Del Ray's latest, Yokai Doctor, follows both Kuro and a lovely girl named Kotoko. She too sees monsters (yokai) floating about the human world, but unlike Kuro, she's out to eliminate them, as she comes from a family line of exorcists. Somehow, though, Kotoko ends up being an assistant to Kuro -- a nurse, if you will. Given her background, she's initially conflicted, but it seems that she begins to see things Kuro's way. Kotoko begoms to realize that even monsters need a little healing.

Yokai Doctor is a fast, fun read that kept me entertained throughout. But that doesn't mean it lacks depth. You can tell that Kuro and Kotoko will slowly begin to appreciate each other's viewpoints on what they do, as well as their background and family histories. The two hit it off with a relationship that you can tell is going to be entertaining, and thanks to some creative storytelling, you'll actually get to see both characters' viewpoints on their first days together: the manga actually rewinds and tells the story from the other's point of view mid-book.

Even though this is only the first volume, it's still easy to appreciate the room the writer left for character growth. While Kuro is the type to sneak a peek at cleavage and sometimes put panties on his head, he's also compassionate and has a secretive past that I want to learn about. Kotoko is a nice girl, but she's having to relearn everything she's ever known, and you find out right away that she's got a lot going on inside. I guess that I'm trying to say that you shouldn't write off the characters based on your initial impressions of them -- it seems like they'll grow on you.

The chararacter designs for Kuro and Kotoko aren't anything to write home about, but it almost seems that this choice intentional as the designs for the various yokai are fantastic in comparison. Weird and crazy does not begin to describe the monsters packed into the first volume of Yokai Doctor. Different sizes, types, and art styles make up the tons of monsters in this volume -- everything form highly-detailed traditional Japanese beasts to odd, simple squiggles with eyes. I was constantly amazed by the variety of monsters within, which ranged from things that seem to have crawled out of nightmares to ones that look downright huggable. 

I really enjoyed Yokai Doctor. It's a story that's more about its main characters and how they get to know each other than it is a silly supernatural tale. It mixes fun with freaky, and drops in a bit of fanservice for good measure. While the characters don't appear to be anything special, there's still room to grow. I think the good doctor will be as good for you as he is for the wounded and sick yokai of the world.