心霊探偵八雲 3 闇の先にある光

Novel

March 3, 2024

Plot

Yakumo and company investigate the case of a woman’s suicide whose ghost appears before several people, leading to character disappearances. Yakumo’s acquaintances meet a medium who also has red eyes like Yakumo and claims that the woman’s ghost seeks revenge.

Review

Another fast-paced, supernatural, and dark mystery! This volume introduces the mystery and related cast much earlier compared to the previous volume. The third-person point-of-view primarily alternates between Godou, Ishii, and Haruka as they carry out their investigations of the mystery or witness Yakumo do his own sleuthing. When Yakumo meets Kamiyama for the first time, he is made to question his thoughts about spirits, what they are capable of, and what primarily resides inside them after death: sorrow or hatred. With Haruka and other characters’ support, Yakumo is able to wrap up the mystery and confront the criminals and victims of the mystery. While the climax and final scenes feel over the top (I can see it working better in an anime), they add development to Godou and Yakumo’s characters. A few other touching scenes show a protective and warm side of the usually blunt and sassy Yakumo. This volume also shows the dark side of how victims of sexual assault are treated and the corruption in people and organizations of power.

Critique

I wasn’t fond of how the truth of the mystery was revealed. Godou becomes the mouthpiece for readers and he is written as the “dumb” character who can’t figure out anything with Yakumo insulting his intelligence. After the first explanation or two, his manner of revealing the mystery while insulting Godou becomes repetitive and unnecessary. I would have preferred more banter between Yakumo and the person he confronts, or even a point of view from Yakumo himself as he reveals the truth.

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