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Meet Kantarou, a folklore scholar residing in the Taisho period. Since childhood, he has possessed the unique ability to see and converse with spirits. Now that Kantarou is an adult, he works part-time as an exorcist, resolving the dilemmas of ghosts and demons—with the assistance of Haruka, a legendary tengu known for devouring demons.
(Source: Tokyopop)
Tactics had eight volumes released in English by Tokyopop from April 3, 2007, to December 29, 2009, before the company ceased operations. Prior to this, ADV Manga had published the first two volumes from October 26, 2004, to May 1, 2005, but they also became defunct shortly after.
In the digital realm, A-Net Digital LLC published three volumes from December 15, 2010, to February 23, 2011. Additionally, volumes 1 to 12 were briefly available on JManga until their closure in May 2013.
The ADV translation is terrible—TokyoPop's version is superior (and they even got the characters' genders right!). Kantarou is a college graduate, while Haruka and Sugino, who have wings, are tengu. Youko is a fox spirit, and Muu’s nature remains unclear. The manga is far more intricate than the anime, with better-developed and much more intriguing characters. Kantarou is a cunning and tough little guy—you can never predict his next move (other than avoiding real work). Haruka is deeply complex—emotionally scarred, prone to temper tantrums (he tends to be rough on things like cars and buildings), but also shy and uncertain of himself. It’s fascinating to watch him gradually rediscover himself and try to figure out how to fit into his new world (after all, he was sealed away for 1,000 years, so almost everything is new and confusing). The villains are appropriately villainous (one seems barely sane), secrets and general sneakiness abound, and there are many hidden depths. To me, the best part is the continuous evolution of the various relationships between characters—everyone has hidden depths and complexities that sometimes really surprise you. There's plenty of action, lots of plot twists, supernatural occurrences, bishies, and some interesting Japanese culture, mythology, and history served up enjoyably on the side. A fun read—it keeps you wanting more!
By far, this is one of my all-time favorite manga. The entire series is vastly underrated! As is often the case, the manga outshines the anime by a considerable margin. Watching Haruka's character development as he grapples with his past memories is incredibly captivating. Kantarou’s evolution is even more compelling because we get glimpses of a side of him that he seems to keep hidden, and it's not a positive one. I've fallen in love with every single character. Suzu appears only in the anime, not the manga, which, frankly, makes me somewhat glad since her presence detracted from the overall experience. In the manga, there's much more depth and interaction between the two main protagonists and Youko. I desperately wish the rest of the manga would be published in America; I've been left hanging on a cliffhanger for so long!
Tldr; Admired for its outstanding character design and development, criticized for its lack of publication in the U.S.