A girl and two boys spin a soulful tale of death and resurrection.

Michiru Kita's a weak-spirited girl who has a hard time saying what's on her mind. One day, she notices mysterious, ring-like markings around the necks of two of her classmates, Chika Akatsuki and Shito Tachibana - two boys who miraculously survived a horrible accident six months ago. Michiru, possessing the rare ability to see these rings, knows that they warn of impending death. Thinking that, perhaps, she can do something to save her classmates' lives, she approaches them... but it seems the boys have already made a different kind of deal and garnered themselves a heavy debt...

It may be neither gripping nor particularly chilling, but Peach-Pit’s Zombie Loan packs enough entertainment value to hold its own amidst a slew of other titles on the market promising the same spirit busting hijinks and post mortem creepiness. Central to the story is Michiru, a bespectacled pushover who bends to the will of her “friends” and harbors the latent ability to see rings around the necks of the dying. Things inevitably complicate when she notices that two of her own classmates sport black rings, and thus should probably be six feet under instead of in her lit class. Upon being queried, the two reveal that both are collectors for the Zombie Loan service, undead agents who crack down on nasty spirits in return for a favorable balance of life in their checkbooks.

It’s here that Peach-Pit struggles: the rest of the book reads like a confidence-building exercise for Michiru overlayed with a puttering, non-compelling mystery to keep things moving. It doesn’t help that every character design smacks of archetypes, from shy Michiru to her obligatory nasty friends. The zombie agents themselves fall squarely into two categories, “loudmouthed” and “stoic,” with little development to suggest there’s more to either of them than personality belies. Yet somehow, the story retains a good flow and readable nature; something like watching bland yet amusing entertainment.

The art has an angular vibe, employing liberal amounts of thick black ink to darken out the overall tone of the story and dark gradients for plenty of shadows. The physical character designs are appealing and distinctive [although I was not aware that wearing a suit to school was socially acceptable anywhere] even if the Catholic school setting is a bit over the top. Far and away the biggest problem is the action sequences, which seem to exclude key shots that would pull movements together cohesively.

Regardless, the story remains a reasonable way to pass an hour or two, and has added bonus of potential appeal across the gender spectrum. If Peach-Pit can smooth out a few technical problems and hone the plot a bit more, this series has the potential to be a morbidly good time.