by Rumiko Takahashi
Viz Media
I have to admit, though I watched some Inuyasha anime, I haven't read much manga from Rumiko Takahashi. But since a new series from her is coming out I decided to pick up the first volume for the library.
Rin-ne is a story of a high school girl. Sakura Mamiya. who after being spirited away as a child can now see ghosts. And one day a mysterious redheaded boy, Rinne Rokudo, shows up who seems to have ghost like abilities. As the story progresses, Sakura finds out that Rinne is a "part time shinigami". We don't find out till the end of the book what that really means.
The chapters are made up of a spirit or ghost bothering someone at the school. Rinne will help, but only if an offering of food and money is made to the Legendary Weather Hutch. Once collected, Rinne uses his tools to send the spirit on his way to the afterlife.
Full of Japanese mystical folklore, we learn about shinigamis, the Wheel of Reincarnation, spirits and ghosts as part of the story telling. Also, the characters remind me greatly of the characters in Inuyasha. Sakura is curious and strong willed like Kagome. Rinne has a stubborn streak like Inuyasha. But hopefully Takahashi will bring out other personality traits and not rely on the same type of characters she has used before.
The artwork is very good. The characters designs are cute and easily recognizable and the visual narrative is easy to follow. However, there isn't much in the way of background art, the setting is pretty clear. And this sparseness makes the characters more pronounced.
This books is rated for older teens, but so far in the story there is nothing that would be considered to risque. Adding it to a teen graphic novel or manga collection should be acceptable. But with many long running manga series there might be some future storylines that might be culturally problematic for teen audiences.
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