[BOOK REVIEW] Rin-ne Volume 4 by Rumiko Takahashi

Title:  Rin-ne Volume 4


Author:  Rumiko Takahashi


Genre: Horror / Adventure / Comedy / School


Year Published: 2009


Year Read: 2015


Series: Rin-ne #4


Publisher: VIZ Media


Source:  Library


Content Rating:  Ages 10+ (Some Language)


Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

After reading the first three volumes of Rumiko Takahashi’s newest series “Rin-Ne,” I was wondering what major plot twist would happen in the later volumes that would help get this series off on its feet.  Then, I read the fourth volume of “Rin-Ne,” which actually introduced a character who might change the events of the “Rin-Ne” universe forever!

 Uh oh!  Poor Rinne ends up catching a cold from Rokumon and is bedridden!  Not only that, but a mysterious stranger pays Rinne a house call and it turns out to be Rinne’s sleazy father Sabato Rokudo, who is the president of the evil Damashigami Company!  Now that Sabato had caused Rinne to be in a massive debt, Rinne will have to defeat him in the afterlife!

Will Rinne be able to defeat his father?

Read this volume to find out!

Now, when I mentioned that this volume might change the direction of the series, I never would have thought that Rinne’s father would be introduced so early in the series!  Rumiko Takahashi did a fantastic job at throwing a curveball at the audience as not only is Rinne’s father introduced so early on in the series, but the fact that Sabato is actually the president of the evil Damashigami Company, implying that Rinne’s father is actually evil, was really shocking to me!  I was also surprised to see that it was Sabato who caused Rinne to be in so much financial debt in the first place and now I am interested to see where Rinne’s relationship with his father will go in future volumes and whether or not it would lead to them reconciling with each other or killing each other, if the series goes in a darker direction.  I will admit that having Rinne’s father introduced as the president of the Damashigami Company without any foreshadowing in the previous volumes was a bit odd for me as I would have liked it better if they had established the Damashigami as a threat prior to this volume, but at the same time, it sort of worked out for me because this event came out of nowhere and really made the twist worthwhile!  Rumiko Takahashi’s artwork is as usual a treat to look at as the images of the Damashigamis in the afterlife were extremely creative to look at and there is one surprise image of a large panda who attends Rinne’s (supposed) inauguration in the Damashigami Company that would leave a smile on faces of anyone who is a fan of “Ranma ½!”

For those of you who are not fond of reading manga that has language in it, this volume does have some language that the previous volumes did not have before, even though the language in this volume is not as strong as some darker manga.  Also, I did have a bit of a problem with how Rinne’s father was introduced in this volume as being the president of the evil Damashigami Company.  I kind of wished that they would have developed the Damashigami as a much bigger threat in the earlier volumes so that way, it would make the revelation about Rinne’s father being the president of this company even more shocking.  Or maybe they could have dropped some hints about Rinne’s father and what he was like in the past volumes just so when the volume that introduces him actually comes, the mystery surrounding Rinne’s father would be solved in an exciting and shocking way.

Overall, “Rin-Ne Volume Four” is a fantastic volume that introduces even more mysteries to the world of “Rin-Ne” and what it would mean for the characters in the future volumes!