Shanghai Youma Kikai

Shanghai Youma Kikai was a humourous, short-lived manga series (only four chapters long as-of-yet) published in 2000 by Hiromu Arakawa. It's about a group of demon-hunters in in Shanghai, year 2050, struggling financially (only because they can't manage to do a job without destroying half the city.) A young boy, supposedly a prodigy on the subject, begs to join the team. Initially, he is turned down. However, that doesn't stop him from tagging along. He soon learns exactly why they rejected him.

This series contains examples of:

 * Author Appeal: Miss Arakawa mentions in the forward that it's filled with things she likes.
 * Beethoven Was an Alien Spy
 * Cute Shotaro Boy
 * Expy: Jack and Kuo (even Su-An if you squint) managed to make their way into Miss Arakawa's breakout hit; Fullmetal Alchemist.
 * It Got Worse
 * Meaningful Name
 * One-Winged Angel
 * Oral Fixation Fixation : Jack is never (ever) seen without a cigarrette.
 * Orphaned Series: Though prehaps not for long, since Fullmetal Alchemist has ended Arakawa is discussing bringing it back as a serialization.
 * Shout-Out: To (what else?) Fullmetal Alchemist in chapter 3. Does the shirt detail in the bottom panel look familiar?
 * Tomato Surprise
 * Twenty Minutes Into the Future