Black Bird, Vol. 12

Black Bird #12

by Kanoko Sakurakouji

He loves her blood, but does her love her?!

Reads R to L (Japanese Style).

Sho’s manipulations have cast the demon world into chaos, and Kyo must leave the tengu village to help save the Kuzunoha clan from slaughter. But giving aid to one of his few remaining allies means he must leave Misao vulnerable to attack.
Kyo’s grandfather is able to cast a powerful shield over the tengu mansion, but while it keeps anyone from getting in, it also traps those who are inside. How can Misao justify locking herself away when Sho begins to menace the village’s most helpless members?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal, Shojo, Demons, Young Adult

200 pages, Paperback

First published November 26, 2010

About the author

Kanoko Sakurakouji (桜小路かのこ) is a Japanese mangaka.

Reviews

[Miss Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so ashamed of my investment in this series. ;_; I can't even make people read it with me because when I try to sell it I'm like 'oh the romance starts off with the heroine being sexually harassed by this crow demon who is constantly making sure she's aware of how much power he has over her and at one point flies her into the air while she's screaming so she knows she's totally dependant on him to survive and eventually this translates to love? But don't worry! After the first nine volumes or so the dynamic gets much healthier! She's into the sexy times! Sometimes they're even sort of cute!

No? No one? ;_; I understand, I used to have taste too.'

It's been so much better ever since Misao came to the demon compound though! The fleshing out of Hoki and Zenki was really well done, I was amazingly invested in this volume despite it centering on two characters who were practically indistinguishable for me before. I also really liked what I saw of Sagami and Ayame's relationship dynamic: that moment when she told him she'd prioritize Misao over him as well was excellent. Ayame was pretty boss this volume in general, she can definitely stay. I'm looking forward to seeing how the possible Hoki-Sho showdown plays out next volume. I feel like Hoki's smart enough to know he isn't strong enough to take down Sho directly so I'm hoping for some plotting. Be the intelligent little sociopath I know you can be, Hoki! 4 stars

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't I see this trope just a few days ago, in a different manga? It's just a coincidence, but it's still pretty funny that I grumbled about not being fond of it, and then it showed up again.

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is becoming one of my fav shojo series

[Sassy Sarah Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This one had a good plot, but was a middle slow in the middle when it came to pacing. I liked that this one focused more on the plot of the new war pending than the romantic storyline. It kept me entertained, but coming off of the high of how good volume 11 was I definitely felt the difference.

[DonutKnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noooo Hoki! I was shocked that Hoki didn’t have that moral compass because yeah, he was so mild mannered. But I love that although he ‘betrayed’ his clan, in the end it was a ploy to prove his worth and go against Sho, who would surely be getting retribution for being tricked by Hoki. Hoki really is a demon then. He’s capricious, but eventually he is on Kyo’s side.

Also dayum, Zenki 😲😍 He’s so cool. I love him. I love that he’s loyal and hot tempered and sassy to boot- even if it is to his leader 😂

And yeah, Sho is beyond redemption for me, which is sad by inevitable I guess. I thought there was going to be a bigger bad guy, but I guess it’s gotta be Sho.

[Chaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sho is officially beyond redemption and love, and that absolutely breaks my heart 😭😭😭 I'm so devastated. Like yes I'm happy that Misao is with Kyo and they hopefully will be happy, but omg Sho! What have you done 😭 also Hoki just I can't even put it into words. There is so much that happened in 200 pages. Just 6 more volumes left and I'm not sure my heart can take it

[Demonico Winter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Zenki… seeing him go all bezerk after his seal got realised was rough to read about , but seeing Kyo try to help him without killing him was sweet , especially with their history. Hoki was also very interesting in this volume , as a character with a bit more nuisance to him. I like it

[GuisBell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que complicado todo, que desalmados, tanta violencia injustificada ...

[MissAnnThrope · Rating 4 out of 5]

08 February 2013

Now, we're talking. Black Bird, Volume 12 finally steps it up and delivers a compelling, action-packed good time. I feel like I've waited over eight volumes for this story to happen, but it was well worth the wait. This might be my favorite volume of the series so far.

Sho is leaving a path of destruction and confusion behind him, but his insatiable appetite for chaos seems to have no end. This bloodthirsty fiend pits brother against brother, causing strife and heartbreak for Kyo and his Daitengu. I love how unexpected Hoki's past is. You would never expect it from that innocent-looking boy. I also really enjoyed discovering Zenki's insane powers.

I thought the two standout stars in this volume were Ayame and Kyo. Beautiful Ayame is tender-hearted, ridiculously silly, and surprisingly really tough. Oy, take note, Misao! Her character is so endearing. Even though she's plagued with a sickness, you don't get the feeling that she's a weakling like some other crybaby in this story. Plus, I love how she climbs Sagami like a little monkey.

Kyo was a badass in this volume. The guy's got skillz! The first volume portrayed him as such an arrogant douche that I had doubts that I would ever feel connected to his character. I mean, the guy sexually harassed Misao every two seconds. However, I've grown quite fond of his perverted humor and tough-love antics. He is quite the softie, and so loyal to those he loves. I loved the moment when Misao revealed she gave Hoki her blood and Kyo responds by knocking her on the head and then immediately patting her affectionately. Then she responds, “Which is it...?” Haha so adorable and so Kyo. I love his sarcastic sense of humor.

I thought this was hilarious:

Kyo: “Old man.
I only speak Japanese.
I don't understand crazytalk.
Is he talking alien?
And he was such a fine old man!”

As far as I'm concerned, Kyo and his Daitengu should always be in battle gear. They are so much hotter! If I had my way, there would be a significant amount of more battles and rival clan tensions, rather than having the focus on sobbing Misao. But I guess that would make this a shônen manga instead. Ah, maybe it's because I have no heart that I don't get this sappy romance crap.

This series is pretty inconsistent with its story quality, so while this volume did not disappoint, I am in no way disillusioned the next volume will be just as good. I will be crossing my fingers, though, that with this suspenseful cliffhanger ending that Volume 13 will be another thrilling ride.

[Joti · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!!!! AMAZING!!!! Can't wait for Volume 13!!! i'm gonna die until then!!!!!!

Sho is just screwed in the head!!!!! OMG LIKE HE'S KILLING OFF INNOCENT PEOPLE -- AND HOKI LEFT THE DAITENGU AND WENT TO SHO AND THEY ALL THOUGHT HE BETRAYED THEM!! POOR HOKI - HE'S SAGAMI'S BROTHER!! AND WHEN ZENKI WENT TO SHO'S PLACE TO RESCUE THE PEOPLE IT WAS A TRAP AND HE GOT CAUGHT!!! AND THEN SHO TOOK OFF THE SEALS THAT CONTROLLED ZENKI'S POWER!!! :$ :( AND KAEDE!!! THAT BITCH!! I HATE HER!!! AND SHE WAS TELLING ZENKI THAT HE KILLED HIS PARENTS WHEN HE LOST CONTROL OF HIS POWER FOR THE 1ST TIME AS AN INFANT :O AND THEN SHO SENT HOKI TO GET MISAO'S BLOOD FOR HIS ARMY AND SHE GAVE IT TO HIM, THINKING HE'D COME TO HIS SENSES - AND AT THE END, ZENKI WAS OUTTA CONTROL AND SET THE MOUNTAIN ON FIRE AND WAS ON THIS POWER RAMPAGE!!!! AND KYO WENT TO FIGHT HIM AND HE GOT HIM UNDER CONTROL AGAIN, EVEN THOUGHT ZENKI STABBED HIM THROUGH THE STOMACH!! KYO PUT THE SEALS BACK ON AND SAVED HIM!! :D OMG AND THE VERY LAST PART WHERE KYO REALIZED THAT HOKI WAS PLANNING ON A SHOWDOWN WITH SHO WHEN HE SENT THE BLOOD BOTTLE BACK AND THE APPARENTLY "DEAD" PEOPLE CAME BACK TO LIFE - THEY WEREN'T REALLY DEAD IN THE FIRST PLACE AT ALL ----&&&& KYO WAS LIKE HE HAS TO STOP HOKI!
OMG CAN'T WAIT FOR VOLUME 13!!!! I'M GONNA GO CRAZY IMAGINING WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT!!!!
AND KYO AND MISAO - MISAO WAS "BOLD" AND PUSHED KYO DOWN ON THE BED AND THEN GOT EMBARRASSED LOL :P

AND ZENKI WAS ON THE COVER -- HE'S ADORABLE!!! ALL THE DAITENGU GUYS R SOOO HOT !!! AND KYO!!! (SWOON!!!) <3 <3

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chapters 44-47.

This volume is more about the detengu and Sho which I enjoyed. I love how her covers make sense with the plot. I adored seeing Sagami's background with Ayame and their joint vow. Then Hoki's abandonment for good and Zenki's past.

I love this series for the plot, characters and the art!

BOTTOM LINE: Wow!

[L. J. · Rating 1 out of 5]

TBA

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reseña--- http://bit.ly/2n7OHbA

Este tomo estuvo muy cargado de información, podemos decir que estamos entrando a la recta final de la historia y a tan solo 6 tomos del esperado final tenemos, por fin, más información sobre los tengus que acompañan y proteger a Kyo y Misao, del sereno y misterioso Sagami y también de los adorables trillizos ya habíamos tenido algún dato pero de los demás desconociamos casi todo lo relacionado a ellos y de como es que llegarón a ser parte de este grupo protector de Kyo. Además vemos más del lado malvado de Sho y de su afán por destruir toda la paz de la aldea, estoy casi segura que la única forma en que terminarán este conflicto es matándo a Sho, porque no veo ninguna otra solución, ahora bien yo no odio al personaje de Sho, más bien me da lástima porque el pobre tiene problemas mentales muy fuertes, una notoria inclinación al mal y además estoy segura que tenía sentimientos por Misao pero Kyo no solo le robó la jefatura (que era de el por derecho de nacimiento) si no también a la chica, si nos pobemos en los zapatos del personaje todo cambia y vemos una perspectiva totalmente diferente, tampoco estoy diciendo que sea bueno es solo que me encanta la ambivalencia que tiene, es malo pero tiene una razón de serlo, es malo pero tiene su corazoncito. Un punto que debo decir es que conforme el manga avanza por momentos me cae bien Kyo y por momentos no lo soporto, no digo que no ame a Misao ni que no sea un tengu pervertido y tierno pero sus constantes ataques de celos, su a veces frialdad para castigar a Misao, su constante búsqueda de mantenerla a salvo y de mantener el control de las situaciones que suceden alrededor de Misao me desespera y no solo con él, pasa lo mismo con Misao, esa dependencia que tienen el uno por el otro no sé que me provoca, hace años quizás me habría parecido romántico pero ahora no lo sé, creo que ahora me doy cuenta de este tipo de cosas y veo que no es sano, el mundo de Misao gira alrededor de Kyo y el de Kyo igual, ambos ponen en peligro a personas que no tienen la culpa de nada con tal de mantener su amor juntos, Misao llora por cada situación que ocurre y a ver, entiendo que ella es una humana enmedio de conflictos sobrenaturales, pero en lugar de madurar como personaje y crecer y también tratar de ser más dura sigue siendo la misma niña boba del primer tomo. En los últimos 2 tomos la parejita principal ha logrado sacarme muchos suspiros de exasperación y de, literal, hacerme poner los ojotes en blanco, no siento que su relación mejore, al contrario siento que cada día son más dependientes mutuamente y eso no es amor, el amor es ser pareja mientras cada uno mantiene su individualidad y crecen y aprenden juntos, siento que la autora ha logrado un mejor trabajo en los personajes secundarios los cuales son más interesantes e intrigan más. Ahora con todo lo dicho parecería que odio el manga pero no es así, en realidad me gusta mucho y lo disfruto un montón es solo que me molesta que la pareja protagonista siga sin crecer, sin avanzar y estancados en los mismo.

[Lynn Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story follows Misao, a high schooler who can see the magical creatures and spirits that are invisible to everyone else. This gift is merely an annoyance until her sixteenth birthday, when she gets attacked by a demon and discovers that she is the Senka Maiden, or bride of prophecy – a human whose blood gives unlimited power to the demon who claims her. Her childhood friend Kyo appears in time to save her, though it turns out he is a demon as well! Kyo is the leader of the Tengu (crow demon) clan, thus the name of the story. His intentions to protect her, however, seem to be pure – and Misao allows him to lick her wounds long enough to fall in love with him herself. Together they must face the challenges that come from courting the Senka Maiden, as well as the curse that befalls her once she bears the child of a demon.

This was a fantastic story! The characters were well done with bold personality traits: we can clearly see Kyo’s determination, his brother Soh’s treachery and underhandedness, the Daitengu’s loyalty, even Misao’s simultaneous naivety and bravery. And I absolutely loved the plot. Unlike Demon Spell (another manga featuring demons of Japanese culture), the story was very complete, with no detail left unexplained or unaccounted for.

*SPOILER ALERT* But my favorite part of all has to be the ending. Misao’s pregnancy is meant to lead to her death, but just when all seems to be lost, hope appears. Even if their ending isn’t perfect, it is happy, and you find yourself happy and grateful for the imperfection because it shows you how much worse things could have been.

I have more to say on this book (and others!) in my blog! Check it out here:
https://www.lynnwallaceauthor.com/blo...

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't picked up this series in a while, I think. It's still quite entertaining, and and I found it easy to slip back into the storyline and recall what was going on with the characters. I'm not certain how much that's due to the story's own memorability, though.
This volume, again, is much more action-oriented than some in the past. Sho is still carrying out guerilla tactics against the compound, and attempting to incite rebellion into Kyos' clan. Unfortunately, his plans seem to be bearing fruit, with the clan becoming at odds, looking for someone to blame for friends & familys' injuries (despite their loved ones own complicity in their actions). Most disturbingly, Sho seems to be gaining ground with each volume - first, luring away members of the clan, and even attempting to influence the daitengu themselves.

Not bad - currently lots of action and drama going on. A few sweet moments between Misao and Kyo - it's cute to see him encourage her to be more forward and out-going with him, as to my understanding it's not seen as a traditionally desirable trait in Japan. [I tend to think of an article on Japanese relationships, womens' roles, etc. that I read years ago - it could very well have been outdated even then, to be honest.] The relationship is still a bit imbalanced, as she's quite reliant on him to protect her (which, fair enough, even if she was super-powered rather than something of a 'battery', not everyone is a fighter), but I'm glad they dropped the creepy teacher-student thing (at least for now).

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nombre, esta historia solo me hace llorar y gritar. Casi me hace creer una muerte que gracias a Dios no paso, es que en verdad, ya estaba llorando a mares cuando paso, en una página sin poder creerlo, al borde de las lágrimas y después, se ha salvado, si estoy agradecida pero solo me asustan.

Debo decir que cada vez se pone más emocionante y no puedo parar de contener mis sentimientos por querer leer más. De verdad que el hermano solo quiere ver destrucción y masacre, quiere eliminar totalmente a su pueblo, no le importa nadie. Como villano me va gustando mucho, por un momento sentí la traición y las amenazas del otro por querer casi llevarlo al límite, lo bueno es que podríamos decir que se ha solucionado a la medida.

Me gusto mucho que hubiera una especie de juego para completar las caras de algunos personajes, debo decir que no le hallaba la forma porque pensaba en objetos no en caras, debo decir que el tercero para mi era como un nivel experto porque no podía saber con exactitud dónde colocar los cuadritos.

Buenas lecturas les deseo.
:)

[Sarah Gries · Rating 4 out of 5]

Misao struggles to stand by while everyone around her fights against Sho.

EXCEPT, Hoki who screws everything up! But I do understand why Hoki did the things he did. He wants to be understood and loved. He doesn’t want to be protected by his brother anymore. He wants to be heard. Maybe he is a little bit like Sho’s dark side, but he didn’t need to hurt his family.

Sakurakouji really stepped up the game in this manga. I caught myself trying to finish it as quick as I could, but I had to slow down to take in all the of the beautiful art.

All of these characters are so full of passion and emotion in these drawings, that I love looking at each of them. I can’t wait to read the next installment to see what the turn out will be, and to see the creativity.

Cheers lovelies.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sho attacks, but it’s laughable and only to incite a mole and why aren’t we the readers included in some story scenes? Apparently returns the main characters memories and we don’t get a scene dedicated to it. Sho was also pronounced dead and brought back by Roh through necromancy. Roh. You know, that one off character from the previous book. The vassal Hoki disappears while Zenki is kidnapped. Pretty lazy writing to give us backgrounds on these characters NOW when they were introduced back in volume two. Hoki plans a double double cross while Zenki has his Naruto seal broken. Without the sex subplot this turned into a shonen rather than shojo manga. I wanna point out that the clan is too stupid to capture Kaede when she is so obviously guilty and behind these acts.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this is what I've been wanting! Great action, compelling characters, and just the right amount of Misao crying. the Daitengu are really showing what makes them distinct from eachother, why their loyalties lie with Kyo over Sho, and that they're not just faces. I loved seeing more behind Sagami and Ayame's relationship. Hoki's motivations and mental state are unclear but hopefully it works out.

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some interesting developments in this volume. The plot continues to be good and I like that the pacing varies from volume to volume and yet also is consistently well paced. It never seems as if things are going too slowly or too quickly. It is a fun series.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! I really enjoyed getting more backstory on the Daitengu, particularly Sagami and his relationship with Ayame. It really helped me to understand both characters so much better. There is also an excellent twist at the end of this volume.

[Lauren Harrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a series it's not bad. I enjoyed most parts of the story, some things were just not needed. I love all the characters. The love story is crazy but it's a book so do not take it seriously! Also, not a book for young readers.

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this series when I was younger. It was alright. Some of it was a bit dramatic with zero real context. The female lead was annoyingly too much of a damsel in distress. I wish she would have fought her own battles more. I guess you could say this was my dip towards darker romance.

[Amanda Setasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you want to break your heart? This here is exactly how you break your heart.

[Hal · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vlog Review Coming Soon!

[Heather Culley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aw Zenki is my favorite

[Illy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say I finally am in the midst of where I stopped when I was much younger. I am so glad I came back to this as it is truly such a great story with really developed characters.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5
De los mejores tomos.
Zenki 3
Hoki 3

[BeckyisBookish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still very invested in the series but some of the volumes don't quite hit like the others. Once Misao and Sho have another confrontation the tension might bolster the ratings again.