准教授・高槻彰良の推察 民俗学かく語りき

准教授・高槻彰良の推察 #1

by Mikage Sawamura, 澤村 御影, 鈴木次郎 (Illustrator)

嘘を聞き分ける耳を持ち、それゆえ孤独になってしまった大学生・深町尚哉。幼い頃に迷い込んだ不思議な祭りについて書いたレポートがきっかけで、怪事件を収集する民俗学の准教授・高槻に気に入られ、助手をする事に。幽霊物件や呪いの藁人形を嬉々として調査する高槻もまた、過去に奇怪な体験をしていた―。「真実を、知りたいとは思わない?」凸凹コンビが怪異や都市伝説の謎を『解釈』する軽快な民俗学ミステリ、開講!

Genres: Light Novel, Mystery, Fantasy, Manga, Supernatural, Paranormal, Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published November 22, 2018

Reviews

[Oliver Clarke · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept is decent (a university professor and a student who can detect when people are lying) investigate urban legends and local folklore, but I found this light novel failed to really engage me. There are really 3 separate stories here. The first introduces the characters. The second (my favourite) is a standard “case”. The third explores the professor’s identity a bit more and takes things in what I thought was an unnecessary direction. Some of the ideas are enjoyably creepy and the two main characters are fun, but overall this was a miss for me.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely shocked by how much I loved this.

It reminds me of The Case Files of Jeweler Richard (Light Novel) Vol. 1 - not 100% in the subject matter, but a bit in the way it's structured. (Even to the part where it started out as a light novel series that picked up a manga adaptation. I'd love to see this get an anime someday as well.)

We have two main characters: Naoya, a university student who was burdened with a supernatural ability to detect lies when he stumbled into a festival of the dead as a kid, and Takatsuki, a folklore studies professor who has a number of secrets of his own. The two of them begin solving "supernatural mysteries" together - most of which turn out to have mundane explanations, but draw the two of them closer each time.

The book is split in three parts; covering one story/mystery per chapter. The second was probably my favorite, since it dug really deep into some complex ideas of friendship and when a lie is actually the kindest way of preserving a relationship. I love the conversations Naoya and Takatsuki have, and how Naoya keeps his professor grounded (often by lecturing him), and Takatsuki brings lightness and warmth to Naoya's carefully closed off world.

Amazing dynamic between the two of them, with a lot of growth already (when there's so much more of the series to come!). I'm really excited to keep reading, and to find out what actually happened to Takatsuki when he was young, and if they stumble across any actual supernatural incidents during their time together.

Loved this a lot. My only complaint is that it's probably going to take ages for the light novels to be translated and released, but I'm happy to see lots of the books waiting for me on the horizon.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up, because the tangle of supernatural vs man made horror is fascinating. I don't think it's BL, but it should appeal to BL fans.

[daria · Rating 5 out of 5]

i’m irrevocably in love with takatsuki akira

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hohoho this was definitely my cup of tea!

Naoya is a uni student who, due to encountering some supernatural goings on as a child, now has the uncanny ability to always tell when someone is lying - which has left him pretty isolated and closed off. Akira is his uni folklore studies lecturer, who acts daft as a brush but is obviously hiding something serious behind his golden retriever-like behaviour. Together, they go off and solve mysterious cases that could potentially involve the paranormal.

It's daft and fun, and you can easily guess the outcome of some of the cases, but the settings and folkloric elements were big positives that outweighed this for me. I was also unexpectedly charmed by the characters (both main and secondary), and the dynamics between them all. Looking forward to reading more of this light novel series and finding out how the character development and relationships progress!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Reread 2024/8/14 in one day at the airport*

I'm bumping this up to five stars. I can't express how much I enjoyed my reread of this first novel. I think what's most impressive about this novel and the author is the pace at which mysteries are revealed. There's the forefront mystery interlaced with the background longer mysteries that intertwine while also giving a lot of character growth. The way Naoya, the main character, gradually opens his heart and his eyes to how the world isn't only full of people who lie because of Takatsuki's openness and kindness is simply beautiful. There's also the humor that is spaced out amongst the melancholy and social commentary; it's the whole cake and it's a delicious treat.

~~~~~

I went into this book with pretty much no expectations other than I liked the first volume of the manga adaptation and one reviewer had mentioned it was similar to The Case Files of Jeweler Richard, and I have to say… it definitely surpassed anything I had expected!

From the very outset, the two main leads are set up as spectacularly intriguing individuals. I connected with the main protagonist Naoya pretty much instantly, the way he shuts everyone out and plays that delicate balance between “distant, but not so distant all the doors slam closed” — yeah, I felt that. I’m super looking forward to how his character will develop from here. Then there’s Professor Takatsuki, whose class I wish I could take part in myself it sounds so intriguing. The mysteries they solve together are also pretty interesting, though I’d say the character work is outshining the cases so far, not that that’s a detriment per se (it’s similar to Jeweler Richard, and I’ve come to adore that series, so…) Needless to say, I’m definitely continuing on with the series.

[Bella Azam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I genuinely enjoyed this one. Its a light read, reminiscent of detective stories but focused more on folklore, spiritual and paranormal investigations. Akira Takatsuki was a charismatic albeit a typical charming character to follow while Naoya, a young university student with an acute hearing ability to detect lies is more to a gloomy, shy type due to circumstances. I enjoyed the narrative of folklore, learning about different japanese mythical supernaturals and then we got three cases to solve and it was a fun read to me. Thank you to Edelweiss and publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

[amax · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excuse me, what did I just read. I'm shook.

Format read: Ebook (Kindle)
Reading time: 3-4h
Tags: mystery, adventure, translation, friendship, found family, psychological, supernatural
Own a copy: no, but I'm going to change that very soon
Reread likelihood: 10/10

What did the world look like, reflected in those eyes that held the night? (p. 164)

Summary
Naoya Fukamachi is a first-year student in the literature program at Seiwa University. He decides to take the Folklore Studies class on a whim, which ends up setting his course for something he never expected. Akira Takatsuki, the professor who teaches the folklore class, recruits Naoya to help him in his research on ghosts and urban legends. Together, the two work to unravel mysteries and help those who are touched by the supernatural.

Review

It's usually the human mind that turns specters into specters and gives birth to monsters. ... We try to define the world through interpretation so that we can put it into terms we can understand. (p.83)

There are many monsters in the world, most of which are of a psychological variety. Even though Akira is a folklore researcher, all the cases he works on are not actually supernatural. Instead, the characters' fears and anxieties are at the heart of the strange happenings.

The book is divided into three chapters/short stories, with each one featuring a different case:

1. The Neighbor Who Shouldn't Exist: A young woman who lives alone thinks the empty apartment next to hers is haunted because of strange sounds at night and apparitions at her window.
2. The Girl Who Spits Up Needles: Two students in Akira's class come to him with a frightening situation. After having seen a voodoo doll in the park, one of the girls finds herself haunted by sewing needles that keep falling out of her clothes.
3. The House to Another World: A high school student contacts Akira because of the disappearance of her friend. The friend had gone to check out an abandoned (and presumed haunted) house only to disappear that night and reappear later with no memory of the event in a completely different part of Tokyo.

These stories are strange and creepy, yet they always have a human explanation for what is happening. Akira and Naoya soon discover that humans are the ones hurting and traumatizing other humans under the guise of ghosts and spirits. Akira's biggest wish is to meet a real ghost or creature, but, so far, he has to content himself with what literature has to offer.

That being said, Akira and Naoya have both been touched by the supernatural; Naoya is cursed with having the ability to hear lies, while Akira suspects having been spirited away when he was young. Though Akira's past is still nebulous by the end of book 1, it is clear that something supernatural is up with the professor. Like Naoya, Akira also has an uncanny ability, except his is to show a strange colour shift in his eyes whenever his emotions are heightened.

To Naoya, Akira is a welcomed boon of honesty in a sea of liars. Unlike everyone else in Naoya's life, Akira never lies, which makes Naoya's life a whole lot more pleasant. When he hears lies, Naoya becomes physically ill because of the pain in his ears, but with Akira, he can relax and be himself a bit more.

There was no warping. Naoya heard it with surprising directness. It was like a single ray of white light shining through the muddy, stagnant air. His voice was crystal clear. ... But there was something Naoya couldn't quite put his finger on. Why did the sound of that voice make him feel like he could breathe easier? (p.17-18)

Naoya is very careful and wary with everyone, and being close to people scares him terribly. He is afraid of being lied to by someone he cares about, which pushes him to isolate himself and put up barriers in front of others. Naoya has no friends nor family to speak of, so when Akira appears in his life as someone genuine and honest, Naoya has a hard time opening up.

Meanwhile, Akira seems like the happiest person on the surface, but he also hides deep pain and fear in his heart. The closest person to him is Kenji "KenKen" Sasakura, his childhood best friend. KenKen looks out for Akira like an older brother, and even dissuades Naoya from getting too close for fear of him hurting his friend. Like Naoya, Akira has been abandoned by all and now puts on a happy façade for the world. In a way, Naoya and Akira are two peas in a pod. They both work through their personal issues by developing an unlikely friendship and work partnership.

There was no warping in the professor's voice, and Naoya could tell everything he said was sincere. He genuinely wanted to keep Naoya by his side. "I don't want to stop working with you. I want you to continue being my assistant." Takatsuki's voice was soft, pleasant, and perfectly honest. His smile was like a bright, cloudless sky... Even though the night sky was hidden behind his eyes. Suddenly, the urge to bare everything within Naoya's soul to Takatsuki reared up from the depths of his heart. (p. 94)

I didn't think I'd be so touched by a book that, by its premise only, sounds like a silly and fun read while waiting for the bus. Akira and Naoya's stories are truly touching, and their hardships really resonate with me. I didn't expect to be so emotionally invested in their story, but here we are. I can't wait to read more of their adventures and see them grow the more the story progresses.

Maybe Takatsuki was a fallen angel. Because the invitation to join him was like being tempted by the devil. Telling Naoya, who thought he would be alone forever, that there was someone just like him right there? How could he resist that? (p. 227)

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story does a great job of diving into folklore studies in a way that is both exciting (when they solve a case) and informational (when Takatsuki gives a lecture). It is clear that the author knows their stuff when it comes to folklore and they definitely studied it extensively. The translation is also great and flows super smoothly. The story follows two quite lonely and traumatized individuals as their shared past encounters with the supernatural bind them together and give them the capacity to understand each other in a way nobody else seemingly ever could. I love how Takatsuki and Fukamachi's relationship evolves throughout the series. They start to get closer as the story progresses to the point that they start to feel like uncle and nephew. I also have to give a shoutout to the one and only Ken Ken (Kenji) for being the realest best friend that even after his best friend changed in a way that was seemingly supernatural he stuck by his side all these years. He's the best. I can't wait to read more of this series and I can't wait to see what interesting stories Takatsuki and Fukamachi will encounter next.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Si alguien siente disgusto por ti, estoy seguro de que yo también sentiría disgusto por mi”.

[…]

Cuando se trata de temas sobrenaturales y leyendas urbanas japonesas entonces este es mi lugar ✨
Me encantó muchísimo y estoy feliz de continuar y saber a dónde llevará a los protagonistas a este viaje interesante , emocionante y con un toque de peligro.

[Lavenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun, easy read, with supernatural themes and mystery to uncover and learn about alongside relatable characters. Doesn't require you to remember a complicated power system nor politics, but to be a part of an individual's story through life.

[kaylina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 / 5: "We all live on dead people, so to speak...If you think about other creatures, too, there are corpses everywhere."

this is the start of what's going to become one of my favorite series, i can already tell!!

an enthusiastic professor who teaches you so much about the nature of folklore + the roots of how and why it first spreads; a student who can detect when people are lying, a fixture of human nature and how folklore can be stretched thin; and mysteries that at the end of the day, aren't a source of magic or the supernatural, but created by humans, using the tales of fiction to lead people to wild interpretations.....the human mind is absolutely incredible.

there's something so compelling about what's being promised in this story here; the idea that among the lies we tell and the nature of our stories, there is still indeed another world with those mythical creatures that exist. they just hide incredibly well based on how we twist these tales, and it's so mind-boggling.

i found this first volume to be incredibly informative of human nature and different folklore tales, as well (mainly japanese, of course). as the reader, i could get to experience the same wonder and fascination with the lectures that takatsuki shares with his students, which i loved. it felt like i was in his lecture hall myself, and it made my reading experience that much more immersive, which was such a pleasant surprise.

these mysteries that him and fukamachi go out and solve add a lot more depth to what we get to know about certain tales that takatsuki introduces to his classes, including "shozan chomon kishu". this speculated the existence of the tengu, a supernatural creature in Japanese folklore that was believed to be behind the disappearance of many children due to strange details that were noticed in these cases.

the concept of humanity attempting to fill in all these types of clues to make sense of the bigger picture, even if it leads to some fantastical ideas, is something that has such a wide narrative and i'm incredibly interested to see how this series will expand on that even further. of the three chapters that are covered here, chapter 2 was my most favorite, but all of them had such amazing content, i was invested in everything.

especially the characters, fukamachi and takatsuki; they are already huge enigmas that have been pulled towards each other and illustrate this interesting dynamic. one is a teacher who's very excitable and giddy (to the point of not having any sense of boundaries) and a student who's much more reserved and calm, and yet neither of these were essentially something that came from choice. they both have very somber stories from their childhood that we can only understand a little this early on, but it makes their understanding of each other become more significant. i look forward to seeing how they might build their connection as the story goes on.

Telling Naoya, who he thought would be alone forever, that there was someone just like him right there? How could he resist that?

i had a really good time, and i am very thankful that i got to find this story by chance, it feels like perfect timing.

content warnings:

major: references to stalking & manipulation
moderate: descriptions of blood & injury (some self-inflicted), descriptions of fire & smoke inhalation, and references to child disappearances
minor: reference to drugs being taken by force

[zey ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

jeweler richard okumaya biraz ara verebilmek için başladım bu seriye. giriş kitabı için gayet yeterliydi, sadece karakter sayısı artacak mı yoksa tamamen akira ve naoya arasında mı geçecek olaylar onu merak ediyorum. jeweler richard'ın evrene çok alıştığımdan buranın evreni bir küçük geldi ama daha her şeyin başındayız tabii, iki seri birbirlerinden bayağı ayrı seriler ama art arda okuyunca karşılaştırmadan edemiyorum. yaşanan olayları okuması sarıyor, folklore vesaire üzerine olsa da üç danışanın da olayları henüz oraya bağlanamadı. devam ciltlerinde gerçekten bir hayaletle falan karşılaşmalarını okumak istiyorum. naoya'nın yalanları duyabilmesi bence çok hoş olmuş, kalın yazıları görür görmez heyecanlanıyorum. akira için aynı şeyi şimdilik diyemeyeceğim ama. sanki gözleri maviye büründüğünde istediği şeyi yaptırabiliyormuş gibi geldi, başka ne tür bir özellik olabilir ardında tahmin edemiyorum açıkçası. kuşları görünce bayılıyor, sırtında kanat varmış da sökülmüş gibi izler falan var ama basit de bir olay değildir herhalde son sayfalarda aktardıkları kadar.

[Kono · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ☆
I personally really enjoyed it, though it's far from perfect. The story is about a folklore studies prof and one of his students unraveling weird events that come to the attention to the prof (all related to some Japanese folklore or so it seems). The smaller events were somewhat predictable but I still got some strong Conan the detective vibes from it. I love the main characters, I think they're written in a very fun way and I enjoyed the Japanese folklore lectures (yes, actual lectures sometimes lol). With that said, folklore vocabulary gave me a bit of trouble, so did actual place names (but that's just me having trouble remembering and reading them) but other than that I think it was fairly accessible. So if you enjoy some amateur detective work, and Japanese folklore I highly recommend it. It all ties together rather nicely at the end I think

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture is a Japanese light novel set in a university in present day Tokyo. Naoya Fukamachi is a first-year student trying to figure out college life and what he wants to study. What he doesn’t want are activity clubs and friends. If at all possible, he would stay away from people completely.

Naoya has a unique ability to hear lies. It’s a distortion of sound that is painful for him, so much so that if many people lie around him, he might faint. To survive, he hasn’t a single friend, and even casual acquaintances are upsetting, because he doesn’t want to know when they lie. Large lecture halls are a nightmare.

But they can’t be avoided. On a whim—or so he tells himself—he attends a course on folklore that specializes in urban legends, ghost stories, and strange phenomena. It’s held by professor Akira Takatsuki whose enthusiasm for his topic keeps the students glued to their seats—or it’s because he’s very handsome.

For extra credit, Naoya submits a story of a strange event that happened to him, and even though he doesn’t tell everything, Professor Takatsuki knows it’s real. He’s an eccentric person who gets excited fast, and so he decides to make Naoya his assistant, mostly because Naoya has common sense the professor lacks and can read maps. And then he learns about Naoya’s ability and it turns out that the professor has a similar story in his past.

The book consists of three cases the pair investigate. There’s a haunted house, a curse, and a girl who has been spirited away. They’re fun stories, though not particularly difficult to solve, with some exciting action too. And they are good windows to Japanese society and folklore. A lot of folklore. The author is either a folklorist himself, or a true enthusiast. Occasionally the book reads like lecture notes, but everything is always interesting—at least for a historian like me.

But the main mystery remains unsolved for now. What happened to Naoya and the professor when they were children. Were they genuine supernatural events or something more mundane. What they know is that both have been permanently altered because of it.

This was a good start for a series. The cases were complete and the book ends at a natural point and not with a cliffhanger. Naoya and Takatsuki were great characters and complete opposites of each other; the teacher student dynamic was occasionally upside down, which probably doesn’t translate well to western readers. For a light novel, the story had a more mature feel than I usually associate with them, and it reads more like a paranormal cozy mystery than a young adult novel. I’d very much like to read more and I hope the rest of the seven volumes are translated too.

I received a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[ツバキ · Rating 4 out of 5]

頗喜歡同作者的《吸血鬼作家的異搜事件簿》，所以之前一直有考慮要看這個系列，但在閱讀本作之前我就知道主要角色幾乎都是男生，老實說其實我對那種男生搭檔的小說有點沒興趣，因為我是不管什麼故事都希望至少有一點點戀愛要素的人，所以沒有女孩子就讓我沒什麼動力讀（我不排斥BL，但也不會主動找來看）。

但因為出了中文版，就想來確認看看到底是不是自己喜歡的故事，結果意外滿有趣的。雖然說乍看是恐怖小說，但其實故事中出現的靈異事件幾乎都是人為，的確真正的靈異現象哪有可能那麼簡單遇到啊，而且毫無靈能力的兩個人就算遇到了又能如何是好呢？因此這樣的安排好像滿合理的，但我沒有那麼想讀結論是「最可怕的果然還是人類」的故事。

不過整體來說高槻的講課內容我覺得滿有意思的，關於超自然的知識似乎也都是真有其事（我有去查書中提到的幽靈畫），這部分讓我讀得滿開心的。仔細想想高槻跟主角深町畢竟都是靈異事件下的受害者，就算不斷接觸到的都是虛假的靈異事件，但應該總有一天會解開他們所遭遇事件的真相吧？

儘管調性跟《吸血鬼作家的異搜事件簿》不太一樣（吸血鬼作家遇到的始作俑者都是真的妖怪），好像也不會出現戀愛情節，但因為第一集真的滿有趣的，所以應該會買續集來讀吧（我覺得中文版應該會斷頭XD）

話說中文版讓我很在意的地方是「～」用太多，去看了一下原文試閱，原來是拉長音的地方全部都用「～」，可是我覺得這樣放在中文小說裡，看起來超像網文的，而且會有種這些人講話很慵懶的印象，不是很喜歡。

[Siu Lum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good start to the series.

Two individuals who lived through a life changing event meet. Naoya Fukamachi's ability to detect lies makes it hard for him to get close to everyone. He is determined to keep everyone out. This changes when he meets the professor of Folklore Studies II, Akira Takasuki.

He catches the professor's interest when he submits a story to him as part of a project. Naoya starts working part-time for him and through their interactions, he slowly starts to open up to the professor.

I also loved the cases that they solve together.

[Nabila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched the series first back in 2021 and only discovered the novel this year. I was interested in revisiting it because I thought the novel would provide more detailed explanations than the series — and my guess was right. Although some parts of the story were altered in the series, I really enjoyed the novel version. Seeing the dynamic between Takatsuki Akira and Fukamachi Naoya is a fascination in itself for me. My favorite line is from Takatsuki, who said, “People fear situations they can’t put a cause to.” I think this novel explains folklore very well, not just as a superficial theme.

[Adhara Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with the manga from the first pages, so I knew I had to read the book. And it delivers more than manga (although I love both). It was super easy to feel a connection with Naoya, which is always very important to me.
Both main characters are very dimensional and interesting, and what's more, the book is full of Japanese folklore which is one of the prettiest and the most curious of all the folklore out there. Can't wait to read the next volumes.
Highly recommend!

[birdiecake · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

pensé que iba a ser todo capítulos parte sobrenaturales o de fantasmas así que un poco decepcionada que es más el desmentir precisamente las historias que la gente inventa de folklore y mitos pero aún así un gran descubrimiento. a los protagonistas algo mágico les pasó definitivamente así que me gusta la mezcla que hay entre ellos teniendo que descubrir la verdad tras el mito mientras viven malditos

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun read! The cases were kind of predictable and I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get any actual supernatural happenings but the door is definitely open for that still. I really like the main cast and am excited to read more adventures of The Sensible One and Professor Golden Retriever in the next volume.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mistakenly thought this had illustrations but it doesn't – despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I felt like I was taking the Folklore Studies II class alongside Naoya & I loved learning so much about Japanese folklore and ghost stories, it was enjoyable and surprisingly educational at the same time! Can’t remember the last time I quoted a book so much! There were just so many interesting things Professor Takatsuki had to say in his lectures, haha! (Plus I got BL vibes from this even tho it’s totally not a boy's love novel.)

[˗ˏˋ maddie ˊˎ˗ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was hoping that what Akira was working with was going to be a lot stranger so my intrigue-level went down a little once that was revealed (and I'm still hopeful at least the explanation of how and why will be neat, but I wanted those eyes to mean way cooler things) but Naoya's story and ability is very interesting!

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good! I liked the exploration of supernatural vs real life cases that seem supernatural and reasons and explanations behind them. I liked the trivia here and there, I would've wanted more of it (like the rakugo performer telling ghost stories).

I obviously picked this up in hope it'd scratch similar itch as The Case Files of Jeweler Richard and it does.

[Asuka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stories like this. Kind of creepy but not too dark. The mystery about the professor is intriguing too. Looking forward to reading the book 2.

面白かった。ホラーというには怖くないけどミステリー感が面白い。准教授の過去が気になります。2巻が楽しみ。

[Kei · Rating 4 out of 5]

雰囲気は好きだし、キャラ―が面白いけど、
何となく作家と思考が合わない気がする。
特に「人間は嘘をつけずに生きていられない、だから嘘を聞き分ける力は呪いで、人を孤独にする」の点。
嘘を聞き分ける力なんて、大金払ってもほしいじゃん？呪いではなく、あったら最高なもの。
だから所々「この人が考えていることがつまらないなー」　と思うところもある、残念ながら。

それより、「絶対に借りを作りたくないような奴が頭はっている」係にはものすごく興味があるんだけど。

[Mylove4book · Rating 5 out of 5]

怪談破解型的推理, 文筆蠻好的~ 作者之前有寫一個吸血鬼的系列: 吸血鬼作家的異搜事件簿 1 我好像N年前看過但不太記得了...

[J-Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooooo..... I suck at names and couldn’t keep the characters straight. I read this because I got volume one of the manga and wanted to know how the needle girl story ended. Honestly, I’ll probably just stick with the manga because it is easier for me to remember faces than names.

[Tyas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this so much! It's built upon premises that I love (in short probably you can call it the buddy genre). The professor is adorable, but I can also relate very much with Naoya. I think I will continue collecting and reading this series!

[Kendra Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone interested in Japanese Folklore (though I am by no means an expert), I was pleasantly surprised to discover I recognized all the references in this book. It was a fun, quick read, though I hope future novels involve actual supernatural events.