Psychic Detective Yakumo

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo revolves around a strange college student with a cursed red left eye. Through his eye, Yakumo is able to see and communicate with spirits of the dead, helping them move on from their earthly dwelling. The events unfold in an episodic format familiar to detective series fans, giving STY the double effect of being easy to follow while having a tendency to be repetitive. Personally, though, I liked the format. Despite the mini-cases, the plot still followed the main conflict, which is big and complex and absolutely mind-boggling. Technically, the art is so-so, but the sound is fantastic. BGM is perfectly timedand gives just the right feeling. I love this show for its complex plot, and its excellent script. (You know those cheesy lines you only get out of detective stories with psychological drama tendencies?) I hate it for what I feel is its lack of attention on character development, given we only ever hear about Yakumo's life and nobody else's. Oh yes, and the stories aren't scary at all. Shinrei Tantei Yakumo is recommended for lovers of old-style detective mysteries and ghost stories. Although there's admittedly less of the latter than the title implies. It's really just a police story with a paranormal flavor.

Ghosts, the supernatural, and mystery-- with more focus on the former two and less of the latter. So far, each episode seems to be formatted like this: Some character development, a mystery involving a ghost/supernatural forces, foreshadowing of a bigger plot. (And this pattern has stayed consistent on the episodes I've seen so far...) Obviously, with a pattern like this one or all of the three has to be sacrificed and we end up with a mystery per episode that is neither challenging to us nor expanded well on. Just a plain "oh here's an issue, here's -briefly- what the characters did, and here's the solution." It's not abad formula but for people who are expecting/wanting a more dramatic or drawn out mystery, it might not quench your thirst. The nice thing this series does (so far) is that despite the rather short "character development" segments it is done rather cleverly and leaves you a little curious about more and whether they'll have a bigger role later. Same can be said about the segments that seem to "foreshadow something bigger" except they are even shorter and may prove more of a tease than anything. Overall, so far it's an average standard show, it doesn't have a crazy "cliffhanger ending" pacing nor is it so slow you wished the episodes would air faster. ((Edit/Note: in the later part of the series the pattern has changed so that character/background development has become a bigger part of the episodes-- however this results in the "mystery per episode" parts needing to be stretched beyond one episode, which can be both a good or bad thing depending on whether you mind cliffhangers or not)) Neither epic nor horrible --a series that one can check out if you have the spare time to spare. But it's not a great loss if you don't check it out.

This show is about a high school student named Yakumo who has the ability to see spirits with his left red eye and sometimes communicate with them(not a super original premise, but highly entertaining nontheless). He spends his spare time tricking kids out of their money with fake card tricks, or just sleeping about. But, once in a while, he'll take a spirit associated police case that has piqued his interest. But with his troubled family past and issues with humanity, will Yakumo ever be able to live a normal life? STORY: (9/10) While not an entirely original premise, they definitely utilized it to it's full potential,much more effectively than many other similar shows. The story basically has everything a good anime needs: A complex main character with a troubled background, a helpful and insightful love interest, a devoted detective, and ghosts. Really, that's all they needed here, but they added even more into the mix to give it an added level of depth and enjoyability. Yakumo's disturbed background piqued my interest in him, and also apparently the interest of those around him. But the best part isn't when they discuss Yakumo, but when Yakumo discusses with the accused how he knows that they are guilty. With pounds of accurate speculation, Yakumo presents his inner monologue better than even Yagami Light of Death Note. He solves murders, abductions, and even poltergheist possesion, making for an interesting watch. ANIMATION: (9/10) What can I say, it suits the series. It's dark and forboding when it's supposed to be, and bright and happy when it's supposed to be. Also, although not littered with fight scenes, when they pop up in Shinrei Tantei Yakumo, it looks damn realistic. The character designs aren't the most original I've ever seen, but I suppose that look best suits their personalities. When it comes to animation, this show did it right. SOUND: (9/10) To be honest, the opening theme represents the show so well I was actually considering making this review simply a link to it on YouTube or something. The opening theme is truly fitting, and the ending just as much so. The voice acting was just as it should be to match the theme of the show, and the background noise/music was never out of place. Once again, a 2010 show did animation and sound well. CHARACTERS: (9.5/10) Although sometimes the main love interest (Haruka) can be absent minded occasionally, every other character plays their role perfectly. Both of Yakumo's parents are dead, and he has always been shunned or even beaten up due to his red left eye. Later you find out that Yakumo and Haruka's past goes back further then either of them thought, giving their relationship and added level of depth. What I absolutely love about their relationship though is that there is no stupid blushing, and the girl is simply trying to help the guy, which is a refreshing change of pace seeing as most anime series these days have the protagonist being an emotionally immature nitwit who freaks out at the sight of anything related to women. In this show, Yakumo doesn't express any feelings for her at all, and instead simply allows her to tag along, while she is trying to help him in dealing with his troubled past. It's obvious they are concerned about eachother and harbor feelings, but the best part is that it's successfully conveyed without either character being awkward or embarassed in any way. The supporting characters also offer comic relief and intel on future missions, as well as being occasionally super adorable(I just wanna give his deaf little cousin a hug for being so cute

5 words to describe this anime: Piercing, Pleasant, Strong, Beautiful, and Inspiring. The Story: It was simply fantastic. Watching one episode makes you want to watch the next, and the next, and so on. Just when things seem predictable, it ends up twisting a smidge. But, each episode either repeats the same routine, or is a continuation of the previous episode. Since this series has only 13 episodes, you don't grow tired of it. Like I mentioned before, there are twists, and it'll keep you hooked till the very end. Score: 10 The Art: The art was perfect. It has a balance to it. The important scenes wereput some effort into, while the less imporant scenes were put less effort into. The important scenes were simply emphasized---which was good. It sorts out which parts were needed to be remembered and which were not needed to be. Simple. Score: 10 The Sound: The sound of the cars stopping, speeding up, and halting while going at a high speed---all were dynamic. [Footsteps, someone running up behind you, a gun being pulled out, the sound of a taser----amazing.] Score: 10 The Characters: Each character had their own purpose, personality, and something that made them unique, still fitting the mood. Many characters were relatable. For example, Yakumo----he doesn't really open up much, independent, and at most times, mysterious. You probably have a friend like that. This anime has a few morals, figured out by almost every character. Score: 10 The Enjoyment: I finished this anime in 1 day. It was gripping. Curse my curiosity!! But, I enjoyed every bit of it, still maintaining full focus throughout the estimate of 6-7 hours of watching this unforgettable anime series. I felt like I was a ghost following along the "gang". Score: 10 Overall: 10 I loved Shinrei Tantei Yakumo. Distant and Distinct characters are the best, because when they unravel, it's certainly undescribable. ♥