The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service: Book One Omnibus Edition Review: More Than Sock Puppets

Death is a complicated affair. People think a death only affects the living. What they don’t know is that the deceased themselves are also affected. Mangaka Eiji Otsuka decided to explore this rarely ventured path in “The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service.” Dark Horse is releasing this series in omnibus form and the first volume (collects the first three volumes) is a rare treat in manga writing.

A group of college graduates of a Buddhist college with varying skills decide to look for employment that does not involve performing Buddhist rites. One of them creates the “Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service” which deals with them using their skills to help the dead. What they get may be a little too much for them to handle.

This is an unconventional manga in that a plot like this is rare. On top of that the plot, though containing supernatural elements, is treated with the intent of making everything mature. There aren’t any of the typical manga tropes to be found here. In fact, it can be said that these characters act more like how a real life early twenties adult would.

The characters themselves are unique and interesting in their own right. Unlike some stories where the character’s ability determines their character, these characters have their own personality and have a special ability. Karatsu may have the ability to talk with the dead, but his personality is fleshed out accordingly. In fact, even Yata with a sock puppet who may or may not be an alien has a lot more going for him than the sock.

The art is overall average. It may look like a typical manga, but Otsuka does manage to put his own spin on it. There are a few times where the art falters. One example is sometimes a character’s eyes get a bit wonky to the point of distracting. Not to mention the character designs drop in quality at times when they are not that far away.

One thing that needs to be said is that the chapters are. They average around 45 pages each where one story arc is around five chapters. This is not a manga that can be taken lightly.

“The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service” is an excellent manga with a great plot and characters. The art may not be all that great, but that does not distract from the overall quality.