The Undertaker, Riddle, is an exorcist, of sorts. The kind that lays to rest evil spirits and discontented souls. After defeating them in battle, he will prepare their funeral rites, and seal them forever in a coffin...along with his deepest condolences.
Hayato had the misfortune of being appointed Riddles's apprentice. It was because he got his soul stolen by a hungry demon, and the Undertaker was kind enough to share some of his soul so that Hayato could continue living. But in exchange for the generosity, Hayato has to work for him.
Thus begins his new after-school life of fighting and defeating demons (which the Undertaker subsequently lays to rest on their eternal beds of roses). And Hayato all along hopes to retrieve the soul which was stolen from him.
I cannot say this series is original. The setup screams blatant ripoff from Monochrome Factor (heck, the Undertaker even looks like Shirogane, minus the braid). The style is obviously Gothic Victorian (yes, even though the setting is modern-day, the spirit world seems to be decorated with checkered flooring, chains, velvet curtains, and viney roses). I can almost see this being written by a Black Butler fan. (Although Riddle's personality is more like Xerxes Break than the undertaker from BB.) The undertaker overseer looks like a one of BB's megane shinigamis.
And there are some strong winks at shounen-ai. Overall, the gothic style and BL together are so strong, it's almost funny. Of COURSE Hayato's (amazingly handsome) little brother would be kidnapped and tied up with rose stems, and then be fawned over by the bad guy. You could almost see it coming. Of course the enigmatic Undertaker would gently take Hayato by the hand, and confess eternal loyalty to him.
Did I say I dislike this series? No! At times I take it seriously, but when the cliches start coming through strong, I have to laugh. For instance, there's one scene where somebody needs to touch Hayato's chest. So without any warning, Mr. Megane rips Hayato's shirt open, then they tie him up, and then they proceed with their ceremony. Really, all they needed to do was ask him to unbutton his shirt a little. Good grief.
But the scenes I like are the tender ones, like where Hayato takes seriously his role as an older brother. Or there might be a mystery with unexpected twists. And currently in the storyline, there is a promise of a new path opening up for Hayato. It looks like he has some hidden abilities that make him an ideal candidate for an important position in the world of the dead-keepers. It will be interesting to see if the series stays in a cliched rut, or becomes its own unique story.
The plot set-up is not original. So don't look for originality, at least for the first several chapters. You need to like the Gothic Victorian aesthetic to enjoy the art and overall style (Gothic Victorian is also seen in mangas like Black Butler, Pandora Hearts, Are You Alice?, and Number). And a lot of those series have nudges toward shounen-ai.
So if you like that style, and don't mind cliches (or at least can laugh at them) you should enjoy this series.
