I wasn't expecting much from a plot like this, seeing that the ghost, spirits, and demons thing has been around for a while, but the 52 chapters did lead me to think that Ga-Rei had something to offer. And I also looked it up to see if there was an anime adaptation only to find that there was, but it was a prequel to what happened in the manga. Hmm.
To be honest, I didn't like how fast the beginning was. The male protagonist Kensuke barely had an introduction for himself other the fact that he had been able to see spirits since he was a child. Sure, it was funny when he socked them as soon as he spotted them, but I had to make my own assumptions about his character based on his present actions. Therefore, it also felt rushed when he met the pretty girl Kagura who happened to also see spirits. Pretty soon she brought up the fact that she was part of an organization created to exorcise these ghosts, and then the convoluted explanations began to unfold.
When things got detailed, I found them difficult to follow, but I'm sure it was no different from how Kensuke was feeling. I loved his reactions, though. He is one of few characters in the manga who really does acknowledge when something incredibly ludicrous occurs.
But anyway, ghost fighting. It's a shounen; who doesn't like a little violence now and then? Special swords, spells, and magic abound and it's pretty cool. I always have a hard time following fights in manga, so an anime adaptation of such manga appeal to me, but I did try my best. Also, I don't believe there's an ecchi tag, but I think there should be. More than a few times, people's clothes have ripped and things got a little bloody and sexy, plus there were a few bathing scenes. So there you have it, the fighting and the fan service.
I was pretty hyped up for the biggest battles, though. I could almost feel the characters' trepidation. While they were great battles, it was amazing how much the mangaka could fit into one or two chapters. The last fight especially was super cool, but I was a little disappointed about the ending of the manga, which came to a very swift close and had a short epilogue. Nevertheless, Ga-Rei did pack a punch.
The artwork was pretty satisfying. While I was a little tired of seeing perfect girls, there were a multitude of characters that were easily distinguishable and even funny-looking. I don't know if I would consider them ugly or just different. And it was very cool seeing the spirit monsters and dragons; it must have taken such a long time to draw unique ones all the time for new scenes.
And I have nothing bad to say about the characters. Kensuke was a nice guy thrown into another world and he handled it quite well, acknowledging his strengths and weaknesses and being a good person in general. Kagura was a headstrong girl with dreams of living happily though knowing her fate. The others were just as unique.
I do recommend this for the laughs I had sometimes while reading it. The battling was pretty cool, too. Story-wise it got kind of complicated with history and explanations, but I got through all of it. If you like what you see, give it a shot.
