I got an impression by the time I was done with the first chapter of this manga. I remember rolling my eyes and thinking "this author thinks he's way smarter than he actually is." While this was an idol thought, I didn't expect this theme to end up permeating the entire series... but it does. In essence, this manga is about a human boy who ends up working alongside a shinagami who is required to fulfill the "last request" of anyone who died unexpectedly(putting them at risk of turning into a bad spirit), in order to help them die peacefully. The shinagami turns out tobe his sister, who everyone thinks he might have murdered along with their parents, albeit with absolutely no evidence.

Chapter 00 reflects a far lighter version of what this manga could have been which might have been something like ghost whisperer, filled with highs, lows, and the feels. But by chapter 01, we end up with a fairly gory murder mystery that isn't afraid to throw in betrayal, sociopaths, and serial killers just for the heck of it.

For the most part, I did enjoy the manga. It gave me certain Sherlock Holmes vibes from time to time as the male protagonist tries to outwit and outsmart others. It certainly fits a sherlock holmes homage way better than Aria the Scarlett Ammo. The sis-con aspects of are quite nice, and while the harem aspects never develop very much, they're subtle and present enough to satisfy. The art was good, and the story plowed forward at a strong pace that never felt awkward.

Most of the characters were not fully developed, however, this is expected in an manga that gets cancelled prematurely. It is a bit sad though, as I'd like to have seen more adventures with each of the shinigami as the MC continues to build their trust and their affection for him.

The biggest setback, however, was that the writer of this manga seemed to have his head up his own butt when he wrote this, and was quite in love with the scent of his own farts. At times, the story came off as downright pompous. I'm particularly reminded of an early scene where he talks to the head of the shinigami. Supposedly, it shows him "outwitting" her by showing her the logical fallacy of her argument.... but to me it came off more like a 7 year old getting his parent to slip up and say something, and then demanding they hold to that. "But you said I could not not not not go outside, that means I can go out side!"

All of this would be fairly forgivable... if the story then didn't precede to end in the manner it did. Rushing to an end would be an immense understatement with this manga. You can almost see the author just about finished with chapter 17 when the publisher calls him and says, you know what, finish it with 18, we're done.

So what does the author do? <spoiler tag>

He turns it into a "who done it" mystery. It'd be a really cool idea.... if he had actually provided us with enough information to solve it.... but this manga has been out for years and the conclusion seems to be, no one freaking knows.

Then again, I should have expected this after I finished that first chapter. This was a guy amazed at his own brilliance. I'm not surprised he decides to smugly hold the conclusion to the manga, because to him, it's just soooo obvious. No... it's not obvious. You ended your manga prematurely, and you didn't provide enough clues for people to do anything more than make shots in the dark.

I didn't hate the manga, but that ending made me angry. If you know it's coming, you may be able to get some enjoyment from this manga, just be aware you'll never find out what happens.