Matantei Loki

I took my JLPT N4 (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) today and quite naturally, as soon as I got home, I went to read. Manga. To be even more specific, I finished the series Matantei Loki (Mythical Detective Loki).

Matantei Loki is basically about the Norse gods, with Loki the trickster god finding himself human and having to vanquish evil spirits. Along the way, other gods appear, some (unwillingly) to help and some to kill him. And ever present are the Norns, who know the past, present and future.

Despite my rather boring and insufficient description, you really have to read this manga. It's funny, exciting and best of all, all the girl characters are likeable. If you have heard me rant in person, you'll know that I can't stand a lot of girl characters in manga (like all those in Prince of Tennis), because their characterisation is terrible. Here, there is no such thing. This alone should convince you to read it.

Just a small warning. The first few mysteries are particularly gruesome. Like Detective Conan, Matantei Loki is deceptively cute, with the graphics masking the rather bloody (and I mean it literally) mysteries. If this was a live-action, it would definitely be at least NC-16, if only for the body count.

Other than the blood, it's actually a really tame manga, without most of the perverted things that occur in most other stories.

And if you can't find it in a bookshop or library, never fear, sites like mangaeden.com have the series for you to view online.