GHOST SADIST MIKAMI #1

 So far I've only completed one full survey of a manga for the following qualities:  

"...since on THE ARCHETYPAL ARCHIVE I've often argued that certain continuing features stress female-on-male violence in a syndromic manner-- that is, with a concerted emphasis, not just to exploit "casual sadism"-- this blog would be a good place to look at particular serials from start to finish to show how often scenes of sadism, whether justified or not, are used as entertainment."

So I'm going try such a complete study again with the 1992-1999 manga series GHOST SWEEPER MIKAMI. I've not yet finished reading the online translations, but I do see an interesting dynamic in the early episodes of this supernatural action-comedy.

The titular character is Reiko Mikami, a modern-day professional exorcist. She's a gorgeous 31-year-old unmarried woman who seems entirely devoted her ghost-busting career, though she's also less than altruistic in that she always demands heavy payments for her services. At first she has only one assistant, 17-year-old high schooler Tadao Yokoshima. She pays him the lowest wages possible, knowing that he's besotted with her beauty and desperately wants to make it with her. 

The initial two-part adventure, for which I use the title "Ghost Sweeping at the Office," adds a new member to Mikami's group: Okinu, the ghost of a sacrificed maiden, who can only perform limited tasks and who sometimes seems as besotted with the living teen Tadao as he is with Mikami. However, whenever Tadao gets too familiar with Mikami-- whether it's just staring at her or fondling her-- Mikami beats him savagely. So far most of her violence seems to be what I've termed "epithymotic," devoted to making Tadao keep his distance, though it will be interesting to see if there's any trend toward the "thymotic," in which she's making him suffer because it pleases her to do so.