Ghost! 4

Eerie Queerie! #4

by Shuri Shiozu, 四方津 朱里, Suvi Mäkelä (Translator)

Mitsuo Shiozu on muuten tavallinen opiskelijapoika, mutta hänellä on erikoinen ominaisuus: vaeltavat henget käyttävät häntä välikappaleena viestiäkseen rakkaidensa kanssa! Ennemminkin sääntönä kuin poikkeuksena henget ovat naispuolisia, jolloin Mitsuon ympärillä alkaa parveilla miespuolisia ihailijoita, ja erikoisia tilanteita syntyy pilvin pimein!

Mitsuo on rakastumassa korviaan myöten Hasanumaan, kun hänen vanhempansa ilmoittavat, että he muuttavat toiselle paikkakunnalle. Mitsuo haluaa epätoivoisesti jäädä, ja ainoa vaihtoehto on saada työtä. Tarjolla on ainoastaan ranskalaisen sisäkön toimi, jonka hän ottaa hampaita kiristellen vastaan. Kuinka hänen rakkauselämälleen mahtaa käydä, kun hänen uusi pomonsa ihastuu häneen?!

Genres: Manga, Yaoi, Romance, Graphic Novels, Comics Manga, Shounen Ai, LGBT

172 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Shuri Shiozu (四方津 朱里)

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an.....odd little series. It's mostly clean, but with a ton of suggestive material and dialogue, alluding to the more infamous "yaoi" genre... I believe a reviewer called it "shounen-ai"...? In any case, I'm just gonna refer to it as "kinda yaoi," especially since the three series I've been juggling (and now nearly completed) are somewhere in that genre: Dictorical Grimoire, Eerie Queerie, and Antique Bakery (last one is almost done).

Eerie Queerie reminded me of a much more crazy (and boy-on-boy) version of Yurara no Tsuki, which also started an unlikely protagonist who happens to have the gift of allowing ghosts to possess them. Yurara was more shoujo-driven, so had two beautiful men in love with the shy heroine (and, sometimes, her seductive "alter ego/possessor"). Eerie, on the other hand, is a cycle of ghostly (and gay) insanity, despite being only 4 volumes long.

I did not necessarily mind the implied romantic and sexual tension (except with Mikuni, the perverted priest... And I thought Miroku from Inuyasha was bad!!), but it felt rather forced. It's an awkward use of "closeted gay kid is forced to face his sexuality" that doesn't flow very well. The relationships are too abrupt, and it just didn't really stick with me.

But, really, the biggest criticism I have for the series is the narrative structure. Half the time, I had no clue what was going on because either chaos was ensuing or corners were being cut and scenes transitioned way too quickly. Granted, this is an issue common in comedy manga from what I've noticed, but usually those series are usually drawn out just long enough (or sometimes TOO long) for the reader to adjust to the pacing and style. Four volumes doesn't quite achieve that....

It definitely got a chuckle or two out of me, and I'm not complaining about the ample amount of male eye-candy, but... I've read/reading better renditions. This was cute but fairly forgettable. Overall, I'd give it 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 for the laughs and hot men.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst slightly more interesting than volume 3, it still had far too much Mikuni. The story felt unresolved, and the 'threes company' misunderstandings were a bit annoying, as it became evident that this would be stretched out over the whole volume. The main issue that I had with this series is that I just didn't really care much about these characters...

[Mehsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the previous volume but still very ARGHHHH and weird. SO weird. And so annoying. Like really Mitsuo just be honest, really, how dense are you that you don't get that Hasunuma likes you already, I mean seriously, each time Mikuni or someone else does something he gets in between. It was a whole volume of this and took till the end until something was solved, way too long for me. Plus, I miss the whole ghosts and psychic thing that I came for. I guess that got kind of thrown out of the window.
But I am happy I read this series, despite the chaos, the plot going out of the window, way too many guys (though OK, they were hot and that makes it better), it was still fun and I laughed quite a bit at the antics and the misadventures the guys have. I was shipping MitsuoxHasunuma so much. The art varied from YAS and HOT to OK......
But can we please do consent in yaoi/BL? Because I am just not happy with certain things in this one.
I thought it was funny that the translation said that 20000 yen was the same as 189 dollar and then later at the end said it was 185.25 dollar. Don't you guys check these things. XD

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

A vast improvement on the last volume! This one ties up the Mitsuo/Hasunmura romance. Mitsuo's parents move away and our cute young medium moves into the temple with pervy Mikuni. Hasunmura joins him and we get a series of misunderstandings as each thinks the other is crushing on Mikuni. Characters are unbelievably dense, but this is a fun volume with the obligatory happy ending. Not quite as strong as its opening volumes though. Pretty cute and worth a read.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely one of my favorite Shounen-ai (I'm sorry if I spelled that wrong) I think that may be because it was the first I brought? still, it's a fun little romp. Just don't take the last book too seriously.

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the previous volume but nowhere near as good as the first two. It became a little too crazy and silly for my liking - something like Gravitation! - and the last volume dragged way too much with little to no plot.

[Anne Bollmann (Annelise Lestrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted on The Book Adventures of Annelise Lestrange :)

For a full review of this series, please click here.

[Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd mistakenly assumed Eerie Queerie was a longer series, and now I've read the final volume first. Oops.

[Jody Mena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and hilarious!

[Smalvina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had fun reading it.

[emily_oriley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Mikuni, I love to hate your manipulative ass.

And I am really jealous that I can't draw sexy guys like this v.v

[Burden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth and final volume of Eerie Queerie was very good, but lacked the fireworks of a true finale. Yes, the story was resolved, but the ending itself was weak and somewhat anti-climactic.

This manga may have failed in delivering a satisfying ending, but it did suceed in other important areas though. This volume was by far the funniest the series has been since its debut. I loved the way Mikuni messed with the boy's heads for the entire book. It was cruel, but he had me in stitches the whole time. He might be a total creeper, but he was the best thing about the last two volumes.

In summary, Eerie Queerie is a great series. It might not be an all-time classic, but it is a worthy addition to anyone's personal library. Despite being a yaoi manga, Eerie Queerie can cross the divide and be enjoyed by anyone. And that alone is enough of a testament to its quality. 4/5

[river · Rating 3 out of 5]

vol 1 was still the best imo.

why is mikuni such a creep?

and idk this got weird. i didnt really enjoy it that much.

i couldnt remember all the characters cause they looked kind of similar. and the plot was like meh.

[Jeshika Paperdoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. So much miscommunication. Cute end to the series though. Nothing groundbreaking or amazing but I enjoyed it enough.

[Viridian5 · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my review of Eerie Queerie! vol. 3 I said that I mostly liked it but had huge problems with certain aspects of the stories, particularly aspects of the treatment of Mikuni, Kanau, and Ichi. Gosh, I hope the author fixes those three in the final volume, #4!

Uh-huh.

*sigh*

Guess what?

Volume 4 continues on with those characters in exactly the way I dislike, and it resolves almost nothing. In fact, it brought back Itsuki and Shino to unresolve the closure on their story that we seemed to get in volume 3. Volume 4's postscript said that the author is working on sequels, but I don't know if Tokyopop will publish those. Anyone?

Mitsuo finally says to Hasunuma that he loves him. It only took a whole volume of sub-Three's Company-style misunderstandings to get there.

Mikuni is still perverted and abusive, getting absolutely no comeuppance here. In fact, even through the end he's screwing with Mitsuo and Hasunuma's heads as well as messing up their attempts at a sex life. That really sucks. Mitsuo's cluelessness is looking ever more like stupidity as he continues to trust Mikuni's advice despite all the evidence that the man is evil.

It's hard for me to care about stupid characters.

Of course, nobody in this volume seems to care about consent, since Ichiro is making sex dolls of Mikuni that he hoped would transfer the feeling of what he was doing to it to the real Mikuni, who has no interest in him whatsoever. That is really icky. His brother Niro is ready to cart off and have his way with Mitsuo by force when he thought Mitsuo was a girl. (Mitsuo was in disguise in a French maid uniform and ponytails. Which was cute, until the scary "you must be my bride, let's skip to the honeymoon" stuff.) But the Sanjaya family being made up of creepy guys who refuse to take No for an answer doesn't excuse Mikuni, who uses his position of power and authority to do things to young men he fancies.

Kanau is still a slave/doll to Mikuni. In volume 4, he's being stuffed into a tiny bottle on occasions to accompany Mikuni on exorcisms and is obviously not informed of what's going on because he's terrified. Yes, he looks cute and wonderfully perverse in his kitty/French maid outfit, but he's really being abused. And no one cares. (I need a kitty Kanau icon with appropriate text. I just have no hope of getting one.)

Ichi is barely here. In one panel, he has a moment of misery in which he wonders if he's just a pawn to Hasunuma and Mitsuo. The poor guy is coming to realize that he has only a tiny role in the Mitsuo and Hasunuma Show. The author turns his hair white at the end as a joke. I like him, and he's being neglected.

Mind you, there's also some really fun stuff in here. Mitsuo is dorky-cute in his French maid drag, and I liked his fake ponytails reacting to his emotional state. Some of the dialogue is insane but in an enjoyable way. Mitsuo's growing attraction to Hasunuma is presented in a hot and very nicely sensual way. Itsuki in a French maid's outfit killed me, especially his hair. The author can still be very funny.

But most of the volume has Mikuni playing head games with Mitsuo and Hasunuma, worsening and dragging out the "I can't tell him I love him!" crap to ridiculous lengths. The Sanjaya brothers seem to be there for laughs but actually creep me out. Characters I like are dealt with in a very cavalier way. Mitsuo's innocence crosses the line into outright stupidity. There's no resolution whatsoever.

I liked the premise the series started out with--possession, school life, Mitsuo helping spirits--but it derailed all too quickly into this instead.

It's very disappointing to me.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read volume 1 years ago, finally revisited and finished the series.

Eerie Queerie follows a medium, Mitsuo, who awakened to his ability to see and communicate with spirits. These spirits often follow him around in an attempt to fulfill their final wish before moving on to the other side. The spirit that starts his journey as a medium, as well as kick starts his romance journey with a classmate, Hasunuma.

This is a fairly common Shonen-ai as far as the genre goes. Shonen-Ai, literally "Boys Love," revolves around the romantic relationship between two men without getting explicit (that's where you get into Yaoi territory btw 😉). This is a genre normally written for and by women. For the early 2000's, this series has all the tropes. Designated Seme (more masculine), Uke (more feminine) character designs. Will they/won't they? Love triangles/squares/hexagons(?). Perverted jokes and compromising situations. One or both staring at and avoiding the reality that they're gay/bi and attracted to the other. Sexual harassment. The two leads finally confessing in the end. It has it all in an overall "romantic comedy" kinda way that other BL veterans are sure to expect.

This is a series that starts off strong, pitters off a little then ends before it can overstay its welcome. It feels like there was a good amount of development between Mitsuo and Hasunuma's relationship. No love at first sight, after the weird start because of a spirit possession, the two form a strong friendship with each other. Though Hasunuma likes to flirt and tease with Mitsuo, Mitsuo is clueless to the whole exchange since he had no friends prior to this point. It does start to falter once Mikuni, a chief priest, becomes a reoccurring character. Who ends up eating into Ichi's role as the 3rd in the love triangle and Ichi's involvement in general. All while making everyone around him (except for Mikuni's obsessed admirer) uncomfortable.

This is definitely a series that would have gotten pitchforks thrown at it if it was written today. The story does not shy away from the ridicule that Mitsuo and Hasunuma get from being looked at as a "gay couple" in an all-boys school. Or homophobia in general. The translation does not shy away from using homosexual or sexual slurs either. And the series dealt with the subject of a character committing suicide because of their homosexuality (and treated it overall tastefully...until Mikuni...). And considering that there is a focus on spirits, the subject of death looms over often.

The art is pleasant to look at, not a masterpiece, but it's nice. While it maintains that classic BL look of strong, angular, manly Seme and cute, round, feminine Uke; the proportions aren't anything insane. The character designs can struggle from same-face syndrome, more often than not though.

Overall, I enjoyed it more than I didn't. I wanted to read a cheesy Shonen-Ai, and I read a cheesy Shonen-Ai. I wouldn't recommend this as someone's first Shonen-Ai since this is more for those who already understand the genre.

3.5/5

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute but fake was better.

[Cara Patel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume has less plot and more cringe than the other three.

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

All four books - at long last I have completed this series!