Psycho Busters, Vol. 1

A bored 15-year-old yearns for excitement and gets more than he can handle in this inaugural volume. Kakeru has the house to himself for the summer, but his quiet existence of computer games and porn is interrupted by a spectral girl, who draws him to a house where he meets two young psychics with telekinetic powers. The house is invaded by armed “Farmers”—men tasked with retrieving the psychics and locating their missing leader, Joi. Kakeru may be psychic himself, although he has no idea what his powers are; a series of confrontations with rogue psychics hint that he is either very powerful or very lucky (or perhaps both). Most of the volume is devoted to setting up the story, although there are a few spectacular fight scenes that make ample use of movement and sound. Visually the book is consistent if run-of-the-mill; most manga conventions are present, and the artwork seldom attempts anything out of the ordinary. This is a solid beginning to a story, and if it runs anywhere near as long as Aoki’s previous epic, GetBackers , it will have plenty of time to turn into something engrossing. (Oct.)