Exorcist and Detective Hunt Killer – Not a Buddy Comedy
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Warnings
Synopsis
Review
Results
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Tags:
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Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhua series Sanctify.
Content Warning: There may be references to religion, blood, police, gossiping, death (including child death), murder, noncon, cults, being orphaned, torture, rituals, human sacrifice, PTSD, insomnia, gore, disordered eating, overwork, prescription drug use, classism, stalking, excessive drinking, drink spiking, breaking and entering, age gap, possession, body horror, mentions of cannibalism, mentions of homomisia, suicide, gun violence, demons, exorcism, mentions of car accidents, BDSM (forced), self-harm, and possession, as they appear in the manhua.
Synopsis:
Lance Hunter wants to change careers, but he feels compelled to stay. Lance is, in fact, an exorcist. It is well-known that all who decide to take up this mantle are destined to die in the role, and while Lance wants to leave, he knows the power he was given is for this very purpose. Lance knows very well that he has reincarnated, and because of what he wished for in his past life, he was given the powers of an exorcist in order to cleanse the world of the darkness that caused his demise. But deep down, there is something that lingers with him from his past life that transcends even this obligation he feels for this work.
He feels like he’s waiting for someone.
He has little to no concrete memories of his past life, but he’s certain that someone from back then is supposed to find him, and he can’t help but wait for them. He carries this intense echo from his past life on his body, carved into his flesh as a scar that he was born with. So, he stays in this role, hunting demons and cultists who summon them, hoping to one day finally meet this person who continues to call to him, even in this new life. During his work, he ends up partnered alongside a detective named Gilbert, whose interest doesn’t seem to lie in the case they are working on, but in Lance instead.
Review:
This art style is gorgeous. It’s not always perfect, of course, but for the most part, it’s very clean and stunning. Admittedly, it gives me elevated and cleaned-up Niyama vibes. For those of you who don’t know, Niyama is probably one of my favorite artists of all time. So, I am a bit biased seeing similarities in this style with Niyama‘s. There’s no doubt that Niyama‘s work is 100% different in tone and content from what can be found here in this title (so don’t expect the same from both artists), but it was such a pleasure to see art that really resonated with me, like Niyama‘s. It’s truly a treat.
Now, on to the story. The first thing I want to make clear is that there is no romance in this. There is certainly attraction and obsession, and there are moments in the flashbacks where we see Gilbert and Lance’s love in their past life, but this is certainly not a romance at all. I bring up the convention of romance needing a happy ending time and time again, often saying that I don’t think there has to be a happy ending for it to be a romance. Still, in this case, I’m certain it would not be categorized as a romance, regardless of whether it has a happy ending or not. So, if you’re looking for a BL tragedy, opposed to a romance, look no further. Additionally, this is a horror and mystery, which is a fun BL combination I don’t usually see.
To be clear, I like that this doesn’t have romance in it. I think it’s actually stronger for it. With that said, this is chock-full of noncon. Granted, it’s all within Gilbert’s mind, so it’s not technically real, but we aren’t actually told that until after the events are over. Actually, we aren’t really told they’re fake at all. The only reason I can assume they are fake is that after the noncon events, the two go on as if nothing ever happened. Lance is drugged numerous times, however, so there is a chance some of these events occurred, and he truly forgot about them because of side effects, but none of that is made clear. There are several aspects of this story that are underexplained, which works in its favor in some cases, but can cause immense confusion in others.
What isn’t confusing at all, though, is the big reveal. Throughout the story, we’re supposed to be wondering who the villain is and who Lance has been waiting for. There is no doubt from the very beginning that both of these people are Gilbert. It is certainly set up to be a mystery, and there are some clever ways they hint to us that something isn’t right with Gilbert. However, I can see how this would work in a novel, but it completely fails in a visual medium. They have to simultaneously keep Gilbert’s true identity secret while also showing us what the villain is getting up to, which includes having his form at least resemble Gilbert, so the entire reveal makes sense. Yet, that simultaneously spoils it all for us anyway. So, the big twist ends up appearing with a fizzle, rather than a bang, which I think also contributed to the anticlimactic ending. I wouldn’t say it’s disappointing, but it certainly wasn’t the showstopper I think it was meant to be. I was actually more surprised by who was who in the flashbacks than the actual mystery itself, which I don’t think was the intention.
Results:
This title is certainly not for the faint of heart. I’m always excited about a new BL horror title, especially one that is uncensored. For this to be a manhua on top of it all, and this is a BL marvel. It isn’t perfect by any means, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, in part due to its dark content and in part due to its lackluster ending. However, I do think this is worth a perusal because of its uniqueness. The mystery is not all that hard to figure out, yet the ending will still leave you with questions; however, it wasn’t a horrible experience either way.
Have you read Sanctify? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!
