Series Review – Legal Drug

Series: Legal Drug (volumes 1 to 3) by CLAMP
Release Date: started in 2001
Genre: Manga/Paranormal
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Goodreads
Volume 1 // Volume 2 // Volume 3 // Drug & Drop

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Synopsis

A drugstore that deals in medicine … and danger!

Kazahaya Kudo has a gift. When he touches a person or an object, he sees visions. With no money and no place to stay, Kazahaya was out of luck until fate brought him to the Green Drug pharmacy. Now, in exchange for working in the store, he gets room and board. But in order to make ends meet there a catch … he must take on ‘special’ assignments from his boss that can only be handled by someone with Kazahaya gift.

With the help of his co-worker and roommate Rikuo, who has unusual powers of his own, Kazahaya finds himself on missions most surreal.

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Review

If you follow this blog a little longer you might have noticed that I have a small manga collection on my book shelves. When I was in high school I was a very big manga fan and read a lot of different ones. But as I grew older I didn’t quite have the time to keep up with the new releases and now books have taken over a lot of my time. Still from to time I enjoy (re)reading a manga. Especially when it is by CLAMP.

So in January of this year I felt like picking up my three volumes of Legal Drug. This series was put on hold for the longest time. A few years ago it was continued on in Drug and Drop (which has also since been put on hold). But since learning that I’ve had an itch to reread these 3 volumes I own.

Clamp always knows how to tickle my fancy and to make me ship the two main characters together. No matter how much they might argue with one another, there is always that hint of sexual tension and something else underneath. It is what I pick them up for to be honest. I love ships that take a long time to develop or where I can fill in the blanks myself. Shh, I have a dirty mind. With Legal Drug I certainly get my fill of that. Kazhaya and Rikuo are forced to work together since Rikuo found Kazhaya on the streets. Rikuo’s brash demeanor bristles Kazhaya but yet he  is also drawn to the mystery of the man.

This wouldn’t be a Clamp story if it didn’t have some characters with mysterious backgrounds and suspicious ulterior motives. We have the drug store owner for instance who sends them out on extra jobs and his suggested boyfriend Saiga who never seems to take of his sun glasses.

While it is set in our world in Japan, there are also some powers going on. Kazhaya can see memories from the things or people he touches for instance. That always adds an interesting mix. The other characters also seem to have their abilities like seeing partially into the future. The jobs they are being send into often have a supernatural and mythical element to them. Something that I quit enjoy.

I am not quite as taken with these characters as I am with characters from other Clamp works. I think this has to do with that the characters are a little more evened out and there is a clear parallel in personality types with XXXHolic. I just think it is done better there.  The mysterious element as well. Regardless this manga is highly enjoyable if you enjoy these elements.