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After being struck by a car, Nanaki Shunsuke starts experiencing bizarre occurrences. He is soon approached by a young man named Ao, who reveals that Nanaki has been unknowingly sending him telepathic messages. The accident appears to have awakened some form of supernatural abilities within Nanaki.
Though hesitant at first, Nanaki eventually agrees to join LOCK, the Paranormal Investigations Agency, and teams up with Ao to tackle various supernatural cases. However, Nanaki's powers are unpredictable, and Ao seems to harbor significant mistrust and annoyance towards his new partner, making Nanaki's new role particularly challenging. As they work together in their severely understaffed LOCK branch, they find ways to collaborate effectively, aiming to avoid getting each other killed in the process.
Included one-shot:
Volume 3: Divine: Bokura wa Hikari wo Mita
Chou Shinri Genshou Nouryokusha Nanaki was published in English as Psychic Power Nanaki by Tokyopop from November 1, 2007, to July 8, 2008.
Are you someone who revels in deep, thrilling mystery stories with unpredictable plot twists and clever setups but finds themselves tired of the same old Sherlock Holmes or Detective Conan narratives? Well, this manga might not be your cup of tea. However, if you're looking for a light-hearted mystery that doesn't mind blending in various themes and clichés (and you have a soft spot for short guys with long hair and grumpy attitudes), then you're in luck.
"Chou Shinri Genshou Nouryokusha Nanaki" (or simply Nanaki) is essentially a softcore mystery manga with supernatural elements. Given its short series length, I decided to savor it over three weeks instead of binge-reading it in one night—a habit I'm often guilty of with other manga. To my surprise, I enjoyed it far more than I initially anticipated, though I was quite disappointed by the seemingly "unfinished" nature of the entire manga (more on this later).
When we first meet Nanaki, he's your typical high school manga protagonist who enjoys flirting unsuccessfully with any girl he sees and being an overall lazy slacker. He survived a freak car accident, emerging with newly acquired psychic powers demonstrated through his remote destruction of a building. Enter Kudou Ao, whom I like to call "The Token Cryptic Bastard," who approaches Nanaki claiming he had been receiving telepathic messages from him and that Nanaki is a "PSI Nouryokusha"—basically, your average high school protagonist with fancy psychic abilities.
When I stumbled upon this manga, I was also reading another work by Saenagi Ryou. If you know me, you'll understand that I’m a huge fan of the late 90’s-2000’s SLAYERS-esque art style, so when I saw the cover art for Saenagi’s work, I was immediately smitten. Nanaki was one of three of her works licensed in English by the infamous Tokyopop, and it's the only one fully available online. Spanning three volumes, a fast reader could finish it in a couple of hours, yet it manages to be satisfying despite its brevity.
The story itself is quite engaging. Granted, the cases aren't overly complex, aside from some tricky occult discussions and psychic phenomena, but that's about it. It's accessible enough for anyone aged 12 and up to enjoy and continue reading through the books. After a few chapters, you'll realize there isn't much WOW factor, but all characters, even the minor ones, are likable enough to keep you engaged in their world.
There was significant potential for the LOCK agency to develop into its own cool little universe, exploring events such as what happened to Ao's former partner or whether he could recover (subtly hinted at but never elaborated). Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, this manga suffers from a severe case of rushed storytelling and unfinished business. The series should have ideally spanned six or seven volumes to allow proper development without cramming new characters and twists quickly forgotten in subsequent chapters.
The strongest indicator of the manga's incomplete state is the "Warbler’s Song," introduced as a lullaby sung to Nanaki by his mother in a flashback and later found on a piece of paper held by the enigmatic "Doku." You'd think this recurring element would tie up loose ends, but no—it's barely mentioned again, not even in the abrupt ending. Quite anticlimactic, but the author noted the story was originally planned to be even shorter, so perhaps it's better than nothing. Still, it leaves one wondering why it couldn't be longer.
The artwork is beautiful. Saenagi Ryou is a very skilled mangaka with a unique way of constructing character designs and expressions that make you pause and admire every detail of each panel. Another noteworthy aspect is her characters' androgynous appearance, neither radicalized nor fetishized—her males don’t always look entirely masculine, and her females don’t always look entirely feminine. This allows you to focus more on their personalities regardless of gender.
This brings me to the characters themselves. All were great, major or minor. The villains weren't always menacing or convincing, which some might find cheesy, but it didn't bother me much. Fans seemed enamored with Ao, but I leaned towards Nanaki. His development was my favorite part, done well for his type. His "transformation" scene left me speechless. I knew it was coming, just not how brutal it would be. I loved how subtly the relationship between Ao and Nanaki grew, evident by the end where they clearly valued each other without explicit declarations.
That's the essence of Saenagi’s stories; most feature all-male leads, lack female love interests, and yet avoid labels like "shounen-ai." Her protagonists share profound unspoken bonds without fanservice or "teases." They’re important to each other without needing to kiss, blush, or act friendly to prove it. That’s exactly true for Nanaki and Ao.
In conclusion, if Nanaki had been longer, it could've been an amazing series, possibly earning a perfect score from me. Not that it's less good as is, but that sudden ending and lack of closure disappoint eager readers. What it lacks in completeness, it makes up for with lovely art, a compelling plot, and cool characters. It's more of an appetizer than a full course meal; it satisfies initially but leaves you craving more. Regardless, paranormal themes enhance any good mystery story.
Also, Kudou Ao could out-investigate Kudo Shinichi any day (sorry, Jimmy).
Okay... so Psychic Power Nanaki is the first manga series (can you call a 3-volume manga a series?) I bought. The ART was pretty good, nothing that "popped" out to me, except maybe Ao xD he-he Story! Honestly? It's sorta cliff-hanging. Firstly, the warbler thing? IT DIDN'T HAVE ANY EXPLANATION. It's like they cut the manga waay earlier than they should've (which is probably true xD) Character... well, three volumes ain't enough to develop the characters, I think they focused more on Nanaki's then suddenly Ao's Enjoyment I enjoyed it pretty well, except that I was thinking WHY IN THE WORLD DID IT END? xD It was nice, y'know till it ended abruptly OVERALL Ahhh... it was a good time-waster xD but it woud've been better if they hadn't ended it, maybe 5 or 6 more volumes?