About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

When an elementary school teacher dies under mysterious circumstances, a brawny detective goes undercover in the classroom. All seems normal, but one of his students can see 'monsters' -- or at least horrific images that represent the inner torment that each student endures.

You might not think so by looking at its cover, but Deka Kyoshi offers a likeable mix of supernatural suspense, cop-in-the-classroom comedy and episodic melodrama about a classroom of troubled students; kind of like a mix between The Sixth Sense, Kindergarten Cop and Great Teacher Onizuka.



Pros

• Striking use of supernatural themes to depict preteen problems like bullying and self-mutilation
• Mixes suspense, horror and comedy for surprisingly uplifting stories about teachers helping students
• Straight-forward art that conveys the story clearly and simply

Cons

• Seems best suited for younger teens, but occasionally grotesque imagery pushes it to older teen turf
• An interesting, teen series that's ill-served by its non-descriptive Japanese title and cover art

Description

• Original Title:Deka Kyoushi (Japan)
• Author & Artist: Tamio Baba
• Publishers:
  • CMX Manga (US)
  • Flex Comix (Japan)
• ISBN: 978-1401218904
• Cover Price: $9.99 US / $12.99 CANADA
• Age Rating:OT – Older Teens, Age 16+ for bullying, wrist-cutting, mild violence
  More about content ratings.
• Manga Genres:
  • Shonen (Boys') Manga
  • Drama
  • Mystery / Suspense
  • Paranormal / Supernatural
• US Publication Date: November 2009
  Japan Publication Date: December 2006
• Book Description: 162 pages, black and white illustrations

Guide Review - Deka Kyoshi Volume 1

An elementary school teacher dies under mysterious circumstances, so Detective Toyama is assigned to investigate. Tall and brawny Toyama is an unlikely choice to be an undercover classroom cop, but his students aren't exactly typical either.

Almost immediately, one student catches Toyama's attention: Makoto Miyahara. Makoto is a shy, sensitive lad who has a special ability: he can see 'monsters' -- or at least the monstrous manifestations of his classmates' fears. The school nurse describes Makoto's visions as a form of synethesia, or "seeing emotions as visual metaphors," so Toyama takes to calling Makoto's monster visions as "synthes."

With the help of Toyama, Makoto learns to deal with his supernatural sight, and the pair team up to discover why more and more of Shimizu-sensei's students seem to be troubled by synthes. Kazuya's synthe appears when he shoplifts. Aya's synthe represents her habit of wrist cutting, and Naoki's synthe appears when he bullies Makoto.

After the initial introductions, each chapter in this first volume of Deka Kyoshi introduces another student in Shimizu-sensei's class, and their respective problems. With the help of Detective Toyama, the school nurse and Makoto, each kid faces and overcomes their fears. But lurking in the background is a mysterious boy who seems to manipulating the students and teachers' emotions -- who is he, and how is he involved with Shimizu-sensei's death?

With its mix of supernatural suspense, cop-in-the-classroom comedy and episodic melodrama about a classroom of troubled students, Deka Kyoshi is kind of like the mutant lovechild of The Sixth Sense, Kindergarten Cop and Great Teacher Onizuka.

Mind you, it works for the most part, but it's a shame that this story may not reach the audience who would most appreciate and relate to its message: younger teens and tweens. Why? Three things keep this series from its target audience.

1) Its subject matter and age rating.
Because it tackles controversial subjects like self-mutilation and bullying, and includes a few strong images that might shock sensitive younger readers, Deka Kyoshi has an OT - Older Teen label, designating it as suitable for readers age 16 and older.

2) Its cover art.
With its cover illustration of the teacher-cop and his smiling student, would you suspect that this series tackles the subjects I just described or that it's a supernatural suspense drama-comedy?

3) Its Japanese title.
And what the heck does "Deka Kyoshi" mean to a reader who doesn't know Japanese? Is that the name of one of the characters? Nope. While the meaning of the title may become apparent in later volumes, this cryptic Japanese title represents a lost opportunity to intrigue potential readers.

Otherwise, Deka Kyoshi has several things going for it: simple, but straight-forward storytelling, likeable characters and a pleasant mix of teen-friendly drama and comedy. Overall, a solid read that's worth checking out, despite those three reasons why you might not.



Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.