Yokai Rental Shop Vol. 1

So after reading the Description I thought this sounded like a good horror story. I love Japanese horror and especially it’s folklore so a combination of it sounded like a good deal. But after reading this I can’t say whether or not I actually like this or not. I am wondering should I pick up the next volume. For a quick run down our main protagonist Hiiragi find out from his mother on her deathbed that he has a half brother. He goes to the pet shop his brother Owns Only to find out that his half brother is nothing what he thought he was and also is basically a mummy.But the pet shop is just a front for his real service renting Yolkai A type of Japanese spirit. As I read this comparisons to a much better horror story that has the exact same concept Pet Shop of Horrors came to mind constantly. It’s somewhat basically the same premise only in Pet Shop the creatures that we’re giving out actually had lessons And deeper stories to give. Here it has a somewhat similar Similar Premise but is also a bigger overline story about these two guys father and their Birth right I won’t get into here because of spoilers. Again this one’s hard because I’m on the fence About liking it or not So I can out right recommend you pick it up. The art styles nice until the Yokai Transform it when that happens it’s kind of hard to tell what they are. When the last creatures was supposed to be a bull but for the life of me I couldn’t see it and anything in the spirit District is somewhat hard to make out as well for the art style they chose. Oh and on a scale of 1 to 10 and have to give this to 6 It’s pretty average....

When I was in high school, i remember going to barnes and nobles and buying each volume of Shin Mashiba's "Nightmare Inspector". I loved the art, I loved the story, it brought me to tears. I reread it while I was sick with covid back in July and it got me wondering about this artist/ author and whether he created anything else. And so that's how I got here. I'm a big fan of Mashiba's art. He's one of my most favourite artists and I think it's beautiful. I like this story. I've heard people compare it to another manga but since I've never read the other one, I can only say that I can't wait to read the next volume. I wish Mashiba was more popular and there was a fan base I could join. :) His art strikes me in the nostalgic feels of my adolescence.

The description got me curious. The art is great the story is funny/serious and well done. I'm planning to read the whole series.

Very good item and very satisfied with it! First time to read this, and not disappointed :)

Hiiragi's mother just passed away and revealed he has a half brother! Excited by the prospect of family he investigates only to learn his brother, Karasu, is a short, mysterious guy who disdains family and runs a secret shop renting out yokai from inside his exotic pet shop. For civil servant Hiiragi this is dastardly crime...!The art is very good... It has that typical modern style that most manga has today. The characters are distinct and recognizable. This volume has several specialty frames where some super special techniques were used... I enjoy those unexpected frames... Plus the way shots were framed like when Hiiragi was moving through the Spirit district were varied and gave us the whole picture. When setting was important like the Spirit district and with the yokai creatures the details were stellar.I consider Karasu the lead even though Hiiragi seemed to be the POV character. Karasu is pretty neat with his small, bandaged appearance and his disdain for family relationships. Once you get to the end of the volume and you understand his motivation a lot more (as the situation becomes really clear between him and Hiiragi) you see that he really is the driving force behind the manga. And I pretty much am committed to following this guy on his journey...Hiiragi seemed to be created to oppose Karasu. As a result he is very conservative, idealistic and even more of a monster than Karasu. He is hard to root for and yet is the PERFECT device to introduce Karasu. He is a master chef, lol, so at least he's good for something... I began to feel about him how Karasu has appeared to from the beginning though I'm not sure those are his TRUE feelings... I'm actually pretty pissed at Hiiragi for what he managed to do by the end of the volume though!Really the only other character is Kawado the other part timer who seems genial enough until we learn why he is working there! Besides the cool yokai we learned about: the NEKOMATA, OKURI-INU, GASHADOKURO, MUJINA and USHI-ONI there were no other regular characters except the customers... They were individual enough but developed more to represent the lesson “be careful what you wish for” rather than be characters to root for... I do look forward to meeting the new characters coming in volume 2!!At first glance the plot is rather formulaic with customers renting yokai and Hiiragi witnessing the fallout from these deals and that knowledge informing how he feels about his brother. The skill comes in how these rentals are woven with what we are gradually learning about the world and the brothers' situation. Don't get me wrong... the cases were enjoyable and were distinct enough, but GAH, the twists and turns to the brothers added that extra level!The brothers are definitely the root of the tension as you knew the customers were going to screw themselves up getting these rentals... Really I can't complain about the development, it was quite decent despite the rather simple premise and the few characters, even though it was on the predictable side. I was definitely engaged in events and how personal renting yokai to strangers could become! I do hope though that the story gets a little more complex so that the series is NOT over too swiftly...For the first volume of a new series I'm RARING to get into the next volume!! Who is this guy coming and why does he want the outcome he's seeking?! I'll have to see in volume 2!!

I totally got into Yokai Rental Shop and am giving it 5 out of 5 stars. For those who are not familiar with what a Yokai is they are supernatural monsters, spirits and demons in Japanese folklore and this manga has no shortage of them. The story is a little different in the way we are introduced in to the shop. Unlike most of these stories where the main character is indebted to the shop owner and than hired to work off the debt. Hiiragi Yasase is not drawn to the unusual shop for any other purpose than family, what he finds is stranger than he could have imagined. Upon learning of the shops true nature he vows to never return only to be placed there the following day for his job as a public servant. Soon enough he finds himself irrevocably entwined in the business of Pet Shop Crow and his strange new family. The story moves along briskly, but is easily followed and entertaining. The art is beautiful, almost breath taking and the attention to detail of the yokai is spectacular. I highly recommend for fans of paranormal reads.

It was pretty slow and derivative at the beginning (anyone old enough to remember Pet Shop of Horrors?). But after the first volume it starts to pick up and turns into a pretty solid story. The art is good, though the humanoid characters seem to shine more than the yokai. Nice and short, at 4 volumes it is complete.

Judging by the description I thought. Yokai, Japanese demons; sounds like a good horror manga or perhaps something similar to Petshop of Horrors. Both something I really enjoyed/enjoy reading.It does bare a lot of similarities to Petshop of Horrors. #1) Rent a demon/buy a pet #2) Pay attention to the instructions/warnings giving #3) There are lessons learned or prices paid for the wishes/desires giving #4) The brother/cop disapproves/ doesn't believe in the shop and wants to shut it down...yet still sticks aroundI like these kind of stories so not bad BUT the differences made this book just feel boring/ it wouldn't bother me to see the ending of this series.#1) The shop owner is a mummy/half god, demon creator who is not really swaying me to like or dislike him. He's just there.#2) The brother is annoying/idiot who I could care less if the demons who he interfered with ate him. If you don't like why didn't you just leave? The "big" reveal of his trait/history at the end didn't change what I thought of him at all, I dont see his character changing in the near future.Would I have bought this had a been able to preview this story? No. Manga collecting is expensive and space is limited and I rather spend the money and put a series on my shelves that draw me in and make me want to read whats next. It's not that this is a bad story, it's just not a really good one.