Warning: The following contains spoilers for Yokai Buster Murakami chapter #1!!

It should come as no surprise that I initially stopped reading Shonen Jump because of Shueisha’s unrelenting practice of axing manga for ostensibly failing to meet certain monetary thresholds at critical milestones. There was just an overabundance of series I’d gotten heavily invested in and spent time writing about extensively, such as Candy Flurry, The Hunters Guild: Red Hood, and PPPPPP, only for the publisher to rip them away. Although the recent announcement of Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief Hiroyuki Nakano’s departure could spell the end of this practice, a new series called Yokai Buster Murakami might be the key to bringing me back for good.

I may have briefly returned to Shonen Jump before to review the new vault series from Manga PLUS You And I Are Total Opposites because it’s harder for me to resist shonen that are influenced by shojo, but I did decide recently to read the first chapter of the new non-romance manga Yokai Buster Murakami to see if it would be worth reading in spite of the looming prospect that it would likely get canceled. I ended up being very impressed to the point where I decided to come back every week to read a new chapter – and that’s because Yokai Buster Murakami is educational but with an entertaining twist.

Interestingly, I don’t feel like I will be as devastated when the series in question inevitably joins the ranks of those who have fallen victim to Shonen Jump‘s axing policy.

Yokai Buster Murakami Educates on Mythology But With The Added Joy Of Satire

Original series by Daiki Ihara

Yokai Buster Murakami is such a ridiculous comedy that it minimizes the appeal of its characters, and it’s unlikely that they will grow on me any time soon. Remarkably, this doesn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the series, for Yokai Buster Murakami‘s focus is strong enough to keep me heavily invested for months.

Yokai Buster Murakami is an unparalleled satire of Japanese yokai mythology that masterfully deconstructs every myth, leaving nothing behind except for their most ridiculous aspects that the eponymous yokai buster then proceeds to relentlessly tear down in stunning fashion. What this practice exposes and yields are some rather intuitive interpretations of each yokai legend.

Yokai Buster Murakami is an unparalleled satire of Japanese yokai mythology that masterfully deconstructs every myth, leaving nothing behind except for their most ridiculous aspects that the eponymous yokai buster then proceeds to relentlessly tear down in stunning fashion.

In what only solidifies the series’ theme, a kappa who Murakami accuses of having certain affinities based on what he learns from mythology actually confirms and then unabashedly embraces them, thus confirming Ihara’s accusations. True to its name, Murakami is understandably the true driver of the series, since it’s his ruthless matter-of-fact directness and skepticism that leaves each yokai completely ridiculed and defamed. Ironically, Murakami might be the protagonist, but he isn’t necessarily a hero.

Is Yokai Buster More Than a Satire Series?

While the manga currently seems like a bit of a gag, could the story extend beyond what it’s presented to be?

The one with the actual powers who ostensibly exorcises these yokai is Kuin. Murakami is only there to help her because she’s a coward. That’s Kuin’s main role – to embellish Murakami’s savage remarks through her obvious cowardly shtick. Interestingly, these descriptions alone might seem to contradict the aforementioned claim that both characters aren’t the main appeal.

However, Kuin and Murakami so far only serve as agents to share the historical aspects of each yokai they encounter before deconstructing them, much to Kuin’s horror. This dynamic will likely change, however, and when that happens, it will be that much harder to recover if it’s prematurely canceled.

For now, what will be keeping me coming every week is the educational aspect of the series, where I, along with other readers, will learn about each yokai like the aforementioned kappa from Japanese culture, while enjoying the hilarious deconstruction and brutal commentary that later ensues. One Shonen Jump user commenting on the replies of Yokai Buster Murakami chapter #1 said it best: “Wait… You mean to tell me that the plate on top of a kappa’s head ISN’T actually a bald spot?! Well, I’ll be…”

Source: Shonen Jump News on X