Oct 25, 2009
*At the time of this writing there are 18 chapters scanlated and that is what I'm basing this review on.*
*Despite its name, Psycho Busters has no affiliation with Ghost Busters.*
Story 8
This isn't a cheesy, completely unrealistic, children's hour manga, don't worry. Psycho Busters mixes up the old "escaped secret lab experiments" premise by making the main character Kakeru just a normal guy that gets caught up with the escapees instead of an escapee himself. There are so many mysterious aspects of each of the characters and their powers but none of the mysteries are or become annoying
...
or obvious like they do some times. The strength of this manga is that it has the perfect amount of romantic idealism that's overstressed and seems to ruin the realism and appeal of so many manga/anime. Psycho Busters does this by skirting, for the most part, self-ritious heroism. In this way it's a little serious but not dark and doesn't force comedy places to lighten the mood. But, of course, the best parts are the fights which flow naturally with the story and in themselves. Powers from spirit channeling and possession to chi and fire manipulation are used. No loud announcements of techniques and just enough strategy are used in the fights so that they don't look like drawn out games of chess with players shouting "knight to B-4!" but also aren't just people blindly charging each other.
Art 7
The art is satisfactory, though it can be a little confusing at times. It has very detailed body language and scenery, but is balanced with enough simplicity to keep frames uncongested and their focus obvious. Like most recent manga when compared to manga of the past, this art is much more realistic. At the same time, it is hard to tell a few characters apart due to the more tame modern anime facial structures and costumes combined with the lack of coloring that would otherwise help discriminate between characters. In the end I give the art a 8 because it works well to tell the story when seen in the context of the limitations of todays manga and art style.
Character 8
Though there's originally only one girl in the group of four companions that Kakeru joins, and even though just as much attention is given to the boys in the group as the chick, Psycho Busters grows to be a bit harem-like with multiple new chicks and uncharacteristically subtle ecchi that is more comic relief than fan service. The actions and pasts of almost all reoccurring characters are shown, giving them a very realistic and multidimensional feel.
Enjoyment 8
Good quality relationships and fights that are balanced and flow naturally = I like
Overall 8
If you have time, like this genre, and above are 14 years or so, then you know what I'm suggesting you do. If you don't, you probably wouldn't like this manga and I would suggest sticking with Doremon (I'm not nocking Doremon, just steering you to the right aisle).
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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