Released in the US by Del Rey
Slugline: Breaking the rules of how source material is better than adaptations once again is painful. To me, that is.
We have previously positively reviewed the manga Psycho Busters (link here), so when the novel version of it arrived in out review box, it jumped to the top of the pile. I have so few titles that turn out to pleasurable reads that when I see something that looks like a good bet, I go for it.
Why do I torture myself so? The usual rule is that adaptations are never as good as the original work, so that the novel that the manga was adapted from should have been better. Yet another thing in which manga breaks all the rules in doing, but this time in not a good way.
All of the cleverness and intelligence that Kakeru had in the manga is gone. Here he is just a dopey teenager who needs to be whacked around with a clue stick for a bit. Especially since he doesn't use any of the clever ploys that he used in the manga to help defeat the rogue psychics, the fact that he still beats them makes it implausible for anyone to believe something is not happening through Kakeru. Eh, just stick with the manga.
Psycho Busters, the novel, vol. 1 is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.
-Ferdinand
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