What’s with the name Kyokou Suiri as the blog title? Shouldn’t I be using In/Spectre on the blog title instead?

Well, I would want to if I could. But since the actual title in English is In/Spectre, it ended up looking like I was typing a domain name on Google if I try to search for the manga.

So, I feel that using Kyokou Suiri as a blog title will be much better instead. Not only people use the Japanese title when they’re searching for the manga. But it will also give them the search result they need instead of leading them to a weird search result that doesn’t make any sense at all.

Just type the name In/Spectre with / still attached to the name and see what kind of search result that Google will give you.

Chances are, you won’t even find anything about the manga. Same goes for this blog post too.

Thus, my decision to use the name Kyokou Suiri instead of In/Spectre as a blog title.

What Kyokou Suiri is all about

Here’s the book description that I got from Bookwalker.

Both touched by spirits called yokai，Kotoko and Kuro have gained unique superhuman powers. But to gain her powers Kotoko has given up an eye and a leg，and Kuro’s personal life is in shambles. So when Kotoko suggests they team up to deal with renegades from the spirit world，Kuro doesn’t have many other choices，but Kotoko might just have a few ulterior motives…

What attracts me to this manga

What’s so great about this manga since the only thing we know about this manga is nothing but the supernatural stuff?

Well, I have to agree with you on this one since the book description doesn’t seem to tell us anything about the genre for this manga.

But if you have never watched the anime before, you wouldn’t even know that Kyokou Suiri is a mystery manga.

Yes, this is a mystery manga but with the supernatural stuff in it.

Since my usual beat on this blog tends to be about mystery, thriller and suspense manga and light novels, then it shouldn’t be surprising here that I will give this manga a try in a heartbeat.

Wondering what other books I enjoy reading? You can read more about my preferences right here.

What makes Kyokou Suiri worth reading

When we talk about supernatural manga, Mushishi, and Natsume Yuujincho tends to be the manga that will pop into our mind for the most part.

Does it mean that Kyokou Suiri is just like those manga?

To some extend, yes because of the supernatural beings. And some of them are also the creatures that you hear a lot in the Japanese folklore too.

But what makes Kyokou Suiri have a different twist is that it has a detective-style narration. That means Kotoko will come up with all kinds of deduction that can help her with solving mysteries and cases involving supernatural elements.

Since the story tends to have a detective-style narration, you can expect to see Kotoko derives her deduction based on the facts that she got from the news articles, police reports and witnesses.

Unlike the witnesses in the detective manga, the witnesses that you’ll see in Kyokou Suiri can also be supernatural beings, not just the human counterparts.

Of course, you can’t have these supernatural beings to testify in the court. But suffice to say that Kotoko will use all sorts of means to solve the mysteries.

For Kotoko, it doesn’t matter what kind of method she used to solve the mysteries. What matters the most is that her deduction and her solution is able to put things to rest.

Doesn’t it sound like Hyouka to you? Well, I will say it does feel like Hyouka but with the supernatural element to it.

What I didn’t expect when I read this manga

This is where the anime differs from the manga: the anime doesn’t follow the same sequence as the one in the manga.

In the manga, the story about Steel Lady Nanase will come right away after Kotoko and Kuro met for the first time.

But in the anime, the story about Steel Lady Nanase will only come a few episodes after they met.

Does it throw me off?

Well, not exactly.

The anime version of Natsume Yuujinchou doesn’t follow the exact same sequence as the manga. So, I didn’t find it strange that they’re doing the same for Kyokou Suiri.

Perhaps that’s the standard for supernatural anime? Maybe.

Another thing that I notice about this manga is that it has a translator’s note at the end of the manga.

I always assume that scanlations are the only thing that provides a translator’s note. So, it’s great to see that the official translation for Kyokou Suiri is doing that too since some terms can be hard to understand if you don’t understand Japanese and Japanese culture.

Who should read this manga

If you enjoy reading Hyouka and you don’t mind about the supernatural bits, then you will certainly enjoy reading Kyokou Suiri.

While it’s true that the manga does have the detective-style narrative, the cases in Kyokou Suiri aren’t as complicated as the one in Kindaichi Case Files.

In fact, it’s not even close to Kindaichi Case Files since Kotoko tends to use assumptions most of the time since she has limited sources when it comes to solving these cases.

So, it can throw you off a bit if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like the idea of making assumptions.

But then again, it’s not like she’s making a baseless assumption about the case. She’s still making assumptions based on whatever sources she has. It’s just that she doesn’t have the luxury to proceed with the case like an official investigation.

If you’re okay with the manga not following the detective-style to a T, then this manga is still a fun manga to read.

Where to buy Kyokou Suiri manga

As always you can buy the manga in digital or in print on Amazon. Here’s the link to the book page on Amazon:

Buy Kyokou Suiri manga on Amazon

Can’t buy on Amazon or prefer to buy elsewhere? You can also get the manga on Bookwalker. That’s where I got mine.

Buy Kyokou Suiri manga on Bookwalker

Prefer to buy the manga in print? You can also buy the manga in print on Wordery. What I love about Wordery is that they offer free shipping worldwide. If you want to save money on shipping, then I highly recommend you to get the manga on Wordery.

Buy Kyokou Suiri manga on Wordery

Over to you

What do you think about Kyokou Suiri? Would you consider giving this manga a try after reading about it on my blog? Let me know in the comment below.