Manga Review: Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation

For this week's manga review, I decided to look back on a title I picked up a few years ago that turned out to be surprisingly entertaining, Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation.

Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation is a manga series made by Yoshiyuki Nishi that premiered in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2004, later getting its own manga adaptation that concluded in 2008. As the name would suggest, the manga is about a private investigative bureau run by one Toru Muhyo and his assistant Jiro "Roji" Kusano that investigates supernatural incidents involving rogue spirits, with the pair sending these ghosts to either Heaven or Hell depending on their crimes. This is done via an application of magic known as Magic Law (essentially a combination of legal studies and magic), of which Muhyo is the youngest ever to reach the level of mastery required to be granted the title "executor"; Roji, however, is demonstrated to be somewhat lacking in any magical ability outside of writing seals. The series follows the various supernatural cases that Muhyo and Roji resolve, introducing a fairly large cast of characters along the way and delving into the history of each character, particular the titular duo.

As befits a title premiering in Shonen Jump, this series is primarily an action one, albeit a fairly dark one at times. Many of the supernatural creatures faced by the heroes are quite terrifying in appearance, and even some of the good guys can be a bit off-putting, fitting with the overarching style of supernatural horror. Of course, the series does have its lighthearted moments as well; various bits of comedy are interspersed throughout the series that help to lighten the mode from time to time without ever really getting in the way of the plot. Helping all of this is the art of the series, which manages to be either silly or creepy when needed while still keeping the same general style; the characters themselves are similarly able to go from lighthearted to series without ever appearing inconsistent in terms of their personality and behavior.

I'd definitely recommend Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation to any fans of supernatural horror works that don't mind a slight shift in genre, as well as fans of more action-oriented series who are looking for something a bit creepier than the norm. Between the unique style of the series and the engaging cast of characters, the story of this investigative bureau is sure to entertain.