Butterfly Volume 1

Butterfly 1 (rated T age 13+) by Yu Aikawa, 2011; 208 pages. Published by Tokyopop. Source: Publisher for Review.

Ginji Ishikawa despises anything related to the occult. The hatred stems from the visions of his dead brother's ghost that haunt him nightly. When an incident at a haunted mansion lands him in hot water, only the assistance of a child named Ageha gets him out of trouble. However, Ageha suggests Ginji repay the debt by entering the very last line of work he ever wanted: ghost-busting.

I have been waiting all through Lent to read Butterfly and it was definitely well worth the (extremely long) wait.

Story: When I first read the back of Butterfly I thought it sounded interesting, but not necessarily original. I was absolutely wrong because the story ended up being quite different than I thought it would be.
I loved how there was the main story line with how Ginji Ishikawa absolutely hates ghosts and anyone that believes in the supernatural.

I'll just tell yu this one thing about the ending....CLIFF HANGER! The ending definitely has me wishing that the second volume was already out and that I had it so that I could see what was going to happen next.

Character(s): Ginji Ishikawa  was an interesting character, he at times reminded me of Ichigo from Bleach. Which isn't a bad thing because he's a pretty awesome character in my book to be compared to.
I really liked how the story about why he doesn't like ghosts and such was slowly revealed. I felt that it the way it was dealt with gave his personality more detail...and thus made him more interesting.

As for the rest of the cast of characters, they were all interesting especially with how quirky they each were.
There is one thing that really made Butterfly unique but if I told you it would be a major spoiler to a twist that happens somewhere near the early middle of the book (I really dislike spoilers).  I'll just say that this one aspect is what sold me on this manga and made it a truly different read.

Artwork: Butterfly's artwork really impressed me. I loved the detail that Yu Aikawa was able to give to each panel in Butterfly.
The absolute best art in the manga would have to be the creepy look of all the ghosts. Some of them- okay, all of them- were probably some of the creepiest depictions of ghosts that I have ever seen. And I absolutely loved it for that.

Final Verdict: Butterfly is a thrilling read with absolutely stunning artwork. If you're like me, you will probably be the second volume was out as soon as you finish the first one.

Butterfly volume 1 earns 4 out of 5 pineapples.



Butterfly was received for an honest review.