Taimashin, Vol. 1

by Hideyuki Kikuchi

With demonic possession on the rise, you can count on Dr. Taima to needle it out! Dr. Taima possesses an arcane ability to adeptly wield the taimashin, needles used to banish malefic and parasitic spirits. Together with his assistant, the lovely Maki Togetsu, Dr. Taima investigates the outbreak of demonic possessions around town that have turned ordinary and unassuming citizens into ravenous monsters that devour anything within their grasp - dogs, cats...even other people! Taima's investigation leads him to Dunwich, Massachusetts, where he meets another needle wielder, Kyogo Ayakashi. As they encounter ancient evils that are best kept secret, how will these taimashin masters bait their prey?

Genres: Manga, Lovecraftian

304 pages, Paperback

Published November 9, 2004

Reviews

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hideyuki Kikuchi does Lovecraft. Based heavily around the Dunwich horror we have outer god Yog-Sothoth and his sons trying to enter the mortal realm and cause chaos. Dr. Taima (an otherworldly handsome pretty boy supernatural expert in the mould of Dr. Mephisto and Vampire Hunter D) is on the case with his acupuncture needles of doom. Another of the 3 Taimashin experts, Ayakashi arrives in Dunwich on the same case, and after some bickering the two end up working together. Some slashability here but it's not nearly as overt as Mephisto/Setsura in Yahakiden - although the characters dynamics are similar.

Kikuchi and Lovecraft fuse remarkably well and this bears the trademarks of each - so we have Lovecraft's elder gods doing what elder gods do - inciting chaos and madness wherever they go - mad characters and tentacle things with lots of eyballs - check. But we also have Kikuchi's signature here as well - inscrutable pretty boy protagonist who could be demonic, parasite possession and rape - we have a woman raped by a possessed dog in this one and people turning into maggot infested zombies right left and centre.

There's supposed to be a second volume of the manga, but if it was ever published it must have had a very small print run as I can't find any copies - A shame as this volume is quite fun.

[Bob Bradshaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just don't get manga. I picked this up because I heard it was loosely based on 'The Dunwich Horror' by H.P. Lovercraft, and it was... very loosely... along with some jarring translations, bad art and demon-tentacle rape. I just don't get manga.