Kobato., Vol. 06

こばと [Kobato] #6

by Clamp

Kobato herself has finally awakened to the feelings of love she possesses for Fujimoto. And she's more determined than ever to go to any lengths to heal his heart, even if it means breaking her own. But inside of Kobato, yet another, Iorogi's angel, begins to open her eyes as well. As their worlds collide and the deadline for Kobato's wish comes due, will she actually be able to get what she longs for without the magic bottle? And where will that wish ultimately leave her friends from both the human world and the other world?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Romance, Magic, Seinen, Shojo

178 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Ōkawa Nanase 大川七瀬
[born: 2 May 1967; Ōsaka, bloodtype: A]

Mokona Apapa もこなあぱぱ
[born: 16 Jun 1968, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]

Nekoi Mick 猫井みっく
[born: 21 Jan 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: O]

Igarashi Satsuki 五十嵐さつき
[born: 8 Feb 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]


CLAMP originally began in 1989 as a twelve-member dōjinshi circle, but by 1990, the circle had diminished from twelve to seven. Of the remaining seven, Tamayo Akiyama, Sei Nanao, and Leeza Sei left the group during the production of the RG Veda manga. Other former members of CLAMP also included Soushi Hishika, O-Kyon, Kazue Nakamori, Yuzuru Inoue and Shinya Ōmi. Currently, there are four members in the group.

In 2004, CLAMP's 15th anniversary as a mangaka group, the members changed their names from Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona Apapa, Mick Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi to Ageha Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi (her name is pronounced the same, but written with different characters) respectively. The August 2004 issue of Newtype USA, a magazine specializing in events of the anime and manga subcultures, reported that the members of CLAMP simply wanted to try out new names. In a later interview with Ohkawa, it was revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people commenting that her name was the same as Mick Jagger's. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi's and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.

In 2006, they made their first USA public debut at Anime Expo in Anaheim, California. They were well received at the convention, with 6,000 fans in attendance at their panel.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kobato was a really wonderful series. I enjoyed meeting some old characters again and the new characters and world building also were quite pleasant. It builds on much of the old universe and lore and makes you smile several times over, when you encounter titbits from other series. The new characters quickly find a way into your heart.

Sometimes the typologies and actions reminded me too much of other characters and therefore the outcome of the story was exactly as I had expected it to be. But that might also be because of the love for certain themes and topics. Wishes, sacrifices, secret wishes, the power of love, memory loss or regaining of such memories, lovers of different worlds and being able to say "I love you" were just some of them.

The only thing that I felt was amiss, was that the ending was a bit rushed. I would have enjoyed some additional pages for built up and ending and a more thorough wrap-up of Ginsei's story arc. Seeing Sayaka and Kazuto again at the end would also have been nice. :)

Nevertheless, I enjoyed Kobato a lot and all the wonderful new characters from the Other World.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[kerrycat · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you don't cry yourself to sleep when it's over, it isn't CLAMP . . .

this was SO different from the anime ending, which really felt like a brother/sister sort of relationship between Kobato and Fujimoto. this was definitely more romantic. lots of other differences, significant ones, as well. seeing Iorogi (true form) and Suishou (who looks exactly like Kobato) made their impossible situation so much more real. Iorogi reminds me so much of Kurogane (TRC). at least finally there is a real happy ending, just like in the anime.

[Mady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Une relique de ma pal celui là.

J'ai commencé cette série quand j'étais enfant et je n'avais jamais lu ce dernier tome qui n'était pas encore traduit a l'époque. J'ai relu les 5 premiers il y a 2 ans pour enchaîner avec le 6 que je me suis enfin acheté et je viens seulement de le sortir. J'ai tjs eu du mal a comprendre cette histoire et ça n'a pas aidé.

Oui cette revue ne sert à rien.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

La historia de Kobato llega a su fin con momentos conmovedores cargados de sentimientos. Ha acabado siendo una obra bonita que lamentablemente solo merece la pena en sus dos últimos tomos (en mi opinión) por lo que me deja una sensación agridulce esta obra de las CLAMP.

[marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esta historia ha merecido totalmente la pena. Me ha hecho sentir muchas cosas e incluso me ha hecho soltar alguna lágrima, cosa que nunca antes me había pasado con otro manga.

[Raquelle Element · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover really exemplifies Kobato's personality. Everything gets tied up nicely in the last book.

[Minnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ich hab 49 Euro für diesen verfluchten Band bezahlt (° -°） ︵ ┻━┻
Und am Ende hat es den Clamp-Fluch beinhaltet, ich hätte es wissen müssen ಠ╭╮ಠ

[Angelika · Rating 5 out of 5]

kocham 😭😭 clamp jak zwykle na koniec musiał wepchnąć niepotrzebnie age gap, ale bardzo się przywiązałam do kobato, a kreska to cud miód malina

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

CLAMP just has a certain.... magic to their works. Even a small little series like Kobato, one I never even heard of until recently, can have the same beauty, tragedy, and uplifting happiness as some of their more iconic works. I'm a sucker for the sweet shoujo heroine who's naive yet insightful, kind yet hides her pain. Though the world-building isn't as complex as Tsubasa or XXXholic, there's sprinkling of cameos and hints of a deeper universe. And yet, like CLAMP's other works, the core theme is remarkably simple: love, happiness, and one's true wish.

This series is criminally underrated and I cannot believe it took me this long to discover it. I can't wait to watch the anime!

[Jaemin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have so many problems with this finale.

- The resolution for the kindergarten drama was so abrupt. The loan shark has been harassing the teacher for months and everything is made okay with “sorry I lied to protect you.” BULLSH*T. I can’t believe the main-but-somehow-most-boring conflict in the story ended in this way.
- I’m just so over the whole “I’m gonna hurt myself so that others can be happy” sacrificial love.
- And the ending with Kobato’s reincarnation? So obnoxiously convenient. Same with Fujimoto regaining his memories!!
- And I can’t believe this ended as a huge age gap romance. CURSE YOU CLAMP! Kobato is sixteen now and Fujimoto is edging forty! Y’all are perverts.

[Anh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little down knowing that it was the last volume. From the previous chapters, I expected the story to develop into a heroic fight between hell and heaven where every "animals" returned to their real forms and some unexpected secrets behind Kobato's existence would be revealed. But throughoutly, it was a nice manga with bright and clean sketches, really refreshing after the gloominess of Tsubasa and xxxHolic. And I was a little bit biased but Kobato reminded me of my Cardcaptor Sakura so I really liked her.

[asma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a feeling while finishing the last book that there's supposed to be a second season . The ending was a great one yet it missed a lot of things and left some questions unanswered such as what will happen to everyone who revolves around Kobato . It's either that they stopped doing the second season or they had a different conclusion but they decided to go with this ending because of some unknown reasons . Other than that , this manga is a great one and the cover is gorgeous ; it gives colour to my bookshelf ( ღ'ᴗ'ღ )

{ I give this manga 4 out of 5 stars }

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for the complete series



Kobato has a wish. To have her wish granted, she needs to heal wounded hearts - unfortunately, she doesn't know all that much about the world around her. With the help of Ioryogi - a soft toy dog - Kobato goes on a mission to better understand how the world and the people in it work and always hoping she might heal someone.

Firstly, Kobato is adorable. I absolutely love her design and all her outfits - I'd read this series just for that! But she's also got a very loveable personality. Granted, naive and ditzy characters can get on my nerves, but Kobato is written well; she's such a ray of sunshine and her cluelessness is explained by the plot.

In general, Kobato. is a sweet and fluffy series, there's really very little evil in it - even the villains aren't exactly bad guys. It was a little hard to get into at with how episodic it was; Kobato stumbled from one scenario into the next of trying to understand the world - by that I mean things like how to behave on Christmas or Valentine's Day. Once Kobato ends up as an assistant in a nursery, the plot gains substance and direction.

Although this series can be read by itself, I think those familiar with other CLAMP works can appreciate it more; there are many cameos of other CLAMP figures, in fact, a lot more than any other CLAMP work (Tsubasa not included as that one brings together almost all works). Some of the cameos are very brief but there's just something very satisfying seeing all these characters. Knowing these characters' stories definitely makes their part in Kobato. more meaningful.

The art, of course, is beautiful - I'm tempted to say this is actually one of my favourites among CLAMP's styles. That being said, it does use the long-limbed proportions which were quite prominent in Tsubasa. These unnaturally long limbs never sat quite right with me, so it's actually saying something that I would still consider this one of my favourite styles despite the odd proportions.

Kobato. is a light and endearing read. It's nothing mindblowing, but it doesn't need to be. I'd dearly recommend it to people who generally like CLAMP and their characters, but it can be a nice little read for newcomers as well.

[Mads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy cow, what a bombastic end to the series! Pretty much everything is wrapped up in a neat little bow, even if some of the resolutions are bittersweet. All I can say is that if you've read this far, you likely won't be disappointed by the conclusion to Kobato.
Now for the few issues that keep this recommendation from a full five stars.
I love the ending for Iorogi and Suisho(?). It's nice to know that they'll be together soon, even if it's not in Kobato's lifetime. However, I can't say the same for Kobato and Fujimoto. Kobato chooses to die to help out the kindergarten, which is a great twist I didn't see coming. She is eventually reincarnated, this time with all of her memories of her previous life. Still great, cool comedic moments ensue. Then she reunites with Fujimoto, and this is where it starts to fall apart. Not only is Fujimoto's declaration of love pretty out-of-character, there is now at least a twenty-year age difference between the two of them. Considering that Kobato is now a minor, this is pretty uncomfortable to think about. It's very convenient how CLAMP didn't write any further than them embracing after so long a separation, because I'm not sure if this relationship would pan out for the better. Other than that, the conclusion of Okiura's arc almost comes out of nowhere and, while emotionally heart-pounding and fun to read, is also EXTREMELY rushed (much like a lot of the exposition towards the end of the series!)
I think if CLAMP had been given more chapters, they could have fixed some of the pacing issues, but as it stands I can't give it a five star rating. I did enjoy the series, but I don't think I'll re-read it any time soon.

[Harumichi Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dibaca ulang pun aku tetap nangis di adegan Okiura dan Sayaka, lalu Fujimoto dan Kobato. Kalau kesan bagus yang kudapat karena suatu buku tetap sama setelah buku itu kubaca ulang, berarti buku itu buatku beneran bagus.

Hngggh. Semakin dalam cinta, semakin susah diungkapkan, ya. Kalau terlalu mudah diungkapkan, bisa jadi bohongan.

Katanya Kobato ini ada light novelnya, ya. Dua jilid. Duh, jadi penasaran....

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 Read #259

And so it’s done! This was actually a palatable ending for a CLAMP manga, all things considered, though it was a bit exposition-heavy at times. I really do like how CLAMP has mixed in lore here to connect to their broader universe of series; I just wish there were more to explore the natures of the heavenly world, the demon world, and the “other” world. I guess it may be time to reread Wish now!!

[Jordan MacKinnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!! I just... wow!! This conclusion was everything I could have hoped for and more!! Seriously, I didn't think I was going to enjoy this series with how the first volume started. But man am I happy that I read the whole thing!! This series showcased different types of love and just being a good person! Some of these love stories came out of nowhere and took my breath away!! And some of them brewed like a good cup of tea!! Like... This was so good!! I just... my mind is blown!!

[Mladoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dernier tome, dernière ligne droite où on apprend ensuite la vérité sur Mme SAYAKA et M. OKIURA.

Emouvant, mignon, qui réchauffe le cœur, ce dernier tome est vraiment magique et romantique sans être niais pour autant.

(*-*) : ma tête à la lecture des dernières pages, ce qui reflète très bien l'impression générale que m'a laissé ce manga. Une bouffée d'émerveillement et de douceur.

[Adrian Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un final un tanto repetitivo, un final un tanto obvio, un final un tanto sacado de la manga.

Pero con las relaciones a otras historias de Clamp (aunque dejaron de lado Lawful Drug), se creó una historia muy buena. Con elementos que rescatan todo lo que Clamp ha ido creando por años y años. Con una historia más directa pero buena que varios de sus primeros trabajos.

Me gustó bastante.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like how the whole series concluded. I do have some mixed feelings that Kobato is only 16 and Fujimoto has to be at least twice that, more most likely cuz he was already in college before, but still largely very sweet and hopeful for everyone.

[Ziα Đαdiпα · Rating 4 out of 5]

La mia iniziale titubanza si è avverata in parte, visto che c'è un happy ending.. stranissimo trattandosi delle Clamp, infatti è tutto tirato per i capelli e lasciando in sospeso un milione di cose e info .____.

Sempre bellissimo rimane.. ma tirato via!

[Andrea Ambroso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anche stavolta le CLAMP sono riuscite in 4 capitoli a chiudere tutte le vicende e dare un finale degno, e nel loro tipico stile, con un misto di commozione e nostalgia. La cosa che mi ha portato a dare 5 stelle sono però i disegni, assolutamente magnifici!

[Meme · Rating 4 out of 5]

It ended in a rush in my opinion but it ended nicely all the same...despite when you realize he's now in his mid 30s and she's 16.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just absolutely amazing... the series started off very light, but the ending took it out of this world! Just another amazing piece of work by Clamp

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the ending, i dont really like the first 4 volumes. But i liked 5 and 6.

[Amina D'Anima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une fin éblouissante et lumineuse <3 comme notre héroïne <3

[emma ⁠☆｡⁠*⁠♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

yeah I cried!!!!!! what of it!!!!!!! does it get a little weird at the end???? yes. but is it sweet and kind. ily kobato and your funny haircut ꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡

[David Doel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It turned out that the missing volume wasn't that much of a problem. The best part about this manga was the art; the story was cute.

[Thanh Dat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Đoạn cuối vỡ òa thật, t ko nghĩ cả 2 đôi (3 đôi) đều sẽ có happy ending, nhưng mà vì bạn xứng đáng
Btw ông chó hình dạng thật bảnh trai vc 😎