Dare I admit that this is my very first manga? Yes, I do! Will it be my last? Definitely Not! I found Ghost Reaper Girl to be filled with lots of humor which I loved. And the pace was fast, which made this a quick read. I also found the art to be visually appealing.

However, I do need to state that this won’t be for everyone due to the sexual innuendos, the harassment glorification, the lolicon Kai, and especially with ghosts/spirits saying things like let us get inside you….

Having said that though, Ghost Reaper Girl definitely has some potential, and I would definitely keep an eye out for the next volume to see where this story goes.

Chloe Love is a 28 year old, B rated (or was is D?) actor who looks closer to 12. At the audition for a potential role, Chloe is attacked when the guy becomes possessed. Despite this, she manages to get away, trying to ignore the young man (Kai)who saved her and trying to convince her to let him possess her body. So, it turns out she’s actually a rather powerful spirit medium? Anyhow, things get a little hairy and she finally agrees. Her transformation is into a character she previously played, who basically is spirit slaying Buffy the Vampire slayer with a scythe and dressed up rather…provocatively.

Kai inhabits her body and turns into a weapon, it turns out. He’s also a huge fan of her work, it turns out, and might even have some sort of weird crush on her, hence the scanty outfits he puts her in. They do a bit of fighting, fast forward to letting him come home with her where they are attacked AGAIN. This time by some sort of cat spirit who is on the verge of becoming something evil. Skipping forward again. Chloe gets a new follower, a Catboy and Kai convinces her to become a spirit hunter, which turns out to be a terrible idea…

So what did I think?

It was okay. I actually liked it.

You know, if you like a scantily clad woman running around killing spirits, who also look like they are 12 years old, this one is for you. I am also getting reverse harem vibes already. There is a fair bit of fighting, obviously, and in between the creator tries to drop in a bit of humor. Not my horror dvd collection!” It suggestive, but never crosses the line. It drops some cliché humor bits, which actually work given all the character’s personalities.

It’s by no means a literary masterpiece. This is a 'for fun' read.

This was such a blast to read! I love that the main character is 28. We don't usually get MC's that are that old and I really enjoyed that fact. I cannot wait to read the next volume!

I was a little hesitant to read this one based on the cover, but I wound up liking it immensely. That being said, it will not premiere in my middle school manga collection (not just because of the cover, but there's so riske clothing choices and some super not middle school appropriate innuendos). For young adults and adults though, this manga is fun: gives off some Sailor Moon vibes but mixed with the humor of One Peg.

Chloe is an older (*gasp* 28 is old in the world of Manga) aspiring actress whose big gigs are all of her as a character who dies or already is a dead body. She has a few fans though. In auditioning for a bigger role, a possessed manager tries to feast on her spirit, soul and body. She is protected by Kai (who also covets her body, soul and spirit) who is a ghost reaper. They team up to fight some ghosties (queue transformation/possession scene) and I kinda love that Kai turns into a scythe (an animated one that reminds me of the Fairy Odd Parents for some reason).

Chloe not only attracts the attention of the manager, his ghosts and Kai, soon she's coveted by another catty familiar: Noel. I love the triangle dynamic of these three.

Read on if you need a ghosty read.

I was intrigued by this title because of the supernatural element and I wasn’t disappointed!

The art style isn’t one I usually favour, but the scenes were drawn brilliantly, especially the action ones! I can’t lie, the ghosts in the beginning really screamed Ghostbusters to me though!

This is one hell of an action packed volume right from the start, and the action doesn’t let up. I loved that Chloe could hold her own and didn’t shy away from a fight, and I’m loving this take on magical girls that the volume gives us!

It’s also reverse harem and I’m enjoying it so far even if I cringe at the way they term their possession of her, I suppose it’s to be expected from the genre!

Entertaining and perhaps a little bit silly, I’m certainly intrigued to see where this one is going!

Ghost Reaper Girl Volume One introduces Chloe Love, a young woman who finds herself being targeted by ghosts.

Ghost Reaper Girl Volume One
Written by: Akissa Saike
Publisher: Shueisha Inc.
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: June 7, 2022

The main character is a struggling actress who has primarily gotten roles as dead bodies, although she had a starring role in a series called Ghost Reaper Girl. The series didn’t do well, though, but it’s the biggest credit she’s got on her resume. Chloe looks like she should be around 18 years old, but she’s actually 28.

When she meets with a movie producer, it turns out that he’s possessed by a ghost that wants to get into her body. After escaping from him, Chloe finds herself being chased by other ghosts. She’s saved by Kai Iod, a spirit from the Underworld who has taken on a human guise. It turns out he’s seen everything that Chloe has been in and is a big fan. Kai tells Chloe that she has the genetic makeup as a spirit medium and can be possessed by any type of spirit, which is why she’s being targeted by all these ghosts. After being rescued by Kai again, Chloe allows Kai to enter her in order to defeat the ghosts, because she’s happy that he’s her fan. When Kai possesses her, Chloe transforms into a ghost reaper girl, and Kai becomes a scythe she uses to kill the ghosts.

The next story in Volume One introduces a soul predator who becomes the next adversary they face. Once again, Kai possesses Chloe, even though she has yet to make an actual contract with him. Chloe, as the ghost reaper girl, frees the evil spirit possessing Noel, the soul predator. Noel is so grateful to Chloe that he declares that he will become her familiar. The final story in Volume One sees Kai, along with Noel, taking Chloe to Arkham Bullet to register Chloe for work as an evil spirit exterminator. The volume ends during the time they are at Arkham Bullet, with something unexpected happening.

I’m going to be honest and say that by the time I finished reading Ghost Reaper Girl Volume One, it didn’t do a whole lot for me personally. When I discovered that Akissa Saike, the author of this series, previously wrote under the name Akihisa Ikeda and was the creator behind Rosario+Vampire, I understood why it didn’t really appeal to me. I hadn’t cared much for what little bit I had read of Rosario+Vampire, and this series has a similar feel to that one.

I’m really not sold on the idea of Chloe looking about 10 years younger than she really is and being mistaken for being younger. From what I read in this volume, this aspect didn’t really seem to truly add anything important to Chloe’s character. Personally, I think it would have worked just as well if she had this character design and was 20-22 years old. Kai being Chloe’s “fanboy” is an important part of the story, and I found that this idea actually works for me. I don’t really have anything to say about Noel, because he’s introduced so late in the volume and the reader has little to no information to go on to truly form an opinion about him.

When it comes to the art, the thing that stood out to me is the transformation sequence when Chloe turns into the ghost reaper girl. Basically, it’s a lot like a “magical girl” transformation sequence, although any nudity is simply hinted at. For Chloe’s transformation, all that truly changes is her outfit from whatever she’s wearing to an outfit that’s on the skimpier side. There is the occasional impressive looking action panel, as well as the occasional panel that’s a close up of Chloe’s face that stands out. But for the most part, the art style kept making me think of Rosario+Vampire. Obviously, I should see some of that, since the author of both series is the same, but I was picking up on that vibe a little more than I would have liked.

Even though Ghost Reaper Girl didn’t appeal to me personally, that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad series. In fact, I think it’s very successful at what it’s trying to do for the series’ intended audience. If you’re a fan of Rosario+Vampire or of supernatural stories with a comedic side, then you might find something to enjoy in Ghost Reaper Girl.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for this ARC

Strong female protag, cant wait to see where this series goes

For the right reasons or not, this actually made me laugh out loud. It's vaguely reminiscent of Soul Eater crossed with magical girl transformation and elements of horror, and I loved every bit of it. The humour is silly but consistent, and had me giggling all the way through.
Very strange, but we'll drawn and funny enough that I will certainly be picking up the next one!

Interesting start to a series; takes inspiration from Magical Girl manga like Card Captor Sakura as well as more modern horror entries. Feels a shade reverse-harem esq but it might dissipate in volume two. Only four chapters so currently reserving judgement.

An interesting story, and while it definitely had a lot of traditional manga tropes (a male obsessed with the female's cuteness, a villain that turns into a friend/ally, etc), it definitely felt original, and like something new. It was also nice to see a heroine that is in her later 20s, which I find less of in popular manga - so many high schoolers or those just out of high school. I will most likely be purchasing this for my library's adult manga collection. It's just different enough that I think our growing population of adult manga readers would really get into it.

I was initially really excited for this, especially since I find the cover absolutely amazing, However, as I read on my disappointment became more and more pronounced. What could have been a really cool ghost hunting story unfortunately fell short. This was such a shame considering our protagonist is 28, which you don't see too often. The constant pervy comments and focus on how much the protagonist looks like a cute child made this series one that I will most likely not be continuing.

This book has the annoying standard manga setup where an adult woman looks like a child so whenever characters say/do perverted things toward her the creators can just say “she’s an adult!” when people object. It’s a pity because the premise was cool, I liked the art design of the creatures and it included two honest to goodness henshin sequences.

I know this manga will be a great fit for so many readers, but I just can't with the non-stop innuendos, very fan-service vibes, and harassment glorification. I know it won't hit the same way with all readers, and there is definitely a market for this sexually charged paranormal manga.

I wanted this manga to be about a badass former TV star who now slays for real. But it's about a badass former TV star who is subject to non-stop harassment and spirits trying to possess her - including one who must possess and "be inside" so that she can fight. For real? Just let Chloe be a badass in her own right. *sigh*

4.5/5

Ghost Reaper Girl is a really fun start to a shonen manga that has Buffy vibes with many different paranormal aspects from different cultures included. Good amount of humour to begin with and the plot is typical but not bad. It’s also nice to have an older heroine too.

The art is to. die. for. (Pun intended.. kinda). I LOVE Akissa Saiké’s art style. I would read anything of theirs just to admire the art.

So far character design is fun and the pace is pretty fast which is nice. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

Oh and a small added bonus is that, per the authors request, this manga has been published to read from left to right.

3.5 rounded up out of love for Masakazu Katsura's <i>Shadow Lady</i>, which this reminds me of strongly. Mostly that's because it's another Shounen Jump magical girl title; in all fairness, the transformations are much closer to those in <i>Pretear</i> because of the conceit - Chloe transforms when she allows her ghost familiars to possess her, which is naturally phrased as "enter her body." No, it's not classy, but as noted, it's got firm shoujo precedent. In fact, much of what's fun about this volume is the way that it takes two shoujo subgenres and reworks them for a shounen audience; it's also, as heroine Chloe notes, a reverse harem story, and despite the fact that it comes from the same creator as <i>Rosario + Vampire</i>, it isn't too heavy on the fanservice. It's a romp of a supernatural tale (with bonus Nyarlahotep), and it's definitely worth checking out.

My kids love manga and I'm struggling to find new appropriate ones for high school. While this one is lower tier, I might still buy it just so I have something new for the kids.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

(1.5/5 stars)
The minute the male lead opened his mouth saying he was a "lolicon," I knew this was not the manga for me. I was originally interested because having a female main character in an action manga who's almost 30 is rare, but everyone kept commenting on how "childish" and young she looked. Combine that with evil spirits constantly trying to enter her body and references to men having sexually harassed her in the past--it really soured my mood while reading. Kai continued to reference how she was his favorite actress partially for her childish/perfect "loli" looks, which was super creepy to me. Much of this just rubbed me the wrong way.

Also, this volume wasn't very interesting to me. Other series have done ghost hunting way better, and less awkwardly. None of the characters stuck out, nor peaked my interest. I can barely remember their names--which isn't a good sign.

I will say that the art is very pretty to look at, but that's about it. A shallow first volume with a pretty coat of paint.

I love the art, but when I first started reading this book I wasn't sure I was going to like it or stick with it until the end. The characters are a little...odd. The main character Chloe, is presented as a little girl even though she is almost thirty - a point that the story heavily focuses on. The sexualization of teens makes the narrative a little uncomfortable, but it isn't something that is really rare in manga - unfortunately.

The story itself and the concept was actually interesting and I found myself invested in the plot. Chloe Love is a B list aspiring actress who comes from very little. The story finds her auditioning for a part only to be accosted by several spirit entities. She is saved by Kai, a handsome and mysterious guy who happens to be a spirit himself tasked with the job of eliminating evil entities. Chloe is his long time idol and he desperately tries to secure a contract with her to become her familiar. This contract is portrayed as being mutually beneficial - he gets to hang out with his idol and inhabit a powerful spiritual vessel and she gets protected by Kai from other evil spirits looking to devour her soul.

The other uncomfortable part of this narrative is the sexual connotations of Kai and Chloe sharing her body. Whenever he wants to use her power to fight evil he must enter her body.

Overall my feelings for this book are complicated. I like the idea of supernatural souls teaming up with humans with psychic abilities and kicking butt, but I don't really like some of the innuendos associated. I would recommend this book if I knew the person personally and their taste in manga. But I am not sure this is a title I will personally be recommending to patrons. Overall I would give it a 3/5 stars.

A badass female lead in little clothing isn't new, nor is an adoring male sidekick, yet there is more to Ghost Reaper Girl than the basic badass girl fighter story. Instead of high school, our lead is 28 and struggling financially. She meets an attractive, adoring man and doesn't either 1. Immediately reject him or 2. Immediately love him. She feels strange and mixed-up in her feelings, maybe a little contradictory. These traits feel new.

And thrilling.

I hadn't heard of this manga before signing up for an ARC. It's perfectly fine, I guess, but I don't think I'll continue past this volume. The whole time I was reading it, I was reminded of other manga I've read that I've enjoyed more (Soul Eater, Zombie Loan, Madoka) and this was just kind of...there. If you're really jonesing for a new present-day fantasy or are just really interested in the shinigami theme, it might be worth a read.