This series is suppose to be a horror but I have no recollection of being scared, nervous, alarmed or even startled while watching Psychic Detective Yakumo. The ghosts were more of a joke than terrifying really. They come off as people's shadows . Could you please just for the sake of this review try to scare someone you know by standing still and asking them to look at your shadow whenever you have free time. The episodic structure of the show is a chance for this show to tell refreshing stories that improve on the previous episode, but it is the exact same formula over and over and over again. Girl asks psychic for help on a potential case, psychic insults girl, detective that the psychic helps and vice versa becomes involved in the case and the trio set off to solve the mystery. After a few episodes watching became more of a chore. There is no unpredictablity and the writing is just flat. How can I get rid of this ghost? Why don't I try the exact same method I used the previous week.
The characters are complete strangers to the viewer with no real development. The only characters that I really cared for was detective Gotou and Isshhin Saito but they can't really save this series from being the exact oppisite the creators were trying to achieve. You will read about this in a lot of reviews but it's still a complaint from my side: The villian is a complete alien. You get that type of my kids should stay away from that guy whenever possible vibe but he does not live up to his full potetntial. His goals are never stated which means everytime the show cuts him you have to squeeze interest out of yourself to listen to something that may or may not have something to to do with the plot. If you hear what everybody calls him in the series you will realize exactly how uninteresting and stale this weirdo is. The romantic plot that that makes up alot of the show's "story" goes nowhere. I was really expecting something , anything. I have to listen to whining and arguing between two people I dont give a damn for for 13 episodes. Give me something,anything!
The sound is run-of-the-mill voice acting with the exception of the most intersting characters Gotou and Isshhin. My cousin told me he realized that a lot of voice actors speak with a mono tones when they have to dub anime to english. This is the exact case with Yakumo. When he is supposedly shocked or sad yo just hear that mono tone (a lot like Edward's tone of voice from Twilight). The OP is terrible. If you can classify under what type of music this falls under please let me know (I only listened to it for about 10 seconds).The ending theme was actually beautiful,it is that type of song you can understand without speaking the language it is performed in.
The art was alright. It's not like Dragonball where everyone is drawn according to Asian sterotyping,you know that saying . These characters have looks that fit what liitle personality they have perfectly. The backgrounds are okay and the ghost are just "meh".
The show was alright at the beginning but went to make my weekend feel a lot longer and declined after just 2 episodes. I have to admit I liked the ending, I'm a sucker for stuff like that and because the experience was over. Here's what I thought about the show:
Pros:
-Gotou and Isshhin
-Ending theme
-Ending
-Art was alright
Cons:
- Everything else
Story - 5/10
Art 7/10
Sound 6/10
Character 5/10
Enjoyment 5/10
Overall 6/10
