Taimashin Explained
, also known as is a Japanese manga written by Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Misaki Saitoh.
Plot
It centers around special needles named after its series' title—Taimashin—that can control the flow of qi and exorcise evil spirits. The protagonist and a possessor of the ability to control the needles is the acupuncturist Dr. Taima, a long and red-haired Japanese man. He works with his female assistant, Maki Tagetsu, and is combating a series of paranormal events; ordinary people are being possessed and turned into demons. Taima eventually travels to the United States to discover the origins of the demonic powers but find another needle wielder, Kyogo Ayakashi.
Release
Taimashin was first published by Scholar under the Scholar Comics Burger imprint from November 1995 to January 1999 into seven volumes.[1] [2] After Scholar's bankruptcy, the series was republished by Sony Magazines under Birz Comics imprint in July 1999.[3] [4] The eighth volume was also published in July 1999,[5] and the series was concluded between April 2000 and April 2001 with the publication of three more volumes.[6] [7] Currently, the series rights are held by Gentosha that rereleased it between 2001 and 2002 into seven volumes with the subtitle "Special Ban".[8] [9] In 2007 and 2008 it was rereleased into seven bunkoban volumes.[10] [11]
The manga was licensed in the United States by ADV Manga under the title Notebook of a Demon Killer, Taimashin. The first volume of the English edition was released on November 9, 2004, before the license was cancelled.[12] [13] The manga is licensed for a French-language release in France by Taifu Comics[14] and in Russia by Comics Factory.[15]
A sequel series,, was published by Gentosha between 2001 and 2004 into six volumes.[16] [17] Later, it was republished into bunkoban format; three volumes were released in 2008.[18] [19] [20]
A related series with a new protagonist,, was illustrated by manhwa artist Shin Yong-Gwan.[21] It was published by Media Factory's magazine Comic Flapper and between December 22, 2006, and November 21, 2009, six volumes were published in Japan.[22] [23] Two volumes of the series were published in English by Digital Manga Publishing on December 16, 2009, and May 10, 2010.[24] [25]
Reception
Mania.com's Eduardo M. Chavez criticized the manga for its art and for the manga trying to be "too much at once."[26] Manga-News criticized the series for being too cliché. They also pointed out that the action scenes are often confusing, but praised the manga for defusing its scariness through its omnipresent humor.[27] However, they found the second set of volumes to be more effective and cited the refreshing shift in the manga's main character as a positive.[28] Liann Cooper of Anime News Network was more positive, praising the non-clichéd characters, the artwork, character development, and "attention to detail [that] really set this one in a league of its own." Despite affirming the plot is not that good, Cooper was ultimately favorable to the series.[29]
Manga critic Jason Thompson compared the Red Spider Exorcist unfavorably to Demon City Hunter, saying both are "nonsensical" but the fact the latter is directed towards children "makes it more enjoyable" in contrast to "a 'serious' seinen horror manga with glossy art and bare breasts and dominatrixes."[30]
Further reading
- Web site: Davidson, Danica . Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist, Vol. 1 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100330141618/http://www.graphicnovelreporter.com/content/taimashin-red-spider-exorcist-vol-1-review . March 30, 2010 . 2010 . Graphic Novel Reporter . The Book Report.
- Web site: Haley, Ken . Manga in Minutes: Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist, Vols. 1 + 2 . May 2, 2014 . Comic Book Resources.
- Web site: Henderson, Lori . Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist Volume 2 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100820050932/http://www.comicsvillage.com/review.aspx?reviewID=871 . August 20, 2010 . 2010 . Comics Village.
- Web site: Zoth, Thomas . Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist Vol. #01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100419124445/http://www.mania.com/taimashin-red-spider-exorcist-vol-01_article_120280.html . April 19, 2010 . February 12, 2010 . Mania.com . Demand Media.
Notes and References
- Web site: 単行本:退魔針 : 魔殺ノート(バーガーSC)第1巻 . Media Arts Database . . October 31, 2015 . Japanese . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084623/http://mediaarts-db.jp/mg/books/1144766 . March 4, 2016 . live.
- Web site: 単行本:退魔針 : 魔殺ノート(バーガーSC)7 . Media Arts Database . Agency for Cultural Affairs . October 31, 2015 . Japanese . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064253/http://mediaarts-db.jp/mg/books/1144756 . March 4, 2016 . live.
- Web site: 単行本:退魔針 : 魔殺ノート(バーズコミックス)1 . Media Arts Database . Agency for Cultural Affairs . October 31, 2015 . Japanese . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082530/http://mediaarts-db.jp/mg/books/1144709 . March 4, 2016 . live.
- Web site: 単行本:退魔針 : 魔殺ノート(バーズコミックス)7 . Media Arts Database . Agency for Cultural Affairs . October 31, 2015 . Japanese . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070746/http://mediaarts-db.jp/mg/books/1144698 . March 4, 2016 . live.
- Web site: 単行本:退魔針 : 魔殺ノート(バーズコミックス)8 . Media Arts Database . Agency for Cultural Affairs . October 31, 2015 . Japanese . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040521/http://mediaarts-db.jp/mg/books/1144694 . March 4, 2016 . live.
- Web site: 単行本:退魔針 : 魔殺ノート(バーズコミックス)9 . Media Arts Database . Agency for Cultural Affairs . October 31, 2015 . Japanese . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084853/http://mediaarts-db.jp/mg/books/1144690 . March 4, 2016 . live.
- Web site: 単行本:退魔針 : 魔殺ノート(バーズコミックス)11 . Media Arts Database . Agency for Cultural Affairs . October 31, 2015 . Japanese . https://archive.today/20240527142502/https://www.webcitation.org/6chGI6n8Y?url=http://mediaarts-db.jp/mg/books/1144681 . May 27, 2024 . live.
- Web site: 魔殺ノート退魔針 スペシャル版 (1) . Gentosha . October 31, 2015 . Japanese.
- Web site: 魔殺ノート退魔針 スペシャル版 (7) . Gentosha . October 31, 2015 . Japanese.
- Web site: 魔殺ノート退魔針 (1) . Gentosha . October 31, 2015 . Japanese.
- Web site: 魔殺ノート退魔針 (7) . Gentosha . October 31, 2015 . Japanese.
- Book: Taimashin Volume 1 (ILLUSTRATED) (Paperback). 1413900364. Kikuchi. Hideyuki. 26 October 2004.
- Web site: ADV Manga Cancellations. 2004-11-11 . Anime News Network. 2009-03-07.
- Web site: L'aiguille sacrée face aux sources du Mal .... Taifu Comics. French. March 7, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090202102653/http://taifu-comics.com/s44/TAIMASHIN_les_carnets_de_l_exorciste.html . February 2, 2009.
- Web site: Books: Volshebnaya igla. 13 February 2009. Comics Factory. Russian. 14 September 2010.
- Web site: 魔殺ノート退魔針 魔針胎動篇 (1) . Gentosha . October 31, 2015 . Japanese.
- Web site: 魔殺ノート退魔針 魔針胎動篇 (6) . Gentosha . October 31, 2015 . Japanese.
- Web site: 魔殺ノート退魔針 魔針胎動篇 (1) . Gentosha . October 31, 2015 . Japanese.
- Web site: 魔殺ノート退魔針 魔針胎動篇 (2) . Gentosha . October 31, 2015 . Japanese.
- Web site: 魔殺ノート退魔針 魔針胎動篇 (3) . Gentosha . October 31, 2015 . Japanese.
- Web site: DMP Adds Kikuchi's Yashakiden Novels, Taimashin Manga . April 3, 2009 . Anime News Network . October 31, 2015.
- Web site: 退魔針 紅虫魔殺行 1 . Media Factory . October 31, 2015 . Japanese.
- Web site: 退魔針 紅虫魔殺行 6 . Media Factory . October 31, 2015 . Japanese.
- Web site: Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist Vol. 1 . Digital Manga Publishing . October 31, 2015.
- Web site: Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist Vol. 2 . Digital Manga Publishing . October 31, 2015.
- Web site: Notebook of a Demon Killer, Taimashin Vol. #01. Chavez. Eduardo M.. September 22, 2004. Mania.com. March 7, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20120930112933/http://www.mania.com/notebook-demon-killer-taimashin-vol-01_article_81771.html . September 30, 2012.
- Web site: Taimashin, les carnets de l'exorciste - T1 à T3 . manga-news.com. French. April 26, 2016.
- Web site: Taimashin, les carnets de l'exorciste - T4 à T6 . manga-news.com. French. April 26, 2016.
- Web site: Column of Wonders . Cooper . Liann . October 11, 2004 . Anime News Network . October 31, 2015.
- Web site: Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Demon City Hunter . September 2, 2010 . Thompson, Jason . Anime News Network . October 31, 2015.