X -Kai- Volume 1

X -Kai-

by Asami Tohjoh, Yuko Fukami (Translator), Anina Bennett (Editor)

By day Kaito is a florist, but at night he is a ruthless assassin who is brought orders to kill by a mysterious woman. But Kaito is an assassin with a conscience--and his life is made difficult when he has to take care of his sick brother... Part hardboiled romance of solitude, part meditation on the meaning of life and death, the long-awaited manga series is filled with love, blood, murder, and plenty of white lilies.

Genres: Manga, Yaoi, Shounen Ai

200 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

About the author

Name (in native language): 東城 麻美
Birth Date: August 19
Zodiac: Leo

Her stories are often angsty and at times violent, aimed for a mature audience, not just any female reader.

JUNE reports that she has passed away due to illness.

Blood Type: A

Reviews

[Usagi · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tome of this reminded me a bit of Bride of Deimos, with the whole 'you tried so hard, but it went off in a handbasket anyway' themes of the stories. It has the added bonus of a visual Kei protagonist, and all those 90s fashion choices, making the pages more interesting to look at.
I'll be reading volume two.

[TT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh

[1morechapter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do confess that the only reason I read this was because it was an ‘X’ title that I needed for the A-Z Challenge. It was also my first manga, AND since it was originally in Japanese, I also counted it for the Japanese Literature Challenge. Reading a manga is interesting because you read the book from back to front and right to left. It wasn’t really that difficult to do, and I enjoyed reading this book just for the experience.

This book features Kaito, a skilled assassin who trained at a very young age. His day job is at a flower shop, and a mysterious woman comes there to give him his assignments. He then uses lilies as a guise to kill his victims. Kaito does have a heart, though, and even takes in a homeless boy. He also cares for his brother who is in a coma.

There are three mini-stories in this book, and some of the drawings are fairly graphic in nature so I would recommend this for adults only. Kaito is drawn in such a way that at first I didn’t know if he was male or female. However, he uses that as a disguise sometimes to lure his victims.

I would read the second volume, if only to fill the need for another ‘X’ title. Mangas are a new and very different genre for me. If you like manga and know of a series I might like, please let me know.

2006 for the English translation, 200 pp.
Rating: 3.5/5

[Kat Warrior · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manga doesn't have to be hundreds of volumes long in order to be awesome. This series is only two volumes, and so a good idea for those who like pretty boys but don't have a lot of money.

The story revolves around a very attractive male assassin, as many manga do. The hero is a great, well-rounded character as are the back-up characters. It's full of angst and violence, but has the sweetness and a little "cute" humor to make up for it. It also ends very well. The art's pretty as well, though not the highest quality I've ever seen.

This series really encouraged me to try my own hand at graphic novels, since it turns out that they don't have to be insanely long to bed good.

[Chris (thebookaholic) Padgett · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like that I can finish them in a brief time table. That may be it. :) The problem I'm having with Anime is that I think I have to move away from traditional expectations when reading book. These can be choppy, with horrible dialogue, stereotypical scenarios, both gender and circumstantial, and I am not sure it endears me to more. I am still thinking about it.

[Hillingdon Libraries]

Find this book at Hillingdon Libraries

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read January 24, 2016.

[Yuiko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting :)
Liked it a bit