▪	RELEASED BY:		TOKYOPOP
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		RYO SAENAGI
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / B&W
		▪	PAGES:		207
		▪	RATING:		T
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		11/13/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		11/13/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		CHRISTOPHER SEAMAN

Nanaki has just survived a car accident.  That alone should change his life, and his outlook on the world around him.  But nooo…that in itself is not enough.  This is manga.  Therefore, Nanaki must have something happen to him that really changes his view of things.  In the case of this manga, he gains mysterious powers that can have literally move the world around him.  When he gets angry, things break.  When he gets upset, things fly.  It is not being Nanaki on a good day.  Now he has this to deal with too, things can only get worse, right?

Well…yes and no.  In PSYCHIC POWER NANAKI, the day is saved by the Paranormal Task Force, which recruits Nanaki to help them solve mysteries involving the bizarre and supernatural goings on in the area around them.  He is given a partner/mentor to help him, a striking fellow named Ao, who has the ability to control his powers and keep Nanaki in line as a new recruit.  So, imagine this as a kind of buddy cop story like LETHAL WEAPON, or STARSKY AND HUTCH, mixed in with some such thing like THE X-FILES.  These two opposites are sent on cases that will certainly test their skills, but what is lacking here is the philosophical tension that existed between Scully and Mulder- the skeptic and the believer.  In this case, these two have long passed the boundaries of improbability and have embraced the paranormal ‘realities’ in the world as easily as they have accepted their own gifts.  What tension that does exist is based on the idea that these guys just don’t really get along.  Ao is a loner, and Nanaki is just annoying to him.  So, with this fresh approach, we know quickly in this manga that things are going to get lively really fast. 

For example, in one case, the two are chasing ghosts that have attacked at a local high school.  One teacher seems to be the target, and he definitely has a connection to the events, and to a dead girl who might be the source of the trouble.  Nanaki is the more aggressive of the two in this investigation, and that often creates more trouble than he solves for the pair.  It also becomes apparent that Ao is not thrilled about having Nanaki for a partner.  But as he has no choice, and before he can do anything about it, the two are sent on another mission to a haunted apartment complex to seek out the source of the bumps in the night.  Clearly, there seems to be no time to object to the working relationship when ‘real’ problems are facing the unwary tenants in the complex.  Are objects in the playground possessed with spirits?  Or is there someone possessing the soul of a young boy living in the area?  Can the two solve the mystery before anything really awful happens?  In between cases, Nanaki receives much needed training at the hands o his new mentors, and more often than not ends up flat on his behind in embarrassment.  He has much to learn, but shows he also has much to offer the new people in his life.

The tone in this manga is kept light from beginning to end.  This is not a deep story, nor is it meant to be at this point.  In the postscript, the author indicates this is really the foundation work for something bigger, and it shows.  You will be treated to solidly written short stories with a definite beginning, middle and end.  The dynamics between the characters are developed incrementally with each tale and nothing is given up quickly in terms of what larger stories may be taking place between the lines.  As things are, this is a typical work of the genre that will likely earn some fans from the outset based as much on the author’s previous success as the creator of works like SATISFACTION GUARANTEED and SEQUENCE!  Where it goes from here is anyone’s guess, but it will be definitely worth seeing in the second volume how the interplay between Nanaki and Ao will shape the action in the mysteries ahead.

IN SUMMARY:
PSYCHIC POWER NANAKI is a rollicking mix of psychic magic and kinetic mayhem that introduces readers to the newest dynamic duo in the paranormal world- Nanaki and Ao.  Prepare to have your spirits- and a whole lot more- lifted in this action adventure story from Ryo Saenagi, creator of SATISFACTION GUARANTEED and SEQUENCE!