舊校舍怪談

ゴーストハント #1

by Fuyumi Ono, 小野不由美, 稻田詩穂 (Illustrator)

學校裡存在一間據說「一旦打算拆除它，便一定會發生意外」的舊校舍。身為高中一年級生的麻衣因為種種緣故，不得不幫忙為了調查這個謠言而造訪學校的澀谷一也。

年輕英俊的澀谷是「澀谷靈異現象調查事務所」（簡稱ＳＰＲ）的所長，極度自戀的性格也讓麻衣為他取了個「諾爾」的綽號。在調查過程中伴隨麻衣的，除了諾爾之外，還有美豔的巫女、吊兒郎當的破戒僧、溫柔善良但說著奇怪日語的童顏神父，與宛如日本娃娃一般的靈能力者。
隨著種種讓人不寒而慄的詭異現象出現，那究竟是廢棄校舍中的戰死者亡靈搞鬼？還是……

Genres: Mystery, Japanese Literature

320 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

Kanji Name: 小野 不由美.

Fuyumi Ono (小野 不由美, Ono Fuyumi) is a Japanese novelist who is best known for writing the Twelve Kingdoms (十二国記, Juuni Kokuki) series, on which a popular anime is based. Her name after marriage is Fuyumi Uchida (内田不由美, Uchida Fuyumi), but she writes under her maiden name.

Ono was born in Nakatsu, Ōita, Kyūshū in 1960. She graduated from Ōtani University in Kyōto with a degree in Buddhist Studies, and in 1988 was employed by the publisher Kōdansha. Her debut story is titled Sleepless on Birthday Eve.

Ono is married to Naoyuki Uchida (内田直行, Uchida Naoyuki), a mystery novelist who writes under the pseudonym Yukito Ayatsuji (綾辻行人 , Ayatsuji Yukito).

Before she started work on Twelve Kingdoms, Fuyumi Ono wrote The Demonic Child (魔性の子), a horror novel about a boy from another world. She later worked certain events from this novel into the Twelve Kingdoms series. Short stories set in the various kingdoms include: Kasho, Toei, Shokan, Kizan and Jogetsu. In February, 2008, the first new Twelve Kingdoms short story, Hisho no Tori (丕緒の鳥) was published in Shinchosha's Yomyom magazine.

According to an interview at the Anime News Network, she is "currently rewriting a girls' horror series (she) wrote long ago."

- Wikipedia

Reviews

[neverblossom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nhạt một cách đáng sợ

[空 · Rating 2 out of 5]

High school freshman Mai is roped into the Shibuya Psychic Research (“SPR”) agency’s “investigation” into the old school building, which has been the source of legends, stories, rumors and gossip around school. SPR — and its “chief”, Shibuya something-or-another — isn’t alone in the investigation however, as numerous other ~psychically endowed characters show up to analyze the situation. Could there be some truth to the rumors about the building?


Answer: kinda? Sorta? The answer is a poltergeist that’s actually a manifestation of the psychokinetic abilities of a student in the school. Girl — Kuroda — has been telling people for so long that she has psychic abilities that, when the investigation is set up and the possibility of the ghost being explained away is raised, she manifests a poltergeist through her psychokinetic abilities.

But how was it for me? Meh. Although that might have to do with my expectations, once more — it’s a young adult novel, what do I really expect.

Characters
Ohhh boy. Mai and John are honestly the only characters who didn’t turn me off. Everyone else I wanted to gently wrap up in black trash bags and then violently chuck in the dumpster. I finished this book not “because of” the characters but “in spite of” them. Whatever they’re doing may be their jobs, but there’s nothing “professional” about them.


Mai — our plucky protagonist who’s one of the saving graces in the story, and who I only resent a little bit in the end for being all misty-eyed about her pending separation/farewell with Shibuya. I’m like, girl, get better friends. Don’t pin your hopes on the douche.

John Brown — is a 19-year-old Australian exorcist ([eyeroll intensifies]) who learned Japanese in the Kansai area, and therefore has Weird Japanese, that’s so funny, amirite? BUT John is truly the most goodhearted person in this book. But also he tried to exorcise the “ghost” by praying “Our Father” and then reading the Bible starting from John 1:14 or somesuch??? BRUH. Listen… I’m not like, L’Exorcist Extraordinaire, but are we SURE we want to start from John 1:14?

Matsuzaki — a “shrine maiden” with a truly awful personality. She looks down on just about everyone, and was unreasonably offensive to almost all the characters from the beginning. There were some instances where I was like “She’s not so bad!” but then two pages later I was like “Nope, she’s the worst, bye.”

Takigawa — a former monk/monk-in-training (I don’t clearly remember and can’t be bothered to reread) with a truly awful personality. He goes along with explanations/whatever and then turns around and heaps abuse on people when they turn out to be “wrong” without ever offering any explanation from his side. Fuckin’ dropout.

Hara — another character who leaves me cold. I’m glad she disappeared from the story, Matsuzaki and Takigawa are enough for anyone.

Kuroda — a know-it-all. But at the very least she had Issues that were explained where I was like, “yeah, okay, I get it.” And also, Matsuzaki was a truly awful bitch to her? Not to excuse her since her personality isn’t all that stunning either.

Shibuya — oh, but this nerd takes the fuckin’ cake. He is the “head” of the Shibuya Psychic Research agency or society or nerd club, and is, like, the very version of youth that just makes me …


Character/Relationship Development
Yet another big disappointment from me. I don’t get why, in the end, Shibuya gets a pass from Mai — that she wants to be his friend or whatever. I don’t see Shibuya’s demeanor or anything changing or improving throughout the book. He’s a dick who doesn’t deserve friends. He constantly talks down to Mai, doesn’t explain things to her right away and then only explains in such a way that rings with “why don’t you know this already?” I truly, deeply hate him, and if he’s in the other stories/books, I refuse to read them. It’s a waste of my time.

Plot
It’s not really a horror story, I guess. It’s more like a mystery — is there really a ghost? If there isn’t then what is causing these events/incidents? I appreciated that there were logical explanations to everything — or that the author, via Naru, was trying to give logical explanations to everything — but at some point I was like, EITHER BRING OUT THE GHOSTS OR SHOW ME THE MISCREANT!

Scariness
See above. I guess it’s a YA novel so … it’s not really all that scary? Although I don’t know why a YA novel would need to be less scary? Some teens are all about that creepy shit, aren’t they? But truly, the only nightmares I’ll be getting from this novel are about the characters and the kanji I had to look up trying to figure out how to read.


My favorite part of the book was the first chapter when I was reading the ghost stories the four girls (Mai, Yuuri, Keiko and Michiru) were telling each other. Everything’s downhill from there, man.

[Luong Khanh · Rating 1 out of 5]

TÔI NGHĨ ĐÂY LÀ MỘT SAI LẦM LỚN khi Kim Đồng mua bản quyền bộ sách dở òm này. Tôi bị FOMO nên đã mua 2 quyển. Nó dở một cách đéo chịu được, ý là dịch thuật k có vấn đề gì nhưng nội dung nhạt lách luôn á

[Linii · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book, can’t wait for the next one ~

[Sammm · Rating 4 out of 5]

mini review to come

[tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

great, now i have to follow this mid series for the main couple 😭😭 go Mai go get him

[Emi · Rating 3 out of 5]

もともとライトノベル系、少女小説系のレーベルから出ていた話だと知って納得。おもしろくないことはなかったけど、1巻だけではまだあまり惹かれなかった。とりあえず2巻までは買ってるからそれを読んで残りを読むか考えよう。

[Jang Nguyễn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dẫn truyện lê thê đá qua bên này bên kia miết. Đọc xong chỉ thấy cả nhóm nhân vật chính vô dụng quá 😀
Điểm sáng duy nhất chắc là các giải thích logic của Naru, dù nó không hề hấp dẫn