A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! Volume 12 Review
Fans of GTO and Gokusen, A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! is for you. Light and cosy, this manga can’t help but make its readers laugh and fall for every single character. If you expect a strong and forceful teacher as the main character like Onizuka or Kumiko, be ready for a whole new world full of strange teachers, who just happen to be youkai.
Haruaki Abe has always wanted to be a teacher, but he has a problem. He’s a scaredy cat and even kindergarten pupils can make him cry. His first stint at teaching was a failure, but when he gets offered a new position in a school on a secluded island with room and board included, he takes it. After all, what could go wrong?
Well, the catch that he only finds out about during his first day is that his students are all youkai from Japanese mythology. To be the only human in the school is not easy and being a self-admitted coward brings Haruaki more troubles that he has ever imagined, resulting in him getting saved by his students quite often. However, his students too can’t help but start to respect him. Even if he gets them into all sort of troubles, he’s always there for them and he’s the first one on their side when they encounter a problem. So now the question is, can Haruaki enjoy a scare-free teaching career?
In this volume, Haruaki continues in his efforts to to save one of his students, Nyuudou, whose father took him out of school because he didn’t believe his teachers and classmates were good enough for him. Especially Haruaki. Thankfully Haruaki is not letting one of his students go and his plan to save Nyuudou is put in place, thanks to the help of his other students and the (scary) school doctor.
This manga is comedy in its purest form. Every character has their own personality, whether good or bad, but they each have their own intricate story and background. Haruaki, although human, is the reincarnation of a very powerful shaman and he seems to have inherited his anti-youkai powers. But he can’t be taken seriously due to his tendency to trip into troubles and his obsession with girls’ school uniforms. Although described in a humorous way in the manga, his obsession is quite concerning, and sexualization of girls’ school uniforms seems to be a pretty common topic in Japanese manga, which wouldn’t fly in the West.
In this manga, together with the main story arc, there are short story interludes that give the reader more insights on what really goes on in the school. We still don’t know a lot about Haruaki and the students in his class, but little by little we learn more. I’m personally curious about Sano, one of Haruaki’s students (who also seems to be quite powerful) and what his deal is. I can’t wait to find out.
A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School! Volume 12 is written by Mai Tanaka and released in the English language by Yen Press with a translation by Amanda Haley. Volume 13 is slated for release in July 2023.
