MISSING, Volume One by Gakuto Coda and Rei Mutsuki
© TOKYOPOP
Mania Grade: C
Story by: Gakuto Coda
Art by: Rei Mutsuki
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Rating: Teen (13+)
Price: $9.99
Buy it now!
Story by: Gakuto Coda
Art by: Rei Mutsuki
Publisher: TOKYOPOP
Rating: Teen (13+)
Price: $9.99
Buy it now!
MISSING, Volume One
By: Nadia OxfordReview Date: Monday, September 17, 2007
When Kyoichi Utsume , the black-garbed leader of his school's Literature Club, meets an ethereal girl, his fellow club members slowly track them, slowly make some curious discoveries and slowly draw together conclusions. Gakuto Coda's Missing is so awkwardly paced, it's like listening to a first-year camp counselor stutter a ghost story around a campfire: The story is interesting enough that you feel compelled to follow along, but it's a struggle to stay awake.
If a soul-sucking ghost ever floats your way and succeeds at its hobby, you'd better have a handy cache of purifying spells … or be a member of a book club that's obsessed enough about your past to follow you and find out what the heck's going on. Kyoichi has a goth streak that intrigues--and endears--four of his club members. He talks constantly of the other side and the futility of life and love … nothing new if you've endured four years at an average high school and hung out with a colourful variety of its individuals. The four friends, however, are fascinated by "His Majesty," and when he brings a jittery, fragile girl into school one day, his sudden change in character bears study. Sure enough, Kyoichi vanishes and his companion seems to melt away like mist touched by the sun. After some snooping and studying, His Majesty's subjects unravel part of the mystery: Kyo has been spirited away by a soul-eating demon and something has to be done about it.
Missing is told from the wrong point of view. The manga's real interesting characters are Kyoichi and the "girl" who wins his affections. Unfortunately, very little is explored from their point of view, which is understandable because their disappearance is the basis of the plot. Instead, the book club members, Takemi, Ryoko, Toshiya and Aki serve as the story's anchors, but they're a boring lot who do little besides some second-rate detective work and book research. None of them offer up any interesting facts about themselves or even any reasons for stalking Kyoichi beyond simply wanting to know what he's up to. There's a bit of a blooming romance between Kyoichi and Ryoko, but it's not developed enough to serve as a valid reason for concern.
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