Shaman King, Vol. 1 Limited Edition

シャーマンキング [Shaman King] #1

by Hiroyuki Takei

To most people, ghosts are the stuff of horror stories and nightmares. But to Yoh Asakura, a transfer student at Shinra Private Junior High, they're his friends! Yoh Asakura is a shaman-one of the gifted few who can speak to spirits. By channeling ghosts into his body, like the long-dead samurai Amidamaru, he can allow them to possess him and use their powers. However, a modern-day shaman faces great responsibilities, because spirits-and the people who work with them-can be very dangerous indeed.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Shonen, Adventure

208 pages, Paperback

First published December 8, 1998

About the author

Hiroyuki Takei (武井宏之 Takei Hiroyuki) is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of the manga and anime Shaman King. His brother, Hirofumi Takei (武井宏文) is also a manga-ka.

Reviews

[jenn *mother of dragon & snake* · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember when I first read this in that huge 'Shonen Jump' massive sized book of many anime series that started back in March 2003 and ended in August 2007.



Man I used to fight with my brother over these darn things. But now I just buy the actual books. Curse you Half-Priced-Books for making this so easy!

I love sassy Yoh.


With his new buddy Admidamaru.


The cute midget Manta.


Bad Ass Wanna-be Ryu.


Begin the world of Shaman King! WOOOO!

[Daniela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite anime as a child. So I think it's more than appropriate to read it now that I've grown more comfortable with manga - reading in general.

Well, I can say that manga aren't for everyone. You should like the way the story is presented to really enjoy this experience, but this one is a good place to start. It is not really particular regarding style or message, and is really funny.

And about what happens... I'm sure you've read the synopsis. If you haven't I advice you to go and read that as I don't want to make this review a summary.

We meet Yoh. He is a carefree guy. I don't like this type of guys in particular, but he is ok. Also, we meet Manta, Amidamaru and Ren. Almost half of the group is here - so let the party begin!

It is a light-hearted ride, but not so light at the same time. It's funny and easy, and a great way to spend two hours of your day.

Highly recommend!!!

[Deepu Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this lovely manga

[Victor The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shaman King, Vol. 1 (My Kindle Review)

“SK” first has us meet school student Manta Oyamata who has a bit of a worrisome-spastic behavior. His life changes forever when he meets new transfer student Yuh Asakura who happens to be a shaman in training. A shaman is someone who has the ability to see spirits and use their special powers and in a big surprise, Manta also can see spirits and with his new friend he will encounter plenty of ghostly adventures.

It’s a very fun and exciting manga about spirits and action mixed together very well. Plenty of funny moments from Manta as well. More spirited antics that I hope to see for sure, Shamone! A- (91%/Excellent)

[Ace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shaman King is one of those rare instances where the show is better than the manga. I worshiped the anime as a ten-year-old; I couldn't get enough of it. When I read the manga a few years later, however, I wasn't as moved. Manta (Morty in the show, a name playing off the word "mortician") takes a shortcut through a cemetery at night and meets Yoh, a shaman. The two inexplicably become friends and Manta follows Yoh on his adventures to become the shaman king. Unfortunately, what detracts from the series is how annoying Manta is. Every panel showing him is chibi. He's always whining or complaining or yelling. He doesn't have an endearing side, and sometimes, I wondered why Yoh would put up with him. The plot is a little slow in this volume, but luckily, both Manta and the plot become more fully-formed and developed in later volumes. Yoh's laid back personality allows for moments of humor that break up the action and seriousness that often pervades the story.

If you read the manga and don't love it, give the anime a shot - Morty (Manta) isn't nearly as annoying and that alone makes a huge difference in my reception of the series.

[metempsicoso]

Non so di preciso come, ma somma il vagare senza meta nel catalogo - vagamente osceno - di kindle unlimited e la sinusite da allergia che causa sconfortevoli dolori al trigemino, e sono finito a leggere manga in inglese.
Non mi capitava penso da un decennio - forse, anzi sicuramente, di più.
E finalmente, dopo un'epoca, finalmente scoprirò come finisce questa storia, di cui ricordo soltanto alcuni sprazzi e l'astio verso Italia 1 che d'improvviso ha smesso di trasmetterla.

A chi mi legge e non riesce a stare dietro all'energia caotica e sconclusionata delle mie letture, il mio affetto, la stima e un abbraccio sentito.

[jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read the entire series but I'm too lazy to tag each one. I loved the storyline and the characters (Yoh, especially. Always have since I first saw the anime version. Always will!). The story had a heart; the artwork was nice. It's full of action with just enough dozes of comedy to break the monotony. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would have given it a 5-star rating if it weren't for the ending which was kind of meh. Shame really 'coz it was a fun and addictive read for my first ever shonen manga.

Note: This isn't really a review. I just wanted to rant and rave. LOL.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVE it!!! <3

[karpa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

Zero obiektywizmu, bo jest to o moim fav anime z dzieciństwa. Także ocena zawsze będzie dobra, buziaczki.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Po prostu kocham

[Vikas · Rating 4 out of 5]

And here's goes start of a new series in the new year, I tell you I am going to fully utilize Kindle Unlimited and Manga-plus, I have already read more than 120 books from their membership in around 4 months so I am gonna smash all my records in a year but should I? Isn't it better to savor the books slowly? Well, not for me, my mission and love is to read and keep on reading, so that's what I have done and that's what I am going to do.

Okay then let's talk a little about the book as well, this is a fine start to the series and I am excited to follow along on this adventure and let's see how it goes so let's find out and then as always keep on reading.

I have always loved comics, and I have I can. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and hope always to love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I just want to Keep on Reading.

[Guguk · Rating 4 out of 5]

25 Aug 2016 :
Katanya tamatnya rasa kentang ya? ^ p ^
Aku belum baca sampai tamat sih...

Gambar : 4.5 bintang...tipe gambar yang aku suka! o(≧▽≦)o Seperti bulat-bulat gitu~
Cerita : 4.5 bintang...seru khas komik cowok yang mungkin agak bisa diramalkan pake bola kristal, tapi aku suka~
Suka banget sama tokoh-tokohnya juga.., terutama si Manta (^ ω ^)
_______

05 Jun 2017 :
Terbit ulang~ baca ulaangg~~ (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

Tadinya bingung karena yang terbit ulang versi tanko, dan bukan versi kanzenban yang endingnya 'benar'.
Tapi - tapi - tapii~~ mengharapkan punai terbang jatuh ke tangan, di saat banyak manuk emprit bertebaran ini berat buat sifatku yang tamak dan ga sabaran XDD wkwkk~

Setelah baca sampai vol.3, aku masih sangat suka ceritanya (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) seperti dulu~
I had a crush on Amidamaru back then. And now ce-el-be-ka seems happening (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄) //wuoyy XD
_______

17 Jan 2018 :
Ulasan sampai tamat di vol.32

Reaksi pas baca vol.32...


Mulanya...
~degdegan... ini udah mau tamat, tapi kok masih begini-begini aja, 'nyantei' banget!

Lalu, begitu nyampe ending...
~wut de hhhh!!
Ini jadinya gimana??
Kenapa beginii?
Kenapa mataku jadi tiga kayak Tenshinhan??

Dan, begitu tau kenapa endingnya begini...

~serasa pengen makan kubis mentah saking doyannya emosinya (`皿´＃)

Setelah minum air putih dan mengunyah kubis pelan-pelan menarik napas dalam-dalam, mungkin seharusnya aku ga nyalahin mangaka-nya...
Aku ga tau kebenaran yang sebenarnya di balik "kenapa" itu, dan pekerjaan ini bukan tipe 'pekerjaan-yang-hasilnya-pasti-asalkan-dikerjakan-sungguh-sungguh'. Paling tidak, hasil gambar yang bagus sampai akhir membuktikan kesungguhan Takei-sensei.
Soal proses pembuatan jalan cerita sampai jadi 'neraka-kentang' kayak gini, sebagai pembaca yang ga bisa menempatkan diri di sepatu mangaka, rasanya aku ga berhak ngomong apa-apa.

Akhirnya hanya sekedar "ya sudahlah" yang bisa diucapkan~

Dengan ending seperti ini pun, aku ga bisa menyangkal kalo aku tetep suka banget sama ceritanya, terutama di bagian awal dan pertengahan. Baru pas nyampe bagian turnamen yang si Hao kayak 'pendekar-tanpa-tanding' itu udah mulai sebel sama ceritanya...

Tokoh-tokohnya yang 'shounen-abis' itu hampir semuanya aku suka, terutama Manta yang bertindak sebagai narator, wakil dari pembaca rata-rata yang bukan dukun & cenayang.
Selain Manta, suka sekali dengan kesetiaan Amidamaru dan juga kesetiakawanan Ryu, lalu kocak & polosnya Horohoro--sayang belum diceritain secara detil soal rahasianya--, serta Matamune yang memiliki imej 'paman pengembara yang puitis' ｡ﾟ(^∀^ﾟ )ﾟ｡ //menertawakankebodohansendiri

Arc Matamune a.k.a. Osorezan Revoir jadi favorit karena berhasil melukiskan Anna dengan jernih, dan membuat hubungannya dengan Yoh jadi terasa manis ❤

Bintangnya ta' turunin satu (^_^;;)> tapi aku akan tetep minat kalau sequelnya diterbitkan di sini~

[Issei Miyata · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga is “Shaman King”. I love this manga. The protagonist is Yo Asakura. He is a shaman. And he wanted to be a top of shaman - Shaman King

He trains and fights against other shaman with the soul. The soul is Amidamaru. He was a samurai before he died. I like this character. He is so cool.

This manga is one of the most favorite manga for me. So I hope that you will read this manga and love this manga.

[Irene ➰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

I'll be a little harsh this time but it isn't a favorite so far.
It defnitely has potential but don't think V1 is yet the case.
Every chaper except for the last one is basically a single episode and I didn't find any connection between a chapter and another.

This till the last one, where I finally found some plot development taking over.
Next volume sounds exciting, so not saying this was bad, I actually liked the one shot "adventures", but simply I expected more of a story that I only got at the end of the volume.

[Hal Incandenza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un inizio non male.
Mi hanno colpito molto i disegni, la pulizia ma soprattutto l’ordine delle tavole, un insieme che mi ha ricordato Tezuka ma declinato in chiave moderna.

[omar ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read up to volume;
#4: with an overall rating of: ★★★★☆ 4.2


so much nostalgia
an instant classic

[pechowablondynka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powrót do dzieciństwa ❤

[Tovelohh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really want to read the second one but it’s not in my library😫

[Dimitra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to be a huge fan of anime. But never of manga. Not until now.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy anime but I am very very picky now.
Manga was not my thing, not that I had tried reading one, to be honest...
I thought that they were boring, for some stupid reason.
Guess what... THEY ARE NOT!!! On the contrary, my first manga reading experience made me think that anime are boring! What the actual f...?!?!?!?!
I read this one in a sitting! I devoured it!!!
It was brilliant, very funny, full of action and the art was simple but meaningful and flawless!!!
I was worried that I wouldn't get used to reading a manga (you read it backwards, from right to left, really...). It literally took me a couple of pages and then I just read the whole thing like a pro!
This story is epic! It made me a fan of both manga and Shaman King!!!

[Vasquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became aware of the IP with the original anime dubbed in English, and not the remake. The remake follows the manga more to a teeth but there are a few improvements the original anime does that ties up the story better. Therefore I recommend the original anime for the best experience, yeah, I'm one of those.

[Terry Calafato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finalmente mi dedico a questa serie che non ho mai completato, complice la pubblicazione della Final edition!
Letti: vol 1
In lettura: vol 2

Direi che per il 2021 mi fermo al vol 10 di questo bellissimo manga. Veramente splendido, non mi sono annoiata mai finora! Spero continui così ;)

[Gary Butler · Rating 1 out of 5]

65th book read in 2017.

Number 626 out of 629 on my all time book list.

By far the worst manga I have ever read.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yoh Asakura is a young Shaman who comes to Tokyo for some advanced study. Shortly after arriving, Yoh meets Manta, a studious young man with a bit of an aggression complex. The two become unlikely friends in spite of the fact that they first meet in a graveyard. Yoh also meets several spirits including Amidamaru, a samurai who’s been dead some 600 years.

Now, I haven’t read much manga or watched a ton of anime in my life, but a friend convinced me to give some a try and this was on his list to lend me. It always takes me a few minutes to get used to reading “backwards” but after a while I fall into the routine. I also still need to adjust to the exaggerated mannerisms and visual shortcuts that are prevalent in the medium, but I’m cool with it all. I actually had a lot of fun reading this one!

This is definitely the first few chapters of the story since everything is exposition and set-up. We learn about the characters in broad strokes, explore Yoh’s powers (to bond with ghosts and be able to utilize the ghosts’ powers), and get to see them in action. The first several chapters are pretty much stand-alone stories where Yoh solves a problem by meeting a ghost and using their abilities to solve the situation.

The mythology finally hits in the final three chapters when Yo encounters another Shaman, Ren, who has a completely different take on what it means to be a Shaman. Inevitably, they have to fight - because Ren wants to possess the ghost of Amidamaru for himself. The confrontation is actually kind of cool. Ren has a Chinese Warlord as his primary spirit, so it becomes a fight between the Warlord and Yoh’s Samurai, Amidamaru. Fun fight and we get to see them use some abilities that are bigger and more “typically” anime.

While I’ve seen a lot of this kind of story composition before, it still had a great sense of fun and didn’t take itself too seriously. At this point the characters are really fairly two-dimensional, but I can see that this was a serial that I think came out weekly when originally published in Japan. It makes sense that this will be a bit of a slow burn like a newspaper strip here in the US, so no need to rush things. There were a few cliffhanger chapter endings that then needed a bit of reiteration in the following chapter, but that’s all fun too.

I actually really enjoyed Takei’s artwork. It has a fun comic strip kind of flair to it, but the action is very dynamic. Facial expressions are a huge part of manga, so they are well presented here - to the extreme, actually! It’s my understanding that this edition features the complete original artwork where some later printings had alterations made. I’m happy to see the original, but I’m curious as to what needed to be changed and why. It all seems quite excellent the way it is! My only complaint was the occasional tiny panel that in this “digest-sized” book was often hard to determine what was happening in there.

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading this yesterday. It was a nice diversion from the American comics I read and is interesting enough to get me to borrow subsequent volumes. Might even try some other titles down the road.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A re-read! Don't have the series myself anymore, so I was happy when Kodansha had the free volume 1 thingie and I could grab this one! It was a fun re-read, love meeting Yoh again and see all he can do, love his drive and how chill he is at the same time. I love how dedicated he is to being a shaman and how he goes far to help everyone, ghosts and humans. The ghosts are fab! Manta though, I suddenly remembered why I didn't read a lot of the series or stopped watching the anime. Gosh, he is so annoying. Ren is the same, but he got a nice butt-kicking from Yoh. Heehee.
Oh, and this one reminds me of the time I cosplayed (not too good, though people said otherwise) as Anna! That was so fun! I miss those times~

[Maxine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd never heard of this series before, so I went in completely blind and ended up *really* enjoying it! The story centers around Yoh, a teenage boy with the ability to see and communicate with ghosts, making him a "shaman," someone who is connected to both the spirit world and the world of the living. Yoh comes across to others as a bit of a slacker and a weirdo, but he's genuinely a good kid and he manages to solve a lot of problems by engaging with the local ghosts.

It's a really fun world with lots of enjoyable characters and a really cool art style - it's definitely a series I'm going to look further into!

[Devonte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve recently finished this manga. I believe this could have been a very popular shonen anime if given a chance, the characters, world building, and the immersion this series gives to the reader is fantastic. My only gripe with this series is that it seemed the author got a little tired towards the ending, often repeating themes that was shown in the early stages of the manga. With an ending feeling almost like an animated Disney movie. Overall I think it’s a great read especially if you enjoy the shonen jump genre.

[duniamimpigie Anggi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baca ulang ini setelah belasan tahun, bikin saya menyadari hal-hal yang dulu luput dari perhatian saya.
Hmmmm... Tampaknya Yoh tetap bukan karakter favorit saya, sama kayak zaman baca pertama kalinya dulu.

Omong-omong, Shaman King dialognya B A N Y A K yaaaa ^^""
Dulu mah baca tinggal baca, malah makin banyak dialog makin seneng. Sekarang liat balon dialognya sejibun... Hela napas dulu X"D

[Gizella Caicedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Increíble si el anime me encanto el manga lo ameee!! Por fin pude conocer el verdadero final de esta historia y es alucinante!

[Paw Manjar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acaso mi juicio está nublado porque es uno de mis animes favoritos? Sí, pero sigue siendo excelente y muero por comenzar el siguiente volumen

[Curious Madra · Rating 1 out of 5]

So since the 2021 anime adaptation just came out, i decided to read the manga and omg it is so uncomfortably over the top and wayyyyy too fast for me to grasp. Yeah sorry it's a no for me....