LAGOON ENGINE: Vol. 1

If the Hardy Boys were created today in Japan, the series might read a little like this manga. Instead of solving earthly mysteries, the precocious Ragun brothers, Yen and Jin, are ghostbusters. Their family destiny is to chase after the monsters and demons known as Maga that haunt their neighborhood. Getting to school on time is a pain when evil spirits can pop up in an instant and challenge the boys to a fight. The gimmick is that Yen and Jin must guess the name of their opponent, or what type of Maga it is, before they can defeat it. Of course, if the Maga guesses the boys' true, or "Omi," name, then evil will prevail. Yen doesn't know Jin's name and vice versa—those Omis are the best-kept secrets of their lives. The boys are helped by Koga, a good Maga who is assigned to guide members of the Ragun family, but complicating matters is a much-hated cousin who comes to live with them. Sugisaki's art is charming and reminiscent of such children's favorites as Yu-Gi-Oh and Pokémon. However, the story unfolds in a highly confusing manner, with all sorts of jump cuts and non sequitur dialogue. Only kids who are used to deciphering this kind of frantic storytelling will get much out of it. (Jan.)