This is my very first no spoiler review so excuse some inconsistencies! Dm me in case there's something i can improve on.

Introduction

If you're into the occult or mystery stories, you can notice each one of them has something to bring to the table: Higurashi with its time loop concept, the Monogatari series' take on yokai influence in society, even Supernatural's exploration of folklore.

Phenomeno is unlike any of these in the sense that it's a thorough, scrupulous investigation of paranormal cases. The author did a fantastic job of mixing both cognitive science and the occult, always teasing and making you guess the real cause of an incident, with heavy suspense in between. It helps if you read at night though.

Layout and Story

The light novel was structured in an "episodic" sort of format, while still leading towards a broad plot. Every chapter is instead replaced with the word "Case", and they're numbered, so it really adds to the feeling of unravelling a brand new mystery each time.

This is where Phenomeno let me down a little bit. As I have mentioned, there's psychologically-driven explanation to some of the cases, and a good chunk of it. Not only that, but the cases really feel genuine, written by someone who seemed to have experienced them. As for the real supernatural phenomena, when it comes down to its unfiltered essence on Volume 3, it didn't pack as big of a punch as I hoped it would. The descriptions in these instances feel a bit lazy and poorly explained, but what can you do? I think the author would have to be under psychadelics to do it justice.

Now for the yokai aspect of the series, the author absolutely did his homework. Every ghost or spirit is adequate to each of their occasions. That counts for locations, history and folklore. All of it made me perceive Japan as a place with its own enclosed space and reality, with a unique set of "rules" that allowed the supernatural to exist.

Characters

Alright, this is the selling point for a lot of people and the characters without a doubt deliver.

Nagito Yamada is an 18 year old countryside bumpkin college student in Tokyo, living off his parents allowance and part-time jobs. Very panicky guy when it comes to the occult, but what sets him apart from characters of the same trope is the twist at the end of Volume 1, which personally made me like him a lot more.

Yoishi represents the mystery angle of Phenomeno. So as to avoid spoilers, very little is known about her, aside that she's a 16 year old HS denpa student, stinks and acts as contrasting figure from Nagito, implying she's not afraid at all. Black cat in human form.

Krishna serves as the Velma of the group, but better. She is the founder of a low-profile occult forum in Tokyo called Ikaigabuchi. An intellectual and responsible person who knows better and respects the other side from afar, still managing to be more knowledgeable than most people.

Conclusion

Overall, you should give the visual novel made by Nitro+ a go before reading. It covers the first case of the novel and i'm pissed that's the only part they adapted.

Special thanks to translators on Baka Tsuki for all their work, also notes and references