Creative Talent
Writer/Artist: Akinari Nao
Translated by: Stephen Paul
Adapted by: Stephen Paul
What They Say
BELIEVE IN ME
Kakeru thought he was an ordinary guy destined for a boring life. But now his life is one big adventure. A group of psychic teens has come to him for help: They've had a vision that he's part of their destiny. Can they believe in Kakeru . . . even if he doesn't believe in himself?
The Review
After a disastrous second volume, Aoki brings Psycho Busters back on track for its third installment. We're dropped immediately into the battle between the Farmers and Kakeru's band of psychics that loomed at the end of Volume 2, and unsurprisingly Kakeru's friends make short work of the Farmers. The defeat forces the Farmers to regroup, and as part of their new strategy they enroll their team of psychics as students in Kakeru's school. Their strategy honestly doesn't make a lot of sense (it's really a paper-thin excuse to give Psycho Busters's male fanbase a chance to ogle a couple members of the opposing side in schoolgirl outfits) but nevertheless they successfully manage to roll it into a plan to kidnap Xiao Long. Since it just wouldn't be Psycho Busters without a contrived plot twist or two, there's also an inexplicable betrayal within Kakeru's group that allows this kidnapping scheme to fall into place. This twist sort of comes out of nowhere (and in my opinion it's revealed to the reader a couple of chapters too early) but I'm willing to give Aoki the benefit of the doubt until I see where he's going with it.
While last volume's copious fanservice and stupid, stupid sentimentality still make a presence in Volume 3, they're significantly cut back and (where they do appear) are handled with a lot more discipline. That's not to say that there isn't still cheese aplenty ... but at least here it's concentrated in the down time between battles rather than being shoved awkwardly into the action portions. Speaking of which, this volume leans much more heavily in the direction of action sequences than the last couple have; and it's a good call, since that's one of the things that the series has historically done well.
If this volume is any indicator, Psycho Busters is slowly shaping up to be a decent entry into the psychic action genre -- though probably not one that's going to break out of its genre trappings anytime soon.
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