Ghost Sweeper Mikami...
I picked up Ghost Sweeper Mikami recently...
The style and tone of Ghost Sweeper Mikami is not unlike a cross between City Hunter and Phantom Quest Corp. The animation style is consistent with early 90's animation -- GS Mikami is an older title after all. But, despite its age, GS Mikami is still very entertaining. Not unlike her Phantom Quest Corp counterpart, Reiko Mikami, is always looking for the next high-paying job. And, like City Hunter himself, Tadao Yokoshima's openly lecherous behaviour often causes his female co-star to use the hammer of retribution on his head or perhaps even give him a swift kick to the face. At times, the antics of the two lead characters can be a bit on the silly side, but, overall Ghost Sweeper Mikami is a reasonably good show. There is some fan service, of course, but, despite indications to the contrary, there are no naughty bits or gore to speak of. I give it a 3 out of 5.
Volume 1
You say you've got a ghost in your prefecture? In Japan that means you need to call Ghost Sweeper Mikami, the paranormal detective agency that's a little abnormal... Okay, make that a LOT abnormal, but they do specialize in disposing of things that most people don't even believe exist.
Run by the visually delicious and even more avaricious Reiko Mikami, and aided by the very perverted (but also very loyal) Tadao Yokoshima, they'll take any case that pays, and Tadao will do anything that might let him sneak a peek at Reiko's magnificent physique. How unfortunate for him that Reiko basically sees him as cannon-fodder, something that's quite useful when your day-to-day business involves exorcising oni, yurei, yokai and anything else you might find in The Illustrated Bag of One Hundred Random Ghosts.
Volume 2
When it comes to girls, Tadao Yokoshima has to be the unluckiest guy in Japan. Sure, he works with two incredibly beautiful women, but when it comes to the lovely Okinu... Well, she's actually sort of deceased, which you would think would kind of kill off the odds of scoring. Still, she does work as the company's secretary, so maybe there's still a ghost of a chance.
As for Reiko MiIkami, the owner of the paranormal detective agency that keeps Tadao and Okinu busy (if not gainfully employed), while she does have designs on his body it's to use it as a human shield to take all the supernatural damage their business attracts! The most depressing part of the whole thing is that, if he keeps working for Reiko long enough, Tadao will probably end up in a much better position to date Okinu than he expects! Will Tadao end up a lucky stiff, or will he strike out and keep on living?
Volume 3
The insanity that surrounds the Mikami Detective agency continues as our intrepid... okay, maybe not intrepid... as our financially motivated band of heroes are back on the case, attempting to solve the supernatural puzzles, occult conundrums and ancient mysteries (some from the early 1990s!) that plague a ghost and demon infested modern Japan.
But it's not all death and destruction, and there are the occasional time-outs for loftier goals - or as Yokoshima admirably admits: "I've always wanted to sing 'Johnny B Good' at Nippon Budokan filled with nothing but beautiful naked girls before I die!" Okay, perhaps not such admirable content, but it got 'naked' into the synopsis and you have to appreciate his honesty!
Volume 4
Yes, despite all common logic or sense of self preservation, the Mikami Detective agency continues to ply their occult trade, dousing spirits, vaporizing vapors and generally not giving the supernatural a ghost of a chance. Of course, once you've gotten into this profession, it's really hard to get out, since you're actually busiest when your business is dying. And it further complicates things when some of your staff is officially waaaay past their sell-by date themselves. (That's referring to Okinu, not Tado, who's really still alive - it's just his chances of scoring with Reiko that are dead.)
The style and tone of Ghost Sweeper Mikami is not unlike a cross between City Hunter and Phantom Quest Corp. The animation style is consistent with early 90's animation -- GS Mikami is an older title after all. But, despite its age, GS Mikami is still very entertaining. Not unlike her Phantom Quest Corp counterpart, Reiko Mikami, is always looking for the next high-paying job. And, like City Hunter himself, Tadao Yokoshima's openly lecherous behaviour often causes his female co-star to use the hammer of retribution on his head or perhaps even give him a swift kick to the face. At times, the antics of the two lead characters can be a bit on the silly side, but, overall Ghost Sweeper Mikami is a reasonably good show. There is some fan service, of course, but, despite indications to the contrary, there are no naughty bits or gore to speak of. I give it a 3 out of 5.
