Rin-ne (2011)

[境界のRINNE]

Volume 9

Author/Artist: Rumiko Takahashi
Publisher: Shounen Sunday Comics

Synopsis:
Rinne takes on the case of an exam student who keeps falling asleep during his studies.

Story/Characters:
The first case is fairly simple, with the joke being that even without being possessed, the ordinary exam student has difficulty focusing and staying awake. Next we have the spirit of a child figure skater who knew one of Rinne and Sakura's classmates when he was younger. We get a neat little tool that allows the classmate to create a double of his childhood self (who proves to be a real pain in the tail) and one of the running gags is Rinne's inability to ice skate while trying to manage the case. Next we have Tsubasa try to handle the case of the ghost of a jilted lover from the Taishou Era who insists that he date her to fulfill her unsatisfied romance, all while subjecting him to misfortune after misfortune which probably could have been cut shorter if Tsubasa didn't stubbornly refuse Rinne's help.

Next is a new ramen shop (with Genma Saotome in panda form handing out fliers?) that was intended to be used as a plot by Sabato to steal souls but he ended up being possessed by the ghost of a ramen cook and is having to—*gasp*—actually work. (And we see that Sabato feels about work the same way Rinne does about having to spend money, tears of blood and all.) Next is a cursed wig tormenting the drama club, prompting a fractured take on Cinderella that's almost as broken as Ranma 1/2's interpretation of Romeo and Juliet.

We close on the first two parts of a four-parter involving Ageha and her black cat Oboro. Unlike Rinne and Rokumon, who get along swimmingly, these two mix as well as oil and water and are constantly at each other's throats. Ageha has the advantage of being the superior in the relationship, so Oboro is doing just about everything he can to destroy his contract with her. All the while, Rinne is trying to deal with all the snake ghosts Oboro let loose (because Ageha hates snakes) and then the giant mongoose ghost the other side sent to take care of the snake ghosts. Needless to say, those two and their bickering doesn't make his life any easier.

Art:
I rather like the look of both Yukina and Yayoi (the figure skater and the Taishou ghost) and the visual comedy of things going poorly for Tsubasa is pretty good. The sight of Sakura as Cinderella reverse crescent kicking people is also neat.

Conclusion:
The ice skating two-parter ended up being fairly sweet at the end and Tsubasa's string of misfortune with the Taisho ghost was pretty funny. And while Ageha's treatment of Oboro doesn't reflect that well on her, their quarreling dynamic does add something new. All told, we maintain the quality level of a good read that doesn't quite hit the bar of being a must-have.

Rating:
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