There have been numerous mixed reviews about this series, I for one enjoyed it. Tense relationships between certain characters brings out circumstantial yet classic humor, something Takahashi is rather well known for.
The story has two primary characters- Sakura Mamiya; a laid-back, somewhat stoic teenage girl who is never really too emote. She's the quiet, pretty girl in class who is seldom outspoken. There is nothing particularly eccentric about her and even by real-world standards she seems like a generic, normal teenage girl.. except she can see spirits vividly.
And Rinne Rokudou; a reserved, rather serious teenage boy who diligently carries out his duties as a Shinigami, purifying evil spirits and successfully guiding those who have passed-on to the Wheel of Incarnation. Rinne happens to be 3/4 Shinigami & 1/4 human so because of this human genealogy he actually takes on a physical body by default. While performing his dutiful work he takes on an astral form.
In the beginning of the series Rinne is an enigma; the boy who is supposed to be seated next to Sakura Mamiya but has never made an appearance in class once. The course of events would be nothing too extraordinary until Sakura actually sees Rinne in his astral form doing Shinigami work, inside their classroom! Of course she is the only one who sees this so they easily become acquainted and Sakura tags along for many of his Shinigami tasks. The thing is, Rinne-kun is REALLY broke yet his line of work tends to have expenditures soooo Mamiya-san often finds herself covering these expenses.
This is a lighthearted romcom with various love interests, a few ongoing and many situational. Of course our main characters develop a thing for each other but its never really spoken on, and most of the noteworthy characters seem to get in the way of that and the misunderstandings are hilarious. Now many readers/fans compare the series to Takahashi's past works and other shonen anime/manga as well, so this where my actual review starts. First let me say a few things:
1. THIS IS NOT AN EPIC JOURNEY, AT ALL
While it does have supernatural elements, fighting (with scythes), and an evil organization-- this is not an adventure guys, it certainly has the aspects for it but that is not what the writer intended. The primary focus are the spiritual occurrences around Tokyo (and other cities) and how Rinne can (cost-effectively) solve the issue to help the spirit pass on. He is often accompanied by Rokumon, an ethereal black cat who is his partner for work by contract and Sakura as stated before. There are many different spirits the main characters encounter with particular reasons they cannot pass on and thus unique situations unfold. This makes the series episodic and there honestly is no kind of riveting plot. However, this makes the occurrences more free-spirited as they are not tied down to a central theme or recurring issue. Personally, I like how sometimes its Sakura who first encounters a spirit, instead of Rinne, and she directly consults him to look more into the issue.
2. THERE IS NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
With titles like Naruto, DBZ, Full Metal Alchemist, Inuyasha, and AOT adventure based series definitely take the spotlight. Individuals in the story go through hardships that reshape their mentalities. But Kyoukai no Rinne was never that serious to begin with. Character development does not always necessitate a worthwhile series, however. The way things happen in this show is very much like a sitcom, and its those characters' personality traits, which are often conflicting, that makes sitcoms very funny. If Rinne suddenly wasn't hard pressed for money we wouldn't get to see the lengths he goes to save money and how often he marvels at profits that's actually pocket change. Or Jyumonji's persistent one-sided love for Sakura who, despite being an exorcist, seems to devote all of his energy into (hopefully) dating Sakura, much to Rinne's annoyance. Some characters could have more depth but they are who they are for good reason. Character development is not mandatory for a manga/anime to be good, it depends.
3. COMPARISONS
I have seen people make very linear comparisons of this title to Inuyasha, Rumiko's prior series, mostly because they are very similar with the supernatural things going on. Inuyasha was dramatic and very morbid; Miroku watched his father die, Inuyasha died thinking his first love betrayed their trust, Sango watched her brother AND father die and lost her ENTIRE village in one day. Truly heart-wrenching, lots of emotional weight. This series definitely wasn't intended for anything like that. The main character composition (most prominent 5) is closely related though, for sure. Rumiko has a way of recycling her ideas yet she does it in a clever way, maintaining the relative constants while changing their personalities and motives. This may not have the adventurous feel of Inuyasha, or the hand-to-hand combat Ranma 1/2 offers, but it does have A LOT of pretty girls like Urusei Yatsura lmao. (Even the grandma is hawt)
Personally, I found the chapters in the beginning (I'd say the first 100 or so) to be very enticing as they really drew me in. The ideas for spirits' earthly attachments were very fresh and the solutions played out well without being too cheeky or cliché. Some chapters did have me like "huh" and I couldn't grasp the content well, while others were spot-on and had me laughing out loud. There are good stories scattered throughout. I think as readers we can liberate ourselves from the idea that everything must be read in order and Kyoukai no Rinne does just that. Honestly, after chapter 90ish you can just bounce around as you please. Pick a chapter, see what it entails and enjoy the randomness. I also appreciate the fact that unlike Urusei Yatsura and Inuyasha, there are stories you can enjoy without the main girl carrying the show (Lum being the center of attention as she is in 365 out of 366 chapters and Kagome being the primary reason for the sequence of events). Its episodic nature lets one enjoy the series in any volume at any given time without feeling like you've missed too much. I would have liked more adept fighting with some techniques but I guess Rumiko didn't care for that. I think one of the best touch are the Shinigami tools, and not just their function but also the inclusion of their prices. There is a myriad of Shinigami tools used throughout the series and we always get the price when its first introduced so it makes you think "Hmmmm is it worth it?" or "Oooooo that's pricey!" and you can actually judge its value like a real world item. The fact the ethereal beings rely so much on money is a funny twist.
Kyoukai no Rinne may not be for everybody, but if you are looking for something easy-going with little commitment this could be for you. If you are looking for a progressive plot you might not get into it. If you enjoy imaginative, quirky ideas then I say give this a shot!
