Coming from the anime adaptation I was not expecting to like this manga as much as I did. Indeed, following the adventures of a greedy and avaricious woman with sexy looks in charge of a private agency that deals with ghosts alongside an assistant who can’t keep his pants on and a couple other characters with their own weird personalities didn’t sound like much outside a slice of life show. Many episodes would go like this: introduce a new monster or ghost, justify its presence through a new detail in the world of the occult, deal with it in some fashion, and continue. Here andthere we would have attempts at continuations with mini arcs yet not enough for the status quo to be affected in any meaningful way.

However, even with 45 episodes, what has been adapted only showed 25% of the story, meaning that a big portion has been left out for those not looking any further. Such is a shame considering the turn it takes as soon as it leaves that realm and concentrates on developing its current characters, creating an overarching story with long standing villains and a new set of secondary characters which are among my favorites in the series. As a result, the reader will find themselves wanting to know what happens next, how are they going to deal with this situation and what the consequences are going to be for the future.

Furthermore, while 39 volumes looks like quite the task, its 18-19 pages per chapter format with an art using lots of impact effects makes it quite an easy read specifically for slow readers such as yours truly. As it progresses the quality especially in battle scenes improves, the expressions entail more meaning and the details and references spread around aid in its comedic charm. The manga knows how to get down to business as the stakes of each new arc increase as well as make fun of itself by breaking the fourth wall.

Unfortunately, the overall climax happens a few volumes towards the end , leaving the epilogue and the subsequent chapter to just plateau into its default slice of life status with a couple of matters left unsolved. It’s a bit of a bittersweet sensation since it seems like the story could have had a more proper way to conclude, maybe with either a timeskip or a chapter dedicated to each of them respectively.

Moreover, the balance between its serious moments and humour doesn’t always work. A big battle with a strong foe might be at its peak only to be suddenly interrupted by a gag, and in some cases the same one over and over again. So the question of whether this is funny or breaks the flow depends on how it lands really. In other words, it’s as if the slapstick comedy bits from a work by Rumiko Takahashi’s were in the middle of a Dragon Ball battle.

Regardless, with all of the above in mind, if you were curious about the world, wanted to read an ecchi battle action manga from the 90s or just wanted to know how it all continues after the anime ended, consider giving it a read.