Psycome

Let's get one thing out of the way. Do you enjoy a psychotic demonic loli beating a high school kid to a bloody mess of hamburger with the intention of burning fear into the hearts of his classmates? Do you enjoy the image of a boy running for his life from a bunch of psychotic murders and cannibals that want his heart - literally? Does your classic dandere become much more interesting when she is the equivalent of a walking natural disaster of accidental mayhem and death? Are you not put off by graphic descriptions of mass murder, torture, cannibalism, rape and necrophilia? If your answer to anyof these questions is no this may not be the book for you. If you answered yes to all of these questions however, have I got a story for you. Story - 9 The first novel sets up an interesting premise and it's the reason I was of course drawn to the novel. Our protagonist happens to be the type to get into fights because of his quick temper and hatred of bullies. Starting from the desire to defend his sister he eventually gets to the point where he will fight anyone, anywhere. You would probably expect him to die quickly with an attitude like this but he happens to have superhuman strength and endurance, making knocking out 12 guys armed with weapons in a warehouse no problem for our protagonist. It's only later after he arrives home that he finds out that the 12 that he had left snoring wouldn't be waking up, as they have all been murdered. He is convicted of their murders and earns himself the title of the 'Warehouse Butcher'. He would probably be stuck in a maximum security prison or executed for his crimes, but thankfully the ever progressive Japan has a new school that re-educates young murderers so that they can one day re-join society, Purgatorium Remedial Academy. This 'school' is where our hero is sent to learn how to behave alongside dozens of prolific killer classmates and teachers that are also professional assassins as well as their wardens. He becomes an instant celebrity having one of the highest supposed kill counts among the students who like to express their admiration and envy....enthusiastically. As amazing as this may sound the story does start a little slow and if you only read the first novel it would probably leave you with an "it was okay I guess". The homicidal harem that starts to form around the protagonist is a little cliché with a bit of crazy mixed in, and is probably not enough to keep you entertained at first. Thankfully, the rest of the series ramps up the fear and bloodshed with killer school festivities, homicidal family members and casual executions. By the time you finish volume 2, if you are anything like me, you will become hooked on the carnage and brutal drama. Art - 10 Art can be a little difficult to judge in light novels as it is often quite sparse. Thankfully, several full color pages in the beginning and occasional black and white images in the chapters help us visualize the sexy, beautiful and sometimes blood spattered heroines as they work their way into our hearts...directly through someone else's chest. If you like images just for sexiness then it certainly delivers. However, don't blame me if you fall in love with the deranged expressions of these psychotic ladies as their eyes open a window into madness. Characters - 10 Kyousuke Kamiya The protagonist and 'hero' of our story is a little bland as most protagonists are, being the only 'normal' person in a school filled with murderers. He differentiates himself by having super strength and endurance, obtained genetically from his father who was once hit by a train and merely put in the hospital. He also has a bit of a sister complex (although not nearly as bad as her big brother complex). He is meant to be the viewpoint character and plays his role well as he desperately tries to convince the killers around him that he is one of them and survive the aptly named Purgatorium Remedial Academy. Renko Hikawa The 'main girl' she immediately falls in love with Kyousuke and tempts him with her beautiful face and clear innocent eyes; at least she would except she always wears a gas mask. The gas mask she wears hides more than just headphones constantly blaring death metal as she evades questions about why she is at the school and why she is so obsessed with Kyousuke. Despite Kyousuke's lack of interest in her non-visible face she likes to constantly tease him with her ridiculous rack and obsessive personality. She eventually 'reveals' herself to be a skilled death metal vocalist being the lead singer of a band and quite the yandere but I'd like to avoid spoiling too much more about her. Eiri Akabane Our tsundere who we all know "secretly" loves our thick headed hero; she has red hair, sleepy eyes, long beautiful legs and is a professional assassin with six kills under her belt. She happens to be from a family of assassins who we actually get to meet later on with the 4th volume focused on Eiri and them. Her tongue is as sharp as her blades as she mercilessly cuts into her irredeemable classmates and Kyousuke. Of course she does have a softer side, that dere has to mean something after-all. Maina Igarashi Cute, soft spoken, shy, and easily startled, Maina is your classic dandere who you just want to protect from the world. Now if only someone could protect the world from Maina Igarashi. Rightfully nicknamed Black Pandora, she is 'fatally clumsy'. When she starts to get nervous, people start to get dead. She ended up in the academy after her attempted love confession resulted in 3 deaths, and her cooking despite being perfectly normal and containing no poison is fatal to anyone without access to immediate medical attention. There are of course several other important characters to mention such as Hijiri Kurumiya Kyousuke's home room teacher is a loli that carries several metal pipes which she uses to beat submission into anyone that misbehaves, fights or otherwise annoys her. Saki Shamya With a polite demeanour and the trust of the faculty she leads the public morals committee as the 'Murder Princess' with 21 kills to her name and a 'secret weapon’ that would make anyone flee in terror. Ayaka Kamiya Kyousuke's little sister who has a serious big brother complex and who becomes quite pertinent in the third volume. There are also several great side characters like the giant Bob who wears a sack over her head, Chihiro Andou the adorable little cannibal, Kuuga Makyouin with a deadly case of chuunibyou, and several other classmates and upperclassmen that kill, torture, rape and/or eat their victims. Enjoyment - 11 I absolutely loved this series and almost broke into tears when I found out there was only six volumes (not including the Omnibus). The characters are crazy, varied and thoroughly enjoyable, making every interaction exciting to read. You never know when someone might suddenly attempt to take a bite out of someone's arm or accidentally stab them to death with a fork and that helped keep the story interesting. The characters motivations are compelling, and make sense even as they gradually grow and change through the series. The vulgar language and casual violence was an absolute joy to read through. The humour may not be quite your taste but I loved every bit of it, and there were several times where I would burst out in maniacal laughter on the bus drawing the worried gazes of fellow passengers. Overall - 10 Despite how brutal it sounds Psycho Love Comedy is actually quite light hearted and is essentially a love comedy with a bunch of crazy killers, hence the name. I have recommended it to several friends and lent out my own physical copies of the series. Most of them said exactly 2 things to me. "It was a little slow to start but it got really good by volume 3" and "Knowing you, this must perfectly suit your tastes". This is the most fun I've ever had reading a series and I've read literally thousands of books. This series is not for everyone and it's certainly no epic classic like the lord of the rings. However, if you have a crazy bone in your body or perhaps a body under your floorboards I suggest you give this series a shot.