written by Youka Nitta

Yasuhide and Kaname used to be top employees at the National Research Institute for Police Science—Hide as an investigator and Kaname as a researcher, using his super-sensitive hearing to solve crimes. But after a case went wrong both men turned their backs on formal police work and moved to the private sector. Now Hide runs a struggling private investigation business while Kaname works as a sound engineer, helping Hide on the side and trying not to let his ability to hear the dead drive him mad. When a bizarre case baffles the skills of one of the National Research Institute’s top investigators—Hide’s older twin brother Yasuhiro—Hide and Kaname’s skills may be called upon once more.

Nitta, known for her hardcore boys’ love titles, offers something different this time around. Otodama is a police procedural that is sure to speak to any fans of CSI, Criminal Minds, etc. Some few bits of the plot stretch credulity and force Nitta’s audience to make slight leaps of faith, but no more so than on any television show. On top of that, Nitta’s ability to craft likeable, interesting characters brings depth to her story, drawing readers into the lives of Kaname, Hide, and the others. There are obviously many issues in her characters’ pasts and she does not make the mistake of telling all those tales at once. The preview pages at the end of this volume are as effective as any “coming next week” trailer and promise that new areas of the characters’ pasts will be explored soon.
 
For fans who are drawn to a new work from Nitta because they have loved her boys’ love titles, they may be initially disappointed that there is no adult situations in this work so far (and with a 16+ rating from the publisher, there probably won’t be). There are a few hints at a deeper-than-friendship feeling from Hide towards Kaname and those will make for happy reading for boys’ love fans. None boys’ love readers, though, will also enjoy this story as the adventure, drama, and mystery make for exciting reading.
 
Part of Nitta’s popularity lies in her beautifully detailed drawings. Readers won’t be disappointed here. Her men are as attractive as ever, as are the female characters. The main characters still look a little too much alike and need distinctive hair to keep them straight and the twins do not actually look like twins, but those are minor quibbles that are easily ignored. Nitta’s action scenes are exciting, panel placement is effective and keeps the story moving smoothly, and the backgrounds are very well crafted. The only real problem is that text bubbles can occasionally be hard to tie to a particular person. Overall, though, this fast-paced title gives Nitta’s old fans a look at a new side of her writing skills, while also introducing her work to new fans. The 16+ rating is appropriate as there is violence and some strong language, but nothing is beyond that of the TV shows which obviously inspired Otodama’s plot.

-- Snow Wildsmith

Commenting closes after a story has been up for 2 months.