Yet from this potentially promising premise, Yokai Doctorfalls into a coma. The characters are predictable and their actions come downwith a case of the blah. Kuro explains the yokai’s abilities and nature whilehe harbors a secret beyond treating yokai. As if his unhealthy obsession withfitting into the human world wasn’t a dead giveaway. Not only is Kuro’sdoctoral expertise as transparent as an X-ray reading, but Kotoko’s weaknessesin both self-esteem and spiritual power sloth off her character and affect theentire manga.

There’s also this tiny bug that infects not only this butthe bloody manga medium as a whole. In Yokai Doctor, whenever Kotoko gets intotrouble, it is always Kuro to come to the rescue. Similarly, other manga tendto make the female protagonist into the damsel in distress for the malecharacters to save. Even the strongest of female characters become helpless anddepend on males to save her. Though this bug may well be a reflection ofJapanese society, why do manga artists continue to demean women in their stories? 

Maybe asking for this Doctor to remedy a chronic symptom istoo much, but let’s face it. If the story is supposed to so different in thedemons-vs-humans trope, a turn from the norm would definitely put this manga ona pedestal instead of an operating table.   

The only aspect of Yokai Doctor that doesn’t need anyresuscitation is the artwork. It is refreshing to find a manga artist that isn’teasily comparable to another artist’s work. Furthermore, the layouts are cleanand easy to follow, unlike other malpracticed manga like X-Men Misfits, whereevery other character looks the same. 

While the artwork only bandages the deep cuts from the manga’sshortcomings, Yokai Doctor comes out like a visit to the doctor’s office:dreadful in prediction, a little painful at times, but not so bad in the end.

Rating: C-