What do you think?
Rate this book
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service #2
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, Volume 2
Your body is their business! Five strange young students at a Buddhist university - three guys and two girls - find little call for their job skills in today's Tokyo... among the living, that is. But all that stuff in college they were told would never pay off - you know, channeling, dowsing, ESP - gives them a direct line to the dead... the dead who are still trapped in their corpses and can't move on to the next reincarnation. The five form the Kurosagi ("Black Heron" - as opposed to the white stork which brings babies into this world...) Corpse Delivery whether suicide, murder, accident or illness, they'll carry your body wherever it needs to go to free your soul! In Volume 2, The Corpse Delivery Service has helped the dead who wanted justice from the living. Now, think about how many living people would like to take vengeance on the dead. What if it were possible? When Sasaki realizes that the latest corpse in their office is the man who murdered her parents years ago, the Kurosagi crew learns of a far darker business than their own, in this intensely disturbing one-volume story.
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2002
22 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
About the author
Eiji Otsuka
361 books142 followers大塚英志
Social anthropologist and novelist. Graduated from college with degree in anthropology, women's folklore, human sacrifice and post-war manga. In addition to his work with manga he is a critic, essayist, and author of several successful non-fiction books on Japanese popular and “otaku” sub-cultures. One of his first animation script works was Maho no Rouge Lipstick, an adult lolicon OVA. Otsuka was the editor for the bishojo lolicon manga series Petit Apple Pie.
In the 80s, Otsuka was editor-in-chief of Manga Burikko, a leading women's manga magazine where he pioneered research on the “otaku” sub-culture in modern Japan. In 1988 he published "Manga no Koro" (The Structure of Comics), a serious study of Japanese comics and their social significance. Also as critic, Otsuka Eiji, summarized the case of the Japanese red army's 1972 murders as a conflict between the masculine and the feminine principles as they were both embodied by women and against women (Otsuka,1994).
Social anthropologist and novelist. Graduated from college with degree in anthropology, women's folklore, human sacrifice and post-war manga. In addition to his work with manga he is a critic, essayist, and author of several successful non-fiction books on Japanese popular and “otaku” sub-cultures. One of his first animation script works was Maho no Rouge Lipstick, an adult lolicon OVA. Otsuka was the editor for the bishojo lolicon manga series Petit Apple Pie.
In the 80s, Otsuka was editor-in-chief of Manga Burikko, a leading women's manga magazine where he pioneered research on the “otaku” sub-culture in modern Japan. In 1988 he published "Manga no Koro" (The Structure of Comics), a serious study of Japanese comics and their social significance. Also as critic, Otsuka Eiji, summarized the case of the Japanese red army's 1972 murders as a conflict between the masculine and the feminine principles as they were both embodied by women and against women (Otsuka,1994).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
September 5, 2015
More corpses, more blood, more weirdos. Oh, and a lovely 10 pages long glossary of Japanese sound effects in the end. Yeah, you got me right, sound. Effects. On paper.
What's not to like?
What's not to like?
June 16, 2016
Al doilea volum renunta la formatul de antologie pentru a spune o singura poveste, o intriga politista / horror plina de flashbacks in care Kuro face (de nevoie) pe detectivul.
O adolescenta are darul de a trezi mortii la viata (desi ar fi mai corect sa scriu "viata") si o firma de pompe funebre o exploateaza pentru a oferi un serviciu funerar... neobisnuit. Amestecul de umor si critica sociala e la fel de eficace, si aflam mai multe despre doi din membrii Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service - Yuji, baiatul prin a carui papusa vorbeste un extraterestru, si Ao, sefa grupului, specialista in informatica si afaceri. Detaliile despre sistemul judiciar japonez si despre modul in care sunt executati condamnatii la moarte (incognito, fara ca familiile victimelor sa afle decat pst-factum) sunt interesante. Desenul isi face treaba, personajele sunt expresive, iar momentele de tensiune sunt tratate foarte simplu, aproape copilaros - dar simplitatea functioneaza, si Yamazaki dovedeste ca se pricepe la fel de bine la socuri brutale si la acumularea treptata a tensiunii.
O adolescenta are darul de a trezi mortii la viata (desi ar fi mai corect sa scriu "viata") si o firma de pompe funebre o exploateaza pentru a oferi un serviciu funerar... neobisnuit. Amestecul de umor si critica sociala e la fel de eficace, si aflam mai multe despre doi din membrii Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service - Yuji, baiatul prin a carui papusa vorbeste un extraterestru, si Ao, sefa grupului, specialista in informatica si afaceri. Detaliile despre sistemul judiciar japonez si despre modul in care sunt executati condamnatii la moarte (incognito, fara ca familiile victimelor sa afle decat pst-factum) sunt interesante. Desenul isi face treaba, personajele sunt expresive, iar momentele de tensiune sunt tratate foarte simplu, aproape copilaros - dar simplitatea functioneaza, si Yamazaki dovedeste ca se pricepe la fel de bine la socuri brutale si la acumularea treptata a tensiunii.
April 6, 2023
A book-length adventure has the Scooby team accidentally picking up the body of an executed convict and getting pulled into a swirl of the ramifications of homicide, with a look at the surviving families of the victims as well as the ostracized families of the murderers. The mix-up also puts the group at odds with a funeral home with an ominous way of doing business.
There's a lot going on, and the author takes some shortcuts with some pretty outrageous coincidences to make it all come together in a big, bloody confrontation, but I didn't mind since I'm still having fun learning about the characters.
I have the next volume on hand, so onward!
There's a lot going on, and the author takes some shortcuts with some pretty outrageous coincidences to make it all come together in a big, bloody confrontation, but I didn't mind since I'm still having fun learning about the characters.
I have the next volume on hand, so onward!
March 19, 2017
Unlike the first volume, this second volume is not broken up into three short stories. Otherwise, things remain pretty much the same. Since I have not suddenly become an expert in either Buddhism or Japan, this series does continue to be more novel then it really should be for me on a personal level.
I was eager to draw encouragement from the fact that the corpse central at the opening of this volume was male. Despite my rather feminist disgust with volume one, I do really hope that things will be interesting and progressive whenever I open up something new.
That said, the volume still managed to be a pretty cliche regurgitation of your basic damsel torture for shock value. Despite the fact that one of our corpses is female and one is male, the writer's treatment of them could not be more different. The male corpse is given every opportunity to act, destroy and avenge himself, while the female is only there to be knife fodder. On top of that the writer takes this opportunity to randomly turn one of the female cohort of main characters into a super dramatic victim. While some of the males have been the target of violence, they (like the male corpse) have not been victimized in the same way as this. Although that is probably the most subjective nuance in this review.
I still have two volumes out from the library, so here's to hope!
I was eager to draw encouragement from the fact that the corpse central at the opening of this volume was male. Despite my rather feminist disgust with volume one, I do really hope that things will be interesting and progressive whenever I open up something new.
That said, the volume still managed to be a pretty cliche regurgitation of your basic damsel torture for shock value. Despite the fact that one of our corpses is female and one is male, the writer's treatment of them could not be more different. The male corpse is given every opportunity to act, destroy and avenge himself, while the female is only there to be knife fodder. On top of that the writer takes this opportunity to randomly turn one of the female cohort of main characters into a super dramatic victim. While some of the males have been the target of violence, they (like the male corpse) have not been victimized in the same way as this. Although that is probably the most subjective nuance in this review.
I still have two volumes out from the library, so here's to hope!
February 7, 2019
Better than the first! Mostly deals with a creepy ceremony involving excecuted murderers. Interesting idea.
May 15, 2019
Not my usual cup of tea but i'm actually really enjoying this manga. Thanks Lou!
March 4, 2025
3.5 This volume has a singular story, and it was pretty solid. The result of the mystery was a bit more convuluted than it needed it be. But the introduction of a similar group working with the dead but from a different perspective adds to the world this is set in.
TLDR: lower than average tale, but has a greater impact on the themes of the overall series.
TLDR: lower than average tale, but has a greater impact on the themes of the overall series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2012
Business is slow for the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, and to make matters worse the local authorities have cancelled the annual sweep through the forest to search for suicide victims. They must lower themselves to becoming a general delivery service, but fortunately their first pick up is at a prison. where lax guards have inadvertently mixed the boxed remains of a murderer with the other trash they want taken away. The game is on.
Volume One introduced characters and put them through several different adventures. This time around we get one long, fantastically convoluted story involving a crooked, make that downright evil, funeral home; outrageous coincidences to link certain characters to the story; a little girl who can resuscitate the dead, only to find them lacking their souls (she must nor have seen Pet Sematary); and, some over-the-top gore. And I thought they couldn't show pubic hair in Japan.
Yes, another satisfying installment of what promises to be a most entertaining series.
Volume One introduced characters and put them through several different adventures. This time around we get one long, fantastically convoluted story involving a crooked, make that downright evil, funeral home; outrageous coincidences to link certain characters to the story; a little girl who can resuscitate the dead, only to find them lacking their souls (she must nor have seen Pet Sematary); and, some over-the-top gore. And I thought they couldn't show pubic hair in Japan.
Yes, another satisfying installment of what promises to be a most entertaining series.
October 2, 2015
Reread in preparation for the September manga episode of The Comics Alternative: http://comicsalternative.com/manga-re.... This second volume stands out in that it's one long sustained narrative arc, not a series of individual stories as you'll find in the first and third volumes. Of the first three volumes collected into the recently published ominous, this is the best.
November 24, 2008
This series is wild, and disturbing--yet keeps drawing me in with each story line and plot twist! Mature adults only. Seeking dead bodies, by fulfilling their last wishes...
Nudity. Graphic. Twisted. The person that murdered your family is put to death by the courts, but is you had a chance to kill the person again, by your hand--would you pay for it?
Is it morale to kill a dead person?
Nudity. Graphic. Twisted. The person that murdered your family is put to death by the courts, but is you had a chance to kill the person again, by your hand--would you pay for it?
Is it morale to kill a dead person?
September 14, 2015
¿Si te dieran la oportunidad de matar al asesino de tu hijo (padre/s, hermano/as, etc), pagarías por este servicio?
Este arco argumental que se lleva todo el volúmen dos es, si bien no tan entretenido o novedoso como el primero, un gran avance en cuanto a character development se refiere.
Si los siguientes siguen en este tono, será de mis series favoritas.
Este arco argumental que se lleva todo el volúmen dos es, si bien no tan entretenido o novedoso como el primero, un gran avance en cuanto a character development se refiere.
Si los siguientes siguen en este tono, será de mis series favoritas.
October 13, 2020
I'm beginning a notice a certain exploitative genre preference in the gent who recommends manga to me.
May 8, 2021
Personalmente, me entristece que la muerte sea algo que a estas alturas haya perdido tanto valor en el cine o en la literatura. Estamos tan acostumbrados a cruzarnos con personajes que mueren o que incluso son partícipes de grandes masacres y no se mueve nada dentro de nosotros cuando, precisamente, la muerte es el recurso último del drama, o al menos eso es lo que intentó demostrar Shakespeare tantas veces.
En otras palabras: nos estamos cagando constantemente en Shakespeare.
Los zombies, tan torpes y tan aterradores, en realidad son un chiste para lo que supone la muerte y nunca me ha parecido que rocen siquiera el terror. Porque los sustos no son terror. Los sustos son un género distinto.
Un fallecimiento pone en jaque a familiares y amigos. Hace que el mundo de muchísimas personas se tambalee simplemente porque falta una persona.
Aquí no hay zombies. Aquí hay muertos con contexto.
Después de leer el primer tomo, pensaba que iba a encontrarme unos episodios muy iguales. Pero este tomo abarca todo un caso por completo y trata un tema interesante.
Una cárcel envía a sus condenados a muerte recién ejecutados a una empresa. Esta empresa tiene a una chiquina que puede resucitar a los muertos, y entonces la familia de las personas que este asesino ha matado puede expresarles sus sentimientos.
Los sentimientos: acuchillarlos en venganza mientras lo sujetan unas correas a una pared.
En otras palabras: nos estamos cagando constantemente en Shakespeare.
Los zombies, tan torpes y tan aterradores, en realidad son un chiste para lo que supone la muerte y nunca me ha parecido que rocen siquiera el terror. Porque los sustos no son terror. Los sustos son un género distinto.
Un fallecimiento pone en jaque a familiares y amigos. Hace que el mundo de muchísimas personas se tambalee simplemente porque falta una persona.
Aquí no hay zombies. Aquí hay muertos con contexto.
Después de leer el primer tomo, pensaba que iba a encontrarme unos episodios muy iguales. Pero este tomo abarca todo un caso por completo y trata un tema interesante.
Una cárcel envía a sus condenados a muerte recién ejecutados a una empresa. Esta empresa tiene a una chiquina que puede resucitar a los muertos, y entonces la familia de las personas que este asesino ha matado puede expresarles sus sentimientos.
Los sentimientos: acuchillarlos en venganza mientras lo sujetan unas correas a una pared.
April 15, 2018
While the episodic nature of the first volume of Kurosagi was definitely engaging, it was nice to see a somewhat longer story arc in this one. This volume gives us a better feel for Yata (and his puppet/alien), as well as a look into Sasaki's past that I for one, certainly wasn't expecting. And the way all this character exploration ties into a funeral home and the dark secrets it's hiding, feels very natural, because it's providing backstory while continuing to advance the plot.
And what a disturbing plot it is. Without spoiling anything, I'll just say that Kurosagi continues to not pull any punches, in its depictions of death, and themes of grief, survivor's guilt, and revenge. If you like your paranormal mysteries presented with a side of the unflinchingly grotesque, The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service should be right up your alley.
And what a disturbing plot it is. Without spoiling anything, I'll just say that Kurosagi continues to not pull any punches, in its depictions of death, and themes of grief, survivor's guilt, and revenge. If you like your paranormal mysteries presented with a side of the unflinchingly grotesque, The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service should be right up your alley.
August 28, 2024
"The perennial flaw in our business plan is reaching our customer base. It's difficult to attract clients when your clients are busy attracting flies."
I really like the whole sense of humor this series operates with. Honestly, people that work these kinds of morbid jobs have some of the darkest and most ridiculous senses of humor. It's totally on brand. (Props to Ellis the puppet for some stellar comments this volume. I'm looking forward to finding out what he really is!)
This was volume tackled an overarching plotline about Sasaki's history and the logistics of murdering someone who is already dead. When I reached the end, I enjoyed how senseless it all really was. Death doesn't always have meaning. Sometimes, people just suck...
A very enjoyable read. (I love the attack cat! And Yata's "weapon.") 4/5
I really like the whole sense of humor this series operates with. Honestly, people that work these kinds of morbid jobs have some of the darkest and most ridiculous senses of humor. It's totally on brand. (Props to Ellis the puppet for some stellar comments this volume. I'm looking forward to finding out what he really is!)
This was volume tackled an overarching plotline about Sasaki's history and the logistics of murdering someone who is already dead. When I reached the end, I enjoyed how senseless it all really was. Death doesn't always have meaning. Sometimes, people just suck...
A very enjoyable read. (I love the attack cat! And Yata's "weapon.") 4/5
September 12, 2019
4.5 stars
This volume starts off with a mistake while handling a corpse and still going with the introduction of our 5 main characters, this time we got to know more about the mastermind behind the company, Sasaki & Yata, the guy whose hand channeling alien.
Apparently, I've read this before because it felt like a reread to me. Also, it's really short! Despite the gory and all, I like this better than the previous volume. Can't wait for more!!
June 3, 2020
The story caught some depth and it really seems that the author has big plans for the characters. I don't read mangas usually, im more of a Vertigo Comics fan, but this title started to grow on me and I can't let it go until i read the last page. At the end of this volume, the author left some notes and it sheds light on what the essence of this manga is.
It's beautiful.
It's beautiful.
May 13, 2022
4.5/5 Interesting switch from focusing on several different corpse stories to one central one. I enjoyed the depth and development of the storyline. It made me understand more about the main characters and more invested in the story. There's more gore and blood in this volume than the previous one, but you knew what you came for.
February 8, 2025
This volume was engaging and the overall storyline good, however it was a bit convoluted as well as some of the events a bit too ‘convenient’ in their timing and how they events needed to get to the end result involved the members of the delivery service. I am interested to see where they can take the premise of the overall story.
May 31, 2018
This one had a single story that carried on from the end of the last book throughout this one. It was an engaging, unique story, and ofc quirky. The horror here was less jump scares and more psychological.
October 8, 2018
Another great installment of this horror manga series. Loved the revenge idea. Art it's definitely creepy. Same great characters of the Kurosagi corpse squad. Glad to see more backstory of one of the characters. Will happily continue this series.
May 26, 2025
Vol 2 definitely took a darker turn and hit on some interesting questions around closure and revenge. I have a feeling the next vol will continue the getting darker trend - looking forward to where it takes me.
August 18, 2017
Loved it but, the ending was confusing and I didn't really enjoy that part.
November 16, 2017
Fun. Different take on a horror comic. Will definitely keep reading the series.
July 12, 2018
A little more convoluted than the previous volume but the unusual tone is keeping me in
August 6, 2018
Good. More pls
February 6, 2019
Full Review: http://bit.ly/2Tv9ZxT
Darker and more uncomfortable than the first volume, but nonetheless a compelling story that left me wanting more.
Darker and more uncomfortable than the first volume, but nonetheless a compelling story that left me wanting more.
November 13, 2020
Art 1000% improved and I still adore the story, wanted to read this for years and I'm super happy I get to now.
October 10, 2021
The corpse delivery team gets involved in a scheme involving executed murderers.
This was fine, but not good enough that I want to continue reading in the series.
This was fine, but not good enough that I want to continue reading in the series.
August 3, 2023
(3.5)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews