lot of fun despite its flaws. There is a section at the back of each one that translates the sound effects and defines some terms or situations that are culturally unfamiliar to American audiences. The sound effect part is a bit unnecessary and I can find it out by context, but the other definitions and explanations are enlightening. There are 4 omnibuses out right now, each of them containing 3 full length manga. It's a bit unwieldy to read with a 600+ page book, but the unique stories are worth it. I look forward to more character development for all and more Delivery Service adventures. ( )