Genre Horror
Age Rating 18+
Price $10.95

Publisher's summary of volume from the back cover:

Collecting can take over a fan's life . . . but what if it takes over their death as well? Zombie robot otaku and plastic-surgery disasters are only the latest faces of horror as Kurosagi continues its eternal struggle to turn corpses into cash! Yet with Kuro trapped in a coma and seeing visions of the dark forces battling over him, it's up to the rest of the gang to survive the grotesque schemes of the Shirosagi pair . . . as dead flesh reaches for the living!

There's a definite shift in terms of pacing with this volume of Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. Whereas most of the previous volumes featured episodic stories, this manga has a cliffhanger continuity although it doesn't go beyond the book. I definitely appreciated this change as there's only so far episodic stories can continue to hook you.

There are three stories in Vol. 7: the first part is regular Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service fare as you have a bizarre case that eventually gets solved by the end of the chapter. The next story arc, spanning two chapters, is perhaps meaty in the sense that it draws upon the events in the previous volume. We learn more about Karatsu's enigmatic specter and the Shirosagi group finally establishes itself as a genuine threat. Suffice to say, this arc had much suspense and featured genuine danger, especially considering the group's most "powerful" member has been taken out.

The last story arc is three chapters long and follows a detective manga vibe as there's been a mysterious murder during a film set and it's up to the group to find the killer. There's a couple of pop culture references here and while this narrative is longer than the one that preceded it, the atmosphere is significantly lighter although no less compelling. It gives readers ample breathing room at the same time giving them something longer and more fruitful.

As usual, Yamazaki's art is impressive although there are less outright grotesque scenes here. Instead, there's a bigger reliance on subtlety as the second story arc is just as disgusting as any of the previous volumes but instead of corpses, what is presented is something different. The last story arc also features dead bodies significantly although again, it isn't as experimental compared to the other volumes.

Overall, I like the direction Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service is heading and this volume takes it to another level that elevates it beyond the Scooby Doo gang.

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