Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro.

Yes, here I am again and like I had promised, I have a review for you all. It's for the manga/anime Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro. My review is for both the Manga and anime.

Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro is written and illustrated by Yusei Matsui. It has also been adapted into an anime which is directed by Hiroshi Koujina. This can be be classified as detective manga with a twist. By twist I mean to say that the detective is actually a demon from hell(makai). As odd as this sounds, the mangaka actually managed to pull off this concept rather well.

Let's start with the story[for both manga and anime]. The gist of it is as follows: Nougami Neuro is a demon from Hell(makai) who thrives on riddles/mysteries. Since he had solved and consumed all the mysteries in the demon world and thus exhausted his supply of mysteries while still leaving his hunger insatiated, he decided to come to the human world to solve the mysteries there. But more specifically, he wanted to look for the "Ultimate Riddle" in the human world. To help him in his search and to provide a safe cover for all his work, Neuro appoints a rather unwilling Katsuragi Yako, a 16 year old school girl as his "sensei". Actually though, Neuro is usually the one who does all the thinking and simply uses Yako as a servant or as he puts it, "slave". So the story revolves around how Neuro solves the various mysteries using his logic and underworldly powers which manifest themselves as the "777 Tools of The Demon World". The storyline is brilliant and complex. There are SEVERAL plot twists that will leave you bewildered and guessing. Also, the murders that take place are quite gruesome, if not physically then emotionally. That's all you can know from me without having the storyline ruined for you. Although, I should add that in the anime, the plot is more linear and the story is usually cut short.

Next, artwork[for manga]. The artwork in the manga is pretty decent. I mean it's no Hellsing, but it's still pretty good. The charcter artwork for Neuro is exceptionally good though. There's not much else to say here.

Aimation style[for anime]: Trust me when I say this, it is definitely an awesome sight to see Neuro in the anime. Especially in his "evil demon look". Aside from that, nothing too great.

Next, character design[for manga and anime]. This where this manga/anime really shines. The character designs are awesome. Simply A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Neuro is the very definition of the word badass. He's arrogant, smart, self-centered, calm and collected and he even has a snazzy suit! I won't tell anything else about him. I'll just let you all find out for yourselves the awesomeness(yes, I'm aware of the fact that it's not a real word) that is Nougami Neuro. Yako is well thought out as well. She's a sweet, bubbling little school girl with a voracious appetite who has just gone through a terrible phase of her life. There are a few interesting sub charcters as well and the villain is even more twisted than Neuro himself. Really though, the characters have to be read/viewed to truly be appreciated.

Overall, a great manga/anime that has a well written storyline and great character designs. A must read/watch for all detective manga fans and a good read for those who aren't.

Manga or anime? In answer to this question, I'll have to say manga. The story is better represented there and you can better understand Neuro's warped humour ther as well. But do watch the anime for the better character art and voice actors.

Sub or dub? Dub, dub, DUB! Dubs all the way for this one. If you don't hear Neuro saying "Itadakimasu" and Yako saying "Sukiyaki" (in a real cute voice ^_^) then you've missed out, bigtime.

That's all for now. I hope this review has been of some help atleast to all of you. This is Ryudo, signing off.