Yakushiji Ryōko no Kaiki Jikenbo

Yakushiji Ryōko no Kaiki Jikenbo (薬師寺涼子の怪奇事件簿) is a series that consist of the TV anime, manga and light novels created by Yoshiki Tanaka and illustrated by Narumi Kakinouchi. Two Drama CDs had also been released prior to the anime adaptation with different seiyū from the CD and the TV version.

The series centers around Ryōko Yakushiji, an elite police officer with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department who had graduated from Tokyo University under its Law Faculty. She is involved with her subordinate Junichirō Izumida as they investigate cases that pertain to the paranormal and supernatural when and if they cannot be investigated with modern science.

As the light novels, manga, drama CDs and anime adaptation have different plots and paranormal events/creatures, their central plots are most of the time different from each other.

Plot
Ryōko Yakushiji, a Superintendent in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and a graduate of Tokyo University's Law Faculty and a multilingual person, works with Junichirō Izumida to investigate seemingly paranormal, supernatural or bizarre events that get involved in criminal cases. Ryōko works with her colleagues and subordinates, including her rival Yukiko Muromachi, alongside JACES security forces personnel and her personal maids Lucienne and Marianne to resolve the cases before they go out of hand.

Main
Ryōko Yakushiji (薬師寺涼子)
 * (TV)
 * (Drama CD)


 * An officer in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department who had graduated from Tokyo University's Law Faculty, she can speak in several languages including French. Her father, Hiroko Yakushiji, is the head of the multinational security company JACES. Her rank is Superintendent and the supervisor of Junichirō Izumida. She is quite an adept fighter, be it with firearms or bare hands. Ryōko doesn't hesistate to use JACES assets if necessary to help her in her work. She is called Oryo by Yukiko. She's 27 years old.


 * Her grandfather, Masamoto Yakushiji, was the founder of the Japanese Empire Security Service. She has an older sister named Kimeko Yakushiji.

Junichirō Izumida (泉田準一郎)
 * (TV)
 * (Drama CD)


 * A non-career police officer with the rank of Assistant Inspector, he is assigned under Ryōko Yakushiji. Unknown to him, Ryōko is infatuated with him and has tried to get his attention. Like his superior, Izumida can fight with either firearms or with bare hands and feet. He's 33 years old.


 * He is also the narrator for the entire series.

Yukiko Muromachi (室町由紀子)
 * (TV)
 * (Drama CD)


 * A rival of Ryōko since their college days, she is also a Superintendent in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department based at the Public Security Bureau. Her subordinate is Akira Kishimoto. Being the daughter of a former career police officer, she refuses to use her family ties to help her in her Superintendent duties. Ryōko calls her Oyuki.


 * She is also 27 years old like Ryōko.

Akira Kishimoto (岸本明)
 * (TV)
 * (Drama CD)


 * He is also an officer like Izumida with the rank of Assistant Inspector under Muromachi, but he also happens to be an anime/manga otaku and looks up to Ryōko. He's 23 years old.

Allies
Satomi Kaizuka (貝塚さとみ)


 * A uniformed officer in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, she is responsible for mostly handling clerical works under Ryōko.

Mario Abe (阿部真理夫)


 * A colleague of Ryōko and Izumida's.

Inspector Maruoka (丸岡警部)
 * (TV)
 * (Drama CD)


 * An old man who is a detective under Ryoko.

Lucienne (リュシエンヌ)


 * One of Ryōko's maids from France. A blonde-haired girl, she is an expert in hacking though she can handle firearms.

Marianne (マリアンヌ)


 * Another of Ryōko's maids from France. A short black-haired girl, she is an expert in handling all kinds of small arms.

Yakushiji Family
Kinuko Yakushiji (薬師寺絹子)


 * Older sister of Ryoko. Ryōko calls her Okinu. She's 29 years old.

Hiroko Yakushiji (薬師寺弘毅)


 * Father of Ryoko and Kinuko. Nothing is known about him, except that he is the head of the JACES security company.

Masamoto Yakushiji (薬師寺正基)


 * The main founder of the Japanese Empire Security Service, known as JACES, and grandfather of Kinuko and Ryoko Yakushiji.

Antagonists
Ruriko Isurugi (石動瑠璃子)


 * A woman who has influence within Shiba. She appears to know Ryoko on a personal basis. She is also the true head of the Japan Private Police. Ruriko is seemingly ageless, having been alive after through World War II and was a co-founder of the Japanese Empire Security Service with Ryoko's grandfather Masamoto Yakushiji before she diverged and created JPP originally with the intent of reestablish a true Japanese military using a security company as a cover.

Kazuma Nonagase (野長瀬一馬)




 * An aide to Ryoko in JACES, he is also a double agent working on behalf of JPP.

Others
Monami (もなみ)


 * Merely a perfect copy of the original Ryōko Yakushiji after failing Hangon and modern cloning procedures twice, she was being used by Ruriko as a means of taking control of JACES from the entire Yakushiji family. Over time, Monami decides to join with Ryōko due to her feelings for Junichiro. Her name (given by Lucienne, Marianne, Junichirō and Ryōko) means "My friend" (mon ami).


 * At the end of the series, she was seen placed under Ryōko's custody and even has Marianne and Lucienne keep an eye on her.

Rogues
The following are rogues monsters/creatures that have appeared in the anime:


 * Giant Snake
 * Making its appearance in the Babylon building in Ginza, it was created as a result of ingesting various growth hormones. It died when the building was destroyed in an explosion.


 * Wisps
 * It's not known how they appeared, but they had apparently showed up in the digital copies of the journalists' cameras.


 * Unknown Alpha Human
 * Created as a result of combining human sperm/egg cells with DNA from an unknown prehistoric human, it resulted in the creation of a monstrous alpha human that killed several yakuza assassins before it would die of rapid cell degeneration.


 * Centipede Robot
 * A counter-terrorist robot created by the JPP, it went rogue after a traffic accident result in an altercation of its defense systems that recognizes anyone with a dangerous object as an enemy. Ryoko defeats it by shooting its main sensor. It was later used by the JPP as a means of eliminating Ryoko and Junichiro.


 * Mutant Mangrove Seeds
 * Said to be caused by secret experiments of JPP scientists, they were able to possess Ryojin Tadomura and a faction of the JPP before Marianne destroys the mutant mangrove tree with napalm grenades.


 * Unknown Cricket
 * Discovered by an unknown person, this species has the ability to resonate soundwaves that are equal or greater than the soundwaves on cellphones. This results in making people commit suicide when they use their cellphones at the same time the crickets resonate the said soundwaves at the same time.

JACES
Owned by the Yakushiji family, it's a security company that ex-police officers both enlisted and high-ranking are employed into after their retirement. JACES is well-known as one of Asia's best security companies. Its personnel use gray for their uniform color.

In combat operations, they use PASGT ballistic helmets, gray BDUs, tactical vests and light to medium body armor. JACES personnel are armed with expandable baton sticks when they encounter unarmed people.

Its origins are traced back to the end of World War II when the Japanese Empire Security Service was established before it became JACES.

Japan Private Police
Known as the Nippon Private Police (日本の私用警察), it was founded by ex-Diet member Ryojin Tadomura and heavily funded by the Government of Japan to counter the influence of JACES in the domestic and international security market. They are known to be hired in war-torn countries after military forces are pulled back, conducting police duties in their place. JPP personnel are also hired as private security guards. JPP uses green as its color as evident in their uniforms.

During combat operations, JPP personnel are identified with green heavy body armor, anti-riot helmets and are armed with mostly Howa Type 89 assault rifles, Heckler & Koch MP5 and Minebea PM-9 submachine guns with expandable baton sticks. In normal operations, JPP personnel operate as private guards and sometimes, deploy robot droids to help them conduct searches and patrols with/for them.

Shiba
Located in the Greater Tokyo Area, it is said to house several departments of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department that operate under secret circumstances for covert missions.

Light Novel
The light novel series had first started in 1996 with 8 volumes in circulation. Kodansha has the publication rights on the series and published all bunko editions, but other publishers also published some volumes borrowing the rights by Kodansha.

Drama CD
Two drama CDs were put on the market by Avex in 1999 (Tokyo Nightmare) and 2001 (Matenrō). The cast was different from the later anime version.

Manga
The manga first started on July 23, 2004 under Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Magazine Z. It had been printed with 11 volumes released. Following the dissolution of Magazine Z, the serialization of Yakushiji Ryōko no Kaiki Jikenbo would be continued by Afternoon.

Two spin-off manga were also created by Yoshiki Tanaka and Narumi Kakinouchi. The first was SP - Yakushiji Ryouko no Kaiki Jikenbo Tanpenshuu (ＳＰ　薬師寺涼子の怪奇事件簿　短編集), published in one volume on June 17, 2008 by Kodansha for 600 yen. Two volumes of Yakushiji Ryouko no Kaiki Jikenbo - Kiri no Houmonsha (薬師寺涼子の怪奇事件簿　霧の訪問者) soon followed, published on September 23, 2009 and January 22, 2010.

Anime
An anime version of Yakushiji Ryōko no Kaiki Jikenbo had aired on July 5, 2008 with 13 episodes broadcasted, with animation done by Dogakobo Studios. A DVD version is scheduled for release on September 26, 2008 with 3 episodes each. Other releases include October 22, December 25 of 2008 and January 21, 2009.

The series had been previously broadcasted at the BS11 Digital, Chiba TV, KBS Kyoto, Sun TV, Tokyo MX TV, TV Aichi, Television Saitama and TVK television stations.

OST
A BGM OST, Volume 1 with music from the show was released on June 4, 2008 with 8 tracks. The second volume had been released on August 6, 2008 with 17 tracks with a third OST on September 10, 2008 with 13 tracks. All three OSTs have the title Le recueil des faits improbables de Ryōko Yakushiji, which is the show's title in French.

Development
Annoucements regarding the animation of Yakushiji Ryōko no Kaiki Jikenbo came in 2007 regarding its adaptation for television for 2008.

Promotion
To promote the show, the cast and Yoshiki Tanaka went on a tour in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka with them telling about their experiences and their thoughts on the show.

Events was held on July 26, 2008 in Nagoya, July 27, 2008 and August 3, 2008 in Tokyo to promote the show, starring the main cast including Hitomi Nabatama and Hidenobu Kiuchi with Yoshiki Tanaka. They held screenings of Yakushiji Ryōko no Kaiki Jikenbo for those who won passes by submitting their postcards with draws held on July 4, 2008.

Reception
Dengeki Online places Yakushiji Ryōko no Kaiki Jikenbo on 7th place out of 10 news weekly events for June 1, 2008.