Taimashin

    (ADV Manga, 2004)
™ and © 2001 Hideyuki Kikuchi/Misaki Saito

Dr. Taima, a master acupuncturist, doubles as a literal master of evil, able to evict those possessed with demons by the judicious application of his taimashin, extremely long, nasty-looking needles that can literally work miracles.

Together with his attractive assistant, Maki (in a nice twist Taima is even prettier and gets all the unwanted male attention), they’re dispatched to exorcise a rich man that’s been mutated into an aquatic flesh eater, but just as that case gets started, Taima’s off to America.

It’s in Dunwich, Mass., where we learn that the horrific “Asian” monsters are really The Old Ones straight out of H.P. Lovecraft who are bent on returning to Earth, but they’re no match for the doctor’s flashing needles.

Make no mistake: from the genuinely unsettling creatures to the demon dog that does unspeakably nasty things with his six-foot tongue, this is extremely dark, visceral stuff with a sexually charged component. In other words, it makes for the perfect antidote to the glut of romantic comedies that’s currently on the market.

— S.A. Bennett
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