Rin-ne: Volume 30 manga review

Rin-ne Graphic Novel Volume 30 cover image

Once upon a time, Sakura Mamiya had a mysterious encounter with the afterlife.  This caused her to gain the ability to see ghosts.  Now in high school, Sakura wishes the ghosts would leave her alone.  Then, she meets Rinne Rokudo, who is sort of a shinigami (god of death), and her life is drawn deeper into the amazing and sometimes perilous boundary between the living and the dead.

As Rin-ne, Vol. 30 (Chapters 289 to 298) opens, Tsubasa Jumonji, the young exorcist, finally has a chance to be alone with Sakura, but when the “goddess of wisdom” is released, every chance at romance is ruined.  Next, there is “the bell of love” at the “Observatory of Happiness at Lover's Point,” but a ghost won't let anyone ring the bell, and the ghost itself won't stop ringing the bell.

Then, Sakura, Rinne, and friends head to the guest house, “Home by the Sea,” by request.  It seems that it is haunted by a spirit that is obsessed with braids, and Sakura's trademark hairstyle makes her a target!  Oh, this summer is a season of restless spirits.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Rin-ne manga always delights with its mostly single-chapter, situation comedy stories.  Creator Rumiko Takahashi does not introduce any new recurring characters (as far as I can tell), but she makes the most of her regular supporting characters in the stories contained within this volume.

Rin-ne Graphic Novel Volume 30 is not one of the stronger volumes in this series, but I can't help but love a book with a story (the multi-chapter tale that begins with “I Hate Braids”) about a ghost that attack's Sakura Mamiya's thick pigtails.  Another delightful oddity is the kooky “Show Your Back,” which is about a spirit that hides in the bare spot on a young man's heavily tanned body.  The little oddities are what makes each volume of Rin-ne worth reading.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Readers who love Rumiko Takahashi’s manga will want the Shonen Sunday title, Rin-ne.

B+
7 out of 10