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The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service #3
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, Volume 3
The Corpse Delivery Service has been helping dead people move on to the afterlife...but what about interred internal organs? In Volume Three, Kuro is surprised to learn that the voice enlisting his help is coming not from a dead man, but a live man housing a necrotic organ, the result of a faulty transplant. The pursuit of putrid parts leads the kids of Kurosagi all the way to the war in Iraq!
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Eiji Otsuka
361 books143 followers大塚英志
Social anthropologist and novelist. Graduated from college with degree in anthropology, women's folklore, human sacrifice and post-war manga. In addition to his work with manga he is a critic, essayist, and author of several successful non-fiction books on Japanese popular and “otaku” sub-cultures. One of his first animation script works was Maho no Rouge Lipstick, an adult lolicon OVA. Otsuka was the editor for the bishojo lolicon manga series Petit Apple Pie.
In the 80s, Otsuka was editor-in-chief of Manga Burikko, a leading women's manga magazine where he pioneered research on the “otaku” sub-culture in modern Japan. In 1988 he published "Manga no Koro" (The Structure of Comics), a serious study of Japanese comics and their social significance. Also as critic, Otsuka Eiji, summarized the case of the Japanese red army's 1972 murders as a conflict between the masculine and the feminine principles as they were both embodied by women and against women (Otsuka,1994).
Social anthropologist and novelist. Graduated from college with degree in anthropology, women's folklore, human sacrifice and post-war manga. In addition to his work with manga he is a critic, essayist, and author of several successful non-fiction books on Japanese popular and “otaku” sub-cultures. One of his first animation script works was Maho no Rouge Lipstick, an adult lolicon OVA. Otsuka was the editor for the bishojo lolicon manga series Petit Apple Pie.
In the 80s, Otsuka was editor-in-chief of Manga Burikko, a leading women's manga magazine where he pioneered research on the “otaku” sub-culture in modern Japan. In 1988 he published "Manga no Koro" (The Structure of Comics), a serious study of Japanese comics and their social significance. Also as critic, Otsuka Eiji, summarized the case of the Japanese red army's 1972 murders as a conflict between the masculine and the feminine principles as they were both embodied by women and against women (Otsuka,1994).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
April 7, 2023
A real dark and depressing outing with war refugees, organ harvesting, and suicide galore -- and with gore.
My library has a couple more volumes (but not the whole series) so I'm putting those on hold.
My library has a couple more volumes (but not the whole series) so I'm putting those on hold.
February 6, 2018
Manga aren't my usual thing. This is another case of being randomly attracted to the cover of the book and, in this case, the quirky display in our library as well.
My oldest son is a manga fan and he tried to get me to read the Saga comic book series which I understand is highly rated but I just don't get the concept of reading comic books for pleasure. Sorry, just not my thing. Even as a kid I collected and read Star Wars comic books for a while (yes, I still have my Star Wars #1 in a plastic sleeve) but beyond that, I just lost interest and have never really gone back.
So what about these manga? I found myself turning the pages and being interested in the story. I was reminded a bit of a much more gruesome version of the Scooby Doo cartoons I used to watch on Saturday morning but with more body parts, entrails and blood and brain spattered walls. Scooby Doo was a much more innocent time apparently....
That said, I liked the characters and the art work. I found the storylines interesting and I appreciated the jokes and dark humor. This was an omnibus volume but for practical reasons only known to Goodreads members who want to make sure they keep up with their book count, I broke it up into the three constituent books.
They are a lot of fun and in the back of each manga, there is a list of the "sound effects" in the books...basically a glossary that refers to the different hiragana, katakana and kanji characters you see floating around the pages. These are Japanese sound words that add to the story by allowing you to imagine the sounds made in any given scene.
Certainly these manga aren't for everybody...you don't want your 7 year old reading them for example...or the church lady down the street...and I am not even sure who I would recommend them to except my oldest son. All the same, give 'em a go if you are so inclined and you, like I do, enjoy technical drawings of body parts on the covers of books.
My oldest son is a manga fan and he tried to get me to read the Saga comic book series which I understand is highly rated but I just don't get the concept of reading comic books for pleasure. Sorry, just not my thing. Even as a kid I collected and read Star Wars comic books for a while (yes, I still have my Star Wars #1 in a plastic sleeve) but beyond that, I just lost interest and have never really gone back.
So what about these manga? I found myself turning the pages and being interested in the story. I was reminded a bit of a much more gruesome version of the Scooby Doo cartoons I used to watch on Saturday morning but with more body parts, entrails and blood and brain spattered walls. Scooby Doo was a much more innocent time apparently....
That said, I liked the characters and the art work. I found the storylines interesting and I appreciated the jokes and dark humor. This was an omnibus volume but for practical reasons only known to Goodreads members who want to make sure they keep up with their book count, I broke it up into the three constituent books.
They are a lot of fun and in the back of each manga, there is a list of the "sound effects" in the books...basically a glossary that refers to the different hiragana, katakana and kanji characters you see floating around the pages. These are Japanese sound words that add to the story by allowing you to imagine the sounds made in any given scene.
Certainly these manga aren't for everybody...you don't want your 7 year old reading them for example...or the church lady down the street...and I am not even sure who I would recommend them to except my oldest son. All the same, give 'em a go if you are so inclined and you, like I do, enjoy technical drawings of body parts on the covers of books.
February 15, 2026
They just keep getting better 😍
February 11, 2026
The premise of this manga is good but you really need to suspend disbelief on more than just the paranormal elements, like how random Japanese students (including one with a sock puppet) can get into a US military base to process the dead, how a Japanese uni student is licensed to embalm in the US and that they would be allowed to do so on US military dead and how its seems so easy just to take corpses from places with no paperwork. While there are paranormal elements, it’s still set in ‘real world’ Japan so having to suspend disbelief for so many ‘normal’ functions takes you out of the story.
September 21, 2015
De los TKCDS que he leído hasta ahora, el arco del mercado negro de órganos creo que es el que hasta el momento se me ha hecho más profundo y de una preocupación social real.
Lástima que solo abarca la mitad y las historias complementarias no se encuentren al mismo nivel (aunque no son malas).
Lástima que solo abarca la mitad y las historias complementarias no se encuentren al mismo nivel (aunque no son malas).
October 2, 2015
Reread in preparation for the September manga episode of The Comics Alternative: http://comicsalternative.com/manga-re....
April 24, 2018
Kurosasi is a series that explores death from a fascinating variety of angles. Without spoiling anything, I'll say that in this volume alone, we get three very different cases, with atmospheres that range from tragedy, to mystery/thriller, to a horror tale I could almost see happening in real life. It's also nice to see this series alternate between longer-form stories, and shorter vignettes, like the ones in this volume; it provides a nice variance of pacing to the overall narrative.
There's a lot to like in this volume, and as a whole, Kurosagi continues to be a very under-recognized series. Highly recommended if you're at all interested in mysteries/horror stories with good world-building, and a healthy dose of the supernatural.
There's a lot to like in this volume, and as a whole, Kurosagi continues to be a very under-recognized series. Highly recommended if you're at all interested in mysteries/horror stories with good world-building, and a healthy dose of the supernatural.
March 11, 2021
I get why I loved this series in college. But for some reason I left this volume in the shrink-wrap for almost ten years. I'd like to think my appreciation of horror and the eerie has grown, but I'm still the same dude who loved the goofy karmic corpse finders of Kurosagi. Probably won't read any more unless I move to a town with a richer library, but I recommend to anyone with a love of deadpan macabre and the time to fall into a manga.
May 23, 2022
I like how the stories touch upon people of different backgrounds and stories (immigrants and refugees, suicidal, black market organs, war). I do want to note there is the swastika symbol shown in 2 of the panels. This symbol has been long linked with Buddhism thousands of years before Hitler appropriated it for his use. Just wanted to clarify that.
There's also a lot of dark humor used and gore (body mutilation, blood, violence)- I think even more compared to the last volume.
There's also a lot of dark humor used and gore (body mutilation, blood, violence)- I think even more compared to the last volume.
December 29, 2025
Another good anthology of mysteries. I like that the stories still feel fresh as we meander through the cycle of finding a body, learning about it, and trying to help. It was also interesting to see the group cross borders—and I'm a fan of Sasayama. It's nice that the group has a semi-mentor/ally outside of their circle. Favorite chapter was definitely "4th delivery: Waltz."
April 12, 2018
In what seems like what would be a limited search, the author of the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service has been able to come up with an interesting series of clients for the service. The characters haven't fleshed out much but the series has been upbeat and held it's own so far. It is unique.
March 21, 2019
I didn't enjoy this volume as much as the first two. This installment had quite a few complex stories that weren't really my taste. Still lots of gory body horror that I love. Love the illustrations and I still want to continue the series.
October 2, 2019
I enjoyed this volume as much as previous volumes. This time there are 3 cases and a new character introduced. What I can say of the gang is that they got less money but more experience doing volunteer & pro-bono jobs. Hope to see if there's a more interesting case in later volume.
November 22, 2017
The quality of the stories improved dramatically in this volume. Hoping this trend continues.
August 6, 2018
Good.
April 22, 2019
Full Review: https://wp.me/p9chEO-iy
A gruesome continuation of the Kurosagi series. It's as good as the previous two and returns to the format of the first volume.
A gruesome continuation of the Kurosagi series. It's as good as the previous two and returns to the format of the first volume.
July 9, 2019
The first half just ends without feeling totally finished? Still thoroughly enjoyable though.
June 5, 2020
Getting more creative!
The cover drawings actually hint what’s the deliveries about in this volume and they are different. I love that!
The cover drawings actually hint what’s the deliveries about in this volume and they are different. I love that!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2021
these books are so so fun and very quick to read i am loving it <3 shout out to the library
October 18, 2021
@ Squid Game, Kurosagi did it first
April 28, 2023
I love where the story is going
Read
February 6, 2024DNF'ed about half way through. This series just isn't holding my interest anymore. I think this will be my last one.
October 31, 2024
Gratuitous Sasaki nip through shirt.
May 3, 2025
I love the sarcasm strung throughout a very dark manga. I love how easy they explore death and keep its sacred nature
October 31, 2025
god these are so good
December 6, 2025
this series eatssssss
December 17, 2025
not as good as the first two
Read
June 14, 2026finally actually looked up the author and suspicions were confirmed. ew
June 14, 2026
This collection was definitely far-fetched. I'm also not sure why a volume this short includes a 10+ page sound effects guide. Fascinating!
May 30, 2012
Stuff I Read – The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol 3
The third volume of this rather strange manga is a return to the episodic format of the first volume. Once again the team tackles three mysteries involving dead bodies. And once again the manga carries a good deal of weight while keeping a quirky sense of humor. The series still tackles some incredibly macabre scenarios, and includes some good mysteries, though most of the suspense is put on the back burner for this volume. Where before the first two volumes had an immediate sense of danger and violence, this volume relaxes a bit, and is truer to a regular comedy, though still about dead people. The characters remain solid, though, and the situations, while not quite as strong as the first two volumes, do make for good stories.
The first part is probably the weakest, though, and involves an Iraqi that has traveled to Japan, where his nonessential organs were harvested. Then he was deported, and then he was killed in Iraq and shipped back to Japan to a processing center, having died in some sort of violence and been mistaken for a US Soldier. Of the three stories this one seemed the weakest, because so much of the story is passive. The agency really isn’t even trying to find this guy that hard, and the main action is just the group kind of wandering from place to place and putting the pieces together. The corpse itself ends up solving what mystery there was for them, and the ending is incredibly abrupt. Really the entirety of the chapter seemed more suited to a prologue, and the chapter ends with the real story just getting started. But before anything is really resolved the volume moves onto the next mystery.
Which turns out to be a much better story than the first, and indeed is the best in the volume, in my opinion. Asked by a murdered man to find out how he died, the group investigates a strange series of murders and how they relate to graffiti that has started showing up around the city. When they opt to set up their alien channeler as the next victim in this mystery, they stumble across a twisted game of tag that involves murder. This story is the one that captures the feeling of suspense and dread of the first and second volumes, bringing violent killer into the mix. And while the story still seems to fall a little short of some of the others that came before, it is a good mystery and a good story, and adds some twists into the work that makes it complex and fascinating.
The last story of the volume begins when the group finds an ear in a magazine, and goes from their to try and find out the story behind what happened to the owner of the ear in an attempt to get some profit. And what follows is a very interesting story, the idea behind it being quite creepy and effective. The execution here is a bit lacking, though, and sadly this story too doesn’t have too much going for it. The mystery is intriguing, and the truth of what happened is original, but it’s just not incredibly satisfying. They determine that a combination of sounds and music created a tune that provoked people to kill themselves. Which is an interesting thought. But it turns out to be entirely incidental, which is a bit unfortunate because it takes away most of the menace and horror of it. Even the danger the group is put into at the end isn’t all that threatening.
But even though this volume doesn’t quite measure up to the previous two, it remains a great series, and the characters and stories are entertaining and fun. Maybe it is just that the combination of corpses and humor are a good fit for manga. Whatever the case, the series continues to be a joy to read, and a welcome break from many of the other manga series, that are so dependent on battle and such. The fact that this gathering of misfits is out to try and profit by helping the dead is great, and I look forward to the next volume. As for this one, it gets a 7/10.
The third volume of this rather strange manga is a return to the episodic format of the first volume. Once again the team tackles three mysteries involving dead bodies. And once again the manga carries a good deal of weight while keeping a quirky sense of humor. The series still tackles some incredibly macabre scenarios, and includes some good mysteries, though most of the suspense is put on the back burner for this volume. Where before the first two volumes had an immediate sense of danger and violence, this volume relaxes a bit, and is truer to a regular comedy, though still about dead people. The characters remain solid, though, and the situations, while not quite as strong as the first two volumes, do make for good stories.
The first part is probably the weakest, though, and involves an Iraqi that has traveled to Japan, where his nonessential organs were harvested. Then he was deported, and then he was killed in Iraq and shipped back to Japan to a processing center, having died in some sort of violence and been mistaken for a US Soldier. Of the three stories this one seemed the weakest, because so much of the story is passive. The agency really isn’t even trying to find this guy that hard, and the main action is just the group kind of wandering from place to place and putting the pieces together. The corpse itself ends up solving what mystery there was for them, and the ending is incredibly abrupt. Really the entirety of the chapter seemed more suited to a prologue, and the chapter ends with the real story just getting started. But before anything is really resolved the volume moves onto the next mystery.
Which turns out to be a much better story than the first, and indeed is the best in the volume, in my opinion. Asked by a murdered man to find out how he died, the group investigates a strange series of murders and how they relate to graffiti that has started showing up around the city. When they opt to set up their alien channeler as the next victim in this mystery, they stumble across a twisted game of tag that involves murder. This story is the one that captures the feeling of suspense and dread of the first and second volumes, bringing violent killer into the mix. And while the story still seems to fall a little short of some of the others that came before, it is a good mystery and a good story, and adds some twists into the work that makes it complex and fascinating.
The last story of the volume begins when the group finds an ear in a magazine, and goes from their to try and find out the story behind what happened to the owner of the ear in an attempt to get some profit. And what follows is a very interesting story, the idea behind it being quite creepy and effective. The execution here is a bit lacking, though, and sadly this story too doesn’t have too much going for it. The mystery is intriguing, and the truth of what happened is original, but it’s just not incredibly satisfying. They determine that a combination of sounds and music created a tune that provoked people to kill themselves. Which is an interesting thought. But it turns out to be entirely incidental, which is a bit unfortunate because it takes away most of the menace and horror of it. Even the danger the group is put into at the end isn’t all that threatening.
But even though this volume doesn’t quite measure up to the previous two, it remains a great series, and the characters and stories are entertaining and fun. Maybe it is just that the combination of corpses and humor are a good fit for manga. Whatever the case, the series continues to be a joy to read, and a welcome break from many of the other manga series, that are so dependent on battle and such. The fact that this gathering of misfits is out to try and profit by helping the dead is great, and I look forward to the next volume. As for this one, it gets a 7/10.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews