Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist, Volume 1

Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist

by Hideyuki Kikuchi, Shin Yong-Gwan

Traveling in-between the world of the living and the twilight world of the dead, Akamushi, the shaman is known as the Red Spider Exorcist. With the powers of a giant spider, he combats the demons of the netherworld. When career woman Megumi is suddenly pursued and attacked by unholy demons, she seeks Akamushi's help. But as it seems, the minions of the underworld may also be too much for Akamushi to handle. But why are these creatures of twilight after her? What truths will unravel about her true self and everyone around her? And what of Akamushi--can he use his unique shamanic spider-like powers to cast out and purify himself from the demon scourge?

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Urban Fantasy, Fantasy

200 pages, Paperback

First published November 9, 2004

Reviews

[Leila Anani · Rating 4 out of 5]

First thing I ought to mention is that despite often being confused together, Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, UNRELATED series from Taimashin: SPI - both are manga series by Hideyuki Kikuchi, but they feature completely different stories and characters.
SPI is Kikuchi doing Lovecraft and Red Spider Exorcist is more in the vein of Wicked/Demon City.

Onwards... Red Spider Exorcist begins in the city of Dongdaemun in Seoul - a city that comes alive at night and is full of shapeshifters and demons masquerading amongst the humans. Office worker Megumi is wandering through the city and finds herself chased by two centipede demons and a woman that changes into a bat. She is aided by a mysterious fortune-teller called Gyouanja who sends her to a beautiful Noh dancer Akamushi Fujiwara for protection. Mushi is an enigmatic spider demon who's threads kill and protect with equal measure.

Loads of Kikuchi tropes here - one of the centipede demons manifests a mouth in his hand (Vampire Hunter D) - the shape-shifting Demons are straight out of Wicked City, Our Pretty boy enigmatic supernatural hero is the same as all Kikuchi's other such protagonists (D, Mephisto, Taimashin, Darkside), we have a damsel in distress down to her underwear, a sarcastic witch lady.... it's all here.

What makes this series stand out is the gorgeous artwork by Korean artist Shin Young-Gwan.... And of course it's Korean, rather than Japanese setting. This is pretty much a dream combo because I love the art of Korean manga - it's got a style all of it's own that's distinctive from Japanese art... less childish and more beautiful. And yet Japanese plots blow everything else out of the water for freaky-weird and innovation (Korea tending to focus on melodrama) - So here we have the perfect fusion of beautiful art with freaky weird plot. And while there's nothing here you haven't seen elsewhere if you're a Kikuchi fan, it's still well worth checking out.

[Michael Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Hideyuki Kikuchi 's stories. This one is dark, twisted, raunchy, bloody and creepy strange bad guys and a pretty boy hero named Akamushi with a few surprises for the bad guys. The story is about a female office worker being chased by a bondage queen and these thugs and she doesn't even know why. One thug has a mouth on his hand. Ha, ha! I get it. A reference to his previous work, Vampire Hunter D. And it's actually a cool mystery on why she's being chased. In the end, it's a fun and dark read.

[Felix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot wait till the second volume comes out. ^.^ Preordered it already. I love Mr. Kikuchi's books. He's a fabulous writer and the visuals in this manga are not half-bad ^.^

[Fugo Feedback]

Algo me dice que jamás de los jamases me voy a enterar de cómo sigue esta historia, pero espero que este tomo sea lo suficientemente entretenido como para justificar los cinco pesos que puse por él.

[La Revistería Comics · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eeeeh... Para el que se quiera sumergir en las fosas del Canconi, este primer (y único hasta la fecha) tomo de Taimashin. Aunque si me preguntás a mí, ni te gastes.

[Dony Grayman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edición argentina. Tomo 1 de a nadie le importa cuántos, menos que menos al editor.