The Soul Chaser is a gothic, supernatural manga created by Studio Kawaii. Set in Paris, in the 19th Century, a young girl goes missing while playing with her doll at home. An extensive investigation by the police turned up no results but the blood stained doll.
A short while later, a young woman named Sophie disappears after being given a strange doll by her fiancee, Fabrice. Fabrice will do anything to get Sophie back, but it seems that he will have to go against what appear to be Supernatural forces.
However, Fabrice is not alone. He will be helped by Adriel, the rather enigmatic man who appears to know more than just selling books in his book store; Ruby, his mysterious helper; and The Master of Ceremonies, an even stranger being who can only be seen in the famous cemetery of Père-Lachaise...
The Soul Chaser provides the following tropes:
- Art Evolution: According Word of God the art actually improved as the series went on.
- Barbie Doll Anatomy: Happens a few times with the female characters...
- Bathtub Scene: See Fanservice below.
- Berserk Button: The Master of Ceremonies is apparently easily pissed off by ignorance... he nearly kills Fabrice in chapter 6 because of this, proclaiming that Humans Are Bastards in his rage. Hurting Ruby also puts Adriel in a massive fit of rage.
- Big Bad: Lacrymosa.
- Chekhov's Gun: Didn't think that doll would later become so important, huh?
- Cool Shades: Adriel's shades appear to be a rather unique pair.
- Crash-Into Hello: How Fabrice met Sophie.
- Distressed Damsel: Sophie.
- Emotionless Girl: Literal example with Ruby; she is completely incapable of feeling emotions.
- Fanservice: Lacrymosa during her Bathtub Scene, Barbie Doll Anatomy included.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: The Guardian.
- Humans Are Bastards: According to the Master of Ceremonies.
- Kubrick Stare
- Megaton Punch: By the Master of Ceremonies in chapter 14, with enough force to blow his target's upper body off...
- Older Than He Looks: The Master of Ceremonies and The Guardian.
- Shout-Out: In chapter 16, you can see someone holding Norvus Karma, another manga series on mangagazine.net. And you can see Clause from The Midnight Hunters purchasing a book. Lampshaded by Fabrice as he wondered why so many weird looking people come to that shop.
- Sibling Rivalry: Between the Master of Ceremonies and Lacrymosa.
- The Hero: Fabrice.
- The Quiet One: Who happens to be Ruby.
- Thriller on the Express
- Too Dumb to Live: Fabrice, who enters the same room his fiance went missing despite warnings of mysterious shadows and sound being seen and heard in the room.
- Toplessness from the Back: See Fanservice above.
- Traintop Battle
- Wham Line: "I won't lose against you... my dear sister." Doubles as The Reveal.
- Another reveal, this one more recent: "Nice to see you again, Fabrice" after the transformation of Adriel into The Master of Ceremonies. This was was less obvious to see it coming, but apparently enough to be lampshaded almost immediately.