Psychometrer Eiji

Psychometrer Eiji
Scanslated by Omanga
IRC Channel: #omanga @ irc.irchighway.net

Topics: Crime, Supernatural, Fighting, Shounen

Warning: Gore, Sexual Situations

Summary:
Eiji Asuma has a special power called "psychometry." It's the ability to read emotions and memories left behind within an object or a person. However he can only see flashes of those thoughts, he's unable to see entire scenes. Furthermore when the memories are too intense it often has a backlash on himself, sometimes even causing him to pass out.

To avoid getting his licensed revoked (for driving a motorcycle without a helmet), he agrees to help Miss Shima (a policewoman) solve a crime being committed by a mysterious serial killer named "Moebius." By combining the imagery he pulls from items left at the crime scenes, and by the detective work done by Miss Shima, they're slowly getting closer to the criminal. But at the same time the murderer has targetted Eiji's sister as his next victim. Though Eiji manages to thwart this first serial murderer, he's been drawn into the world of fighting psychotic criminals.

Each "story" spans multiple volumes and shows off Eiji and Shima hunting down ever more twisted characters, while trying to make Shima's boss understand that Eiji's supernatural power has a place within the police department.

Commentary:
The art for this series is excellent, with highly detailed characters and beautiful backgrounds. The character development is pretty good, although it tends to focus a bit more on the development of the criminals and their motivations, than it does on the protagonists. The stories themselves are very suspenseful, although they tend to have excessive amounts of gore (for example a girl gets blown up and we get images of her boyfriend holding her severed hand). However, if you can get past the bloodyness, this is a top notch manga with an intriguing plot that keeps you coming back for more.

Rating: 9.0/10.0 -- Reviewer's Choice