Meet Kantarou, a folklore scholar living in the Taisho period. Ever since he was a child, he has been able to see and talk to various spirits. But now that Kantarou's all grown up, he moonlights as an exorcist solving the problems of ghosts and demons...all with the help of Haruka, the legendary demon-eating tengu!

Throw in some supernatural elements, a bit of Japanese mythology, and plenty of pretty boys...and you guessed it--the manga that influenced the popular anime begins right here!

Haruka        
The so-called Demon-Eating Tengu. Freed from imprisonment by Kantarou, his new name also gives Kantarou control over him. Kantarou is a bit of an abusive master at times (dresses Haruka up in silly clothes, gets him drunk, etc.), and Haruka is always getting him out of scrapes, only to be rewarded with Kantarou forbidding Haruka to follow his calling, and eat other demons (who are often Kantarou's friends!). He reeeeeally loves his tea bowl. 

Youko       
A female fox-spirit who Kantarou has befriended and now works as a maid in his household. She's constantly frustrated by Kantarou's lazy refusal to turn in his academic articles on time, and thus earn money for the eternally impoverished household. 
   
Kantarou Ichinomiya       
A folklore scholar, Kantarou has been been able to see and talk to various demons and spirits ever since he was a child. His lifelong dream was to find the famous "Demon-Eating Tengu," a mythical figure of almost legendary proportions, and to become his friend. Somewhat to everyone's surprise, Kantarou succeeds in his quest. 

From the author of the hit series, Detective Loki Ragnarok!

Three things tactics editor Lillian loves:
1920s fashion
Pretty boys with wings
Wacky comedy

Lucky for me, tactics combines all of these, with a heavy dose of Japanese culture and folklore along with it. Co-created by Sakura Kinoshita and Kazuko Higashiyama (who share both writing and artistic duties!), this series is a a big heap of fun.

Kantarou, our selfish, snarky, self-absorbed hero, is a folklore scholar and  "youkai buster," who, when he isn't writing academic papers and low-selling books, goes around and helps solve mysterious goings on. He's aided by his youkai friends/servants, Youko, a fox spirit, and Haruka, the great demon-eating tengu, said to be the most powerful of all youkai creatures.

Unfortunately, Kantarou's fondness for puns, his quirky mannerisms, and the past that Haruka can't quite remember, have a tendency to get them into a lot of trouble. This series is completely charming and cute, with just enough angst and depth to keep things interesting! Check it out!

~Lillian Diaz-Przybyl, Editor