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Kekkaishi #1
結界師 1
By night, junior high student Yoshimori Sumimura is a "kekkaishi" - a demon-hunter who specializes in creating magical barriers around his prey. By day, Yoshimori's got some other demons to battle: an addiction to sweets and a seriously crotchety grandfather! Yoshimori's pretty 16-year-old neighbour and childhood friend, Tokine Yukimura, is also a kekkaishi, but their families are feuding over who is the true practitioner of the art. Yoshimori couldn't care less about catching demons...until he realizes that his apathetic attitude is taking a toll on his friendship with Tokine. Just as he decides to take matters into his own hands, a couple of amphibious demons and the pesky ghost of a pastry-chef show up to complicate matters!
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 18, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
March 27, 2021
Puh. Also. Ja gut.
Insgesamt kommt zwar ne gewisse Nostalgie auf, jedoch nur im Bezug darauf, dass sich der Manga wie eine Mischung aus Jujutsu Kaisen und Dr. Slump liest. Keine sonderlich gute Kombi, primär wegen dem zweiten Teil dieser Rechnung. Insgesamt passiert einfach zu wenig, und doch wird die ganze Zeit extrem viel geredet und über Nonsens gestritten. Vermutlich ne Kinderkrankheit von Mangas, die sich am Anfang noch nicht ganz sicher sind, ob sie Action oder Comedy sein möchten.
Insgesamt kommt zwar ne gewisse Nostalgie auf, jedoch nur im Bezug darauf, dass sich der Manga wie eine Mischung aus Jujutsu Kaisen und Dr. Slump liest. Keine sonderlich gute Kombi, primär wegen dem zweiten Teil dieser Rechnung. Insgesamt passiert einfach zu wenig, und doch wird die ganze Zeit extrem viel geredet und über Nonsens gestritten. Vermutlich ne Kinderkrankheit von Mangas, die sich am Anfang noch nicht ganz sicher sind, ob sie Action oder Comedy sein möchten.
February 6, 2023
The nostalgia factor💛
May 21, 2018
I love Shikigami! It’s soooo cute. Yoshimori is flawed person but he has potential to be strong. So I’m interested in his growing. Tokine doesn’t have any aspect. She seems a perfect person. I want to know about her struggle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 25, 2015
I like the premise of this series, but...
I think most of the problem I had here is that the main character, Yoshimori, isn't established very well in this first book. Oh, his character traits are there - he's being pushed into the family business of monster hunting by his grandfather, when he really wants to work with sweets. He has a hard time juggling his duties as a kekkaishi and school, and usually ends up sleeping through his classes. He's overprotective of his childhood friend/rival/love interest and doesn't want her to get hurt again on his watch. His family is technically in competition with his childhood friend's family over who the TRUE kekkaishi heir is, but he refuses to hate her like his grandfather wants him to.
But the way all of that information is presented makes it seem more like we're going through a checklist of Yoshimori's traits than any sort of natural character development. It was all rushed, and half of that information seemed to come out of nowhere. I mean, we're introduced to the supernatural side of things, and that was being fairly well established...and then BOOM! Suddenly Yoshimori's got plans to build a candy castle to live in.
The artwork is decent, and I've heard that this is just a weak starter for the series, so I'll probably continue on at some point. It's been a while since I've had a shonen series to read.
I think most of the problem I had here is that the main character, Yoshimori, isn't established very well in this first book. Oh, his character traits are there - he's being pushed into the family business of monster hunting by his grandfather, when he really wants to work with sweets. He has a hard time juggling his duties as a kekkaishi and school, and usually ends up sleeping through his classes. He's overprotective of his childhood friend/rival/love interest and doesn't want her to get hurt again on his watch. His family is technically in competition with his childhood friend's family over who the TRUE kekkaishi heir is, but he refuses to hate her like his grandfather wants him to.
But the way all of that information is presented makes it seem more like we're going through a checklist of Yoshimori's traits than any sort of natural character development. It was all rushed, and half of that information seemed to come out of nowhere. I mean, we're introduced to the supernatural side of things, and that was being fairly well established...and then BOOM! Suddenly Yoshimori's got plans to build a candy castle to live in.
The artwork is decent, and I've heard that this is just a weak starter for the series, so I'll probably continue on at some point. It's been a while since I've had a shonen series to read.
June 4, 2010
I started (then stopped, then started again) this series thinking it was standard shonen fare and totally unnoteworthy, but that's not actually true. It's long-running (verily, no surefire mark of quality, but in this case the mangaka found her footing in pretty short order and built a solid world with some organic wiggle room) and the characters are distinct and sharp. Yoshimori has some of that typical Shonen Hero syndrome (bit on the bumbling/lazy side but holds SUPER IMMENSE POWER and will do anything to protect those he cares for), but I forgive him because his brother is wicked cool and so is his (potential) girlfriend.
I've seen "Kekkaishi" described as "the best series you're not reading," and that might very well be true. Unless you're also not reading "Skip Beat." Then THAT'S the best series you're not reading. But "Kekkaishi" is worth a read, a quality shonen work that doesn't feel like it's just an endless quest to level up.
I've seen "Kekkaishi" described as "the best series you're not reading," and that might very well be true. Unless you're also not reading "Skip Beat." Then THAT'S the best series you're not reading. But "Kekkaishi" is worth a read, a quality shonen work that doesn't feel like it's just an endless quest to level up.
April 25, 2019
A long time ago there lived a tiny lord who reigned over a tiny piece of land. however, the lord was not aware that he possessed enormous power. This power attracted ayakashi or demons. And caused mysterious events. Strange things happened one after another, inside the lord's castle...People at the castle called a man with expertise in slaying demons... and asked him to protect the lord and the castle. I find it extremely annoying but... I was told this was how our family business began
This series follows demon slayers (kekkaishi) Yoshimori Sumimura and Tokine Yukimura, childhood friends. They live with their families on neighboring land, Yoshimori with his father, younger brother, and grandfather. Tokine lives with her mother and grandmother. Their families both descend from disciples of the founding master- Tokimori Hazama who served under Lord of the Karasumori Clan, of the art they used to slay demons- Kekkai-jutsu . Grandparents of both children are at odds with each other as the 21st master of their respective families, both claiming that the hoin or symbol they were born with shows their proof as the true successors of the Hazama-ryu.
Yoshimori and Tokine train at night protecting the city with help of their demon dog's. In the first chapter we see our main characters try to protect a local high school (and underground shrine) from ayakashi. This area, while protected by a thin barrier, still attracts many demons. The battle ends with Tokine injured and Yoshimori resolved to become stronger to protect those he cares about. This chapter ends with a time skip to 5 years later with Yoshimori (now 14) and Tokine (now 16) stronger and continuing their fight against ayakashi. The next few chapter show our heroes fighting various demons and making friends with a ghost!
Tokine is an honest, smart, and strong lead as is Yoshimori, who still has training and practice ahead of him.
This first volume offered insight into both of these characters, with an emphasis on Yoshimori. We learned more about his past, friends, and his love of baking! Overall, this was a slow paced but entertaining introduction to this world and characters. Moments of comedy help to lighten up the story and show fun reactions from characters.
Tanabe Yellow's character designs are simple but convey emotion very effectively. The ayakashi designs are also whimsical, detailed, and frightening when needed! This volume ended on a light note with Yoshimori's hopes of eating a special cake dashed, when he learns his grandfather (who is not a fan of his baking) ATE ALL OF HIS SPECIAL 7 LAYER CAKE! But this encourages Yoshimori to try and find this cake again!
Looking forward to see where the story goes!
This series follows demon slayers (kekkaishi) Yoshimori Sumimura and Tokine Yukimura, childhood friends. They live with their families on neighboring land, Yoshimori with his father, younger brother, and grandfather. Tokine lives with her mother and grandmother. Their families both descend from disciples of the founding master- Tokimori Hazama who served under Lord of the Karasumori Clan, of the art they used to slay demons- Kekkai-jutsu . Grandparents of both children are at odds with each other as the 21st master of their respective families, both claiming that the hoin or symbol they were born with shows their proof as the true successors of the Hazama-ryu.
Yoshimori and Tokine train at night protecting the city with help of their demon dog's. In the first chapter we see our main characters try to protect a local high school (and underground shrine) from ayakashi. This area, while protected by a thin barrier, still attracts many demons. The battle ends with Tokine injured and Yoshimori resolved to become stronger to protect those he cares about. This chapter ends with a time skip to 5 years later with Yoshimori (now 14) and Tokine (now 16) stronger and continuing their fight against ayakashi. The next few chapter show our heroes fighting various demons and making friends with a ghost!
Tokine is an honest, smart, and strong lead as is Yoshimori, who still has training and practice ahead of him.
This first volume offered insight into both of these characters, with an emphasis on Yoshimori. We learned more about his past, friends, and his love of baking! Overall, this was a slow paced but entertaining introduction to this world and characters. Moments of comedy help to lighten up the story and show fun reactions from characters.
Tanabe Yellow's character designs are simple but convey emotion very effectively. The ayakashi designs are also whimsical, detailed, and frightening when needed! This volume ended on a light note with Yoshimori's hopes of eating a special cake dashed, when he learns his grandfather (who is not a fan of his baking) ATE ALL OF HIS SPECIAL 7 LAYER CAKE! But this encourages Yoshimori to try and find this cake again!
Looking forward to see where the story goes!
May 1, 2024
★4,5
Penderitaan Yoshi membuatku mewek dan beberapa adegan keren membuatku merinding.
Setelah ini ulasan untuk satu serial dan ada spoiler. Aku enggak begitu mikir berat pas menentukan star rating per volume dan cuman memutuskan seberapa enjoyable komiknya serta seberapa spesialnya ceritanya.
+
1. Lore cerita yang dalam dan detail membuatku merasa si penulis sudah tahu ceritanya mau dibawa ke mana saja dari awal hingga akhir.
2. Suka pengkarakterisasian di sini karena pada akhirnya mereka semua memiliki peran sesuai dengan kemampuan masing-masing.
3. Pesan moral: Apa obsesi dengan kekuatan akan membuatmu mendapatkan hal yang kau inginkan atau justru menjadikan segalanya sia-sia pada akhirnya?
4. Jurus simpel dan ikonis, tapi bisa digunakan dengan kreatif.
5. Kalau aku enggak kena spoiler gara-gara iseng lihat-lihat gambar, aku pasti bakal makin enggak menyangka ceritanya bakal kayak begini.
6. Membuat merinding karena saking kerennya mereka, tertawa, terharu, bersimpati, dan fangirling.
7. Aku suka epilognya cukup beda dari komik yang biasanya langsung timeskip dan ini cuman gambaran cita-cita mereka.
-
1. Sepertinya kurang cocok untuk pembaca yang lebih suka komik banyak gambar besar daripada komik yang punya banyak gambar dan banyak tulisan yang sama-sama kecil.
2. Sen adalah tokoh sampingan yang cukup penting bagi Yoshi dalam mendukung para MCs dalam berbagai hal. Dia memang mendapatkan character development berkaitan ketidaksukaannya dengan anggota tipe petarung baris depan. Tapi, rasanya sayang sekali kemampuannya soal membaca pikiran tidak berkembang sampai akhir serial. Padahal ketika di Kokuboro, dia terlihat keren pas menyebutkan berbagai keahliannya.
3. Beberapa karakter lain juga butuh panel tambahan seperti: masa training Tokine untuk jurus terbaru sekaligus terakhir dan perjalanan panjang Sumiko untuk mencari tanah dewa yang tepat. Berhubung penjelasannya kurang panjang, rasanya kayak perjuangan mereka enggak terlalu berat. Padahal di sepanjang serial, biasanya perjuangan latihan Yoshi dan Tokine terasa sama-sama penting.
4. Aku merasa penulisnya terlalu sayang ke para karakter sehingga yang berbuat buruk hukuman mereka enggak terasa sekejam seperti perbuatan mereka.
5. Aku memang suka, tapi bagian epilog terasa masih ada yang kurang.
6. Dua masalah utama: penyegelan Karasumori (MC Yoshi & Tokine) dan pertikaian Ohmi (MC Masamori). Berhubung menuju akhir serial, keduanya makin tak terasa berkaitan, aku jadi merasa karisma Yoshi-Tokine sebagai MC utama malah tertutup oleh karakter sampingan di akhir-akhir volume.
Penderitaan Yoshi membuatku mewek dan beberapa adegan keren membuatku merinding.
Setelah ini ulasan untuk satu serial dan ada spoiler. Aku enggak begitu mikir berat pas menentukan star rating per volume dan cuman memutuskan seberapa enjoyable komiknya serta seberapa spesialnya ceritanya.
+
1. Lore cerita yang dalam dan detail membuatku merasa si penulis sudah tahu ceritanya mau dibawa ke mana saja dari awal hingga akhir.
2. Suka pengkarakterisasian di sini karena pada akhirnya mereka semua memiliki peran sesuai dengan kemampuan masing-masing.
3. Pesan moral: Apa obsesi dengan kekuatan akan membuatmu mendapatkan hal yang kau inginkan atau justru menjadikan segalanya sia-sia pada akhirnya?
4. Jurus simpel dan ikonis, tapi bisa digunakan dengan kreatif.
5. Kalau aku enggak kena spoiler gara-gara iseng lihat-lihat gambar, aku pasti bakal makin enggak menyangka ceritanya bakal kayak begini.
6. Membuat merinding karena saking kerennya mereka, tertawa, terharu, bersimpati, dan fangirling.
7. Aku suka epilognya cukup beda dari komik yang biasanya langsung timeskip dan ini cuman gambaran cita-cita mereka.
-
1. Sepertinya kurang cocok untuk pembaca yang lebih suka komik banyak gambar besar daripada komik yang punya banyak gambar dan banyak tulisan yang sama-sama kecil.
2. Sen adalah tokoh sampingan yang cukup penting bagi Yoshi dalam mendukung para MCs dalam berbagai hal. Dia memang mendapatkan character development berkaitan ketidaksukaannya dengan anggota tipe petarung baris depan. Tapi, rasanya sayang sekali kemampuannya soal membaca pikiran tidak berkembang sampai akhir serial. Padahal ketika di Kokuboro, dia terlihat keren pas menyebutkan berbagai keahliannya.
3. Beberapa karakter lain juga butuh panel tambahan seperti: masa training Tokine untuk jurus terbaru sekaligus terakhir dan perjalanan panjang Sumiko untuk mencari tanah dewa yang tepat. Berhubung penjelasannya kurang panjang, rasanya kayak perjuangan mereka enggak terlalu berat. Padahal di sepanjang serial, biasanya perjuangan latihan Yoshi dan Tokine terasa sama-sama penting.
4. Aku merasa penulisnya terlalu sayang ke para karakter sehingga yang berbuat buruk hukuman mereka enggak terasa sekejam seperti perbuatan mereka.
5. Aku memang suka, tapi bagian epilog terasa masih ada yang kurang.
6. Dua masalah utama: penyegelan Karasumori (MC Yoshi & Tokine) dan pertikaian Ohmi (MC Masamori). Berhubung menuju akhir serial, keduanya makin tak terasa berkaitan, aku jadi merasa karisma Yoshi-Tokine sebagai MC utama malah tertutup oleh karakter sampingan di akhir-akhir volume.
September 5, 2023
There are a lot of Japanese supernatural-fantasy mangas (InuYasha, Vol. 1: Turning Back Time, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 1, and Natsume's Book of Friends, Volume 1 to name a few), but Kekkaishi is probably my top favorite. The magical power of kekkai jutsu is visually entertaining and easy to understand (1. summon an enchanted box, 2. put the enemy in the box, and 3. exterminate the enemy with the box). Yoshimori is a great protagonist because he affects others around him for the better and for the worse. My favorite character, Masamori, is the second type. He's a talented kekkaishi in his own right but knows he isn't quite the genius that his little brother is. Getting a little cray-cray with envy, he keeps getting close to falling into the dark side, which makes me love him even more. Here are some of my favorite Masamori pics I found on the web.
Masmori: "How many of my men and women died because of your stupid game?"
Masamori, about to bring the house down.
Sadly Kurohime (the black koi floating behind Masamori) never showed up again.
And this is me.
Masmori: "How many of my men and women died because of your stupid game?"
Masamori, about to bring the house down.
Sadly Kurohime (the black koi floating behind Masamori) never showed up again.
And this is me.
December 11, 2020
Kekkaishi is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yellow Tanabe. The series is about Yoshimori Sumimura and Tokine Yukimura, heirs to rival families of kekkai (barrier magic) users, who must defend their school from the spirits drawn to the sacred land upon which it is built.
Yoshimori Sumimura is a kekkaishi, or barrier master, an expert in fighting demons. Currently in his second year in junior high, he is training to become the 22nd kekkaishi in his family line. Each night, he patrols Karasumori, a cursed area that attracts supernatural beings of all sorts and is now the site of Yoshimori's school. This duty has been passed down through his family for generations.
Tokine Yukimura, Yoshimori's next-door neighbor, is also a kekkaishi. The Sumimuras and the Yukimuras have been quarreling for more than 400 years over which family is the legitimate successor to their kekkaishi school. As a child, Yoshimori made a mistake that caused Tokine to suffer a serious injury. Yoshimori was deeply shaken by this incident. Devoting himself to his training, he promised himself that he would become a strong man and be able to protect Tokine in the future.
This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Yellow Tanabe. For the most part, it is written and illustrated rather well. In the introductory chapters, Tanabe has succinctly created the history of the world, the rival families, the setting, and the magic system of capturing ayakashi (supernatural creatures). The character designs are cute but not cloying, and a strong but restrained use of black guides the eye through the pages. Tanabe's explanatory captions and diagrams allow the enjoyable story to unfold without confusion.
All in all, Kekkaishi, Vol. 1 is a wonderful beginning to a new series that seems really intriguing and I can't wait to read more.
Yoshimori Sumimura is a kekkaishi, or barrier master, an expert in fighting demons. Currently in his second year in junior high, he is training to become the 22nd kekkaishi in his family line. Each night, he patrols Karasumori, a cursed area that attracts supernatural beings of all sorts and is now the site of Yoshimori's school. This duty has been passed down through his family for generations.
Tokine Yukimura, Yoshimori's next-door neighbor, is also a kekkaishi. The Sumimuras and the Yukimuras have been quarreling for more than 400 years over which family is the legitimate successor to their kekkaishi school. As a child, Yoshimori made a mistake that caused Tokine to suffer a serious injury. Yoshimori was deeply shaken by this incident. Devoting himself to his training, he promised himself that he would become a strong man and be able to protect Tokine in the future.
This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Yellow Tanabe. For the most part, it is written and illustrated rather well. In the introductory chapters, Tanabe has succinctly created the history of the world, the rival families, the setting, and the magic system of capturing ayakashi (supernatural creatures). The character designs are cute but not cloying, and a strong but restrained use of black guides the eye through the pages. Tanabe's explanatory captions and diagrams allow the enjoyable story to unfold without confusion.
All in all, Kekkaishi, Vol. 1 is a wonderful beginning to a new series that seems really intriguing and I can't wait to read more.
January 4, 2020
Re reading the entire kekkaishi series, perhaps this is the third, I am not sure. It's not a great series, not like FMA but still incredibly story focused rather than character focussed. It combines shounen with seinen and remains charming throughout. Perhaps it's my nostalgia, but it holds up surprisingly, even after 5-6 years. The anime I remember seems to have some additional scenes which I felt added a lot to the story but well I won't go back to rewatch the anime (currently) and anyway it stopped midway. Regardless, it's a good manga, 7 or 8 in 10.
September 28, 2019
I remember stating this manga a few years ago, but found I couldn't get past the first few chapters. Coming back to it now since I've been getting into youkai lately, I have found that it gets decent the more I read on.
I feel like I didn't really like it the first time as the protagonist wasn't really leaving any remarkable impressions, and that he seemed like the typical impulsive shonen character.
Though now, I do feel like he has personality and I quite enjoy reading his everyday antics.
I feel like I didn't really like it the first time as the protagonist wasn't really leaving any remarkable impressions, and that he seemed like the typical impulsive shonen character.
Though now, I do feel like he has personality and I quite enjoy reading his everyday antics.
September 28, 2021
Ini komik yang bagus, punya beberapa momen yang keren, ditambah art-nya yang bagus. Sang author pun juga berani untuk membunuh beberapa karakter yang rasanya pembaca sudah punya investasi emosi seperti misalnya .
Tapi, sayangnya untuk bagian ending-nya agak kurang. Tentu ini good ending, namun menurut saya rasanya terburu-buru dengan bukti bahwa karakter penting yang muncul di akhir cerita yang menurut saya tidak terlalu diflesh out.
Tapi, sayangnya untuk bagian ending-nya agak kurang. Tentu ini good ending, namun menurut saya rasanya terburu-buru dengan bukti bahwa karakter penting yang muncul di akhir cerita yang menurut saya tidak terlalu diflesh out.
April 16, 2019
んんんん、この話の本音を捕まえるのは難しい。主人公の本音を理解するのも難しい。時音の本音も難しい。いっぱい分からないところがある。
結界の使い方は簡単。そういう問題ではない。ただなぜキャラがその行動するのは理解できない。何でこの二つの家族が戦っている？良守の母はどこ？時音の父はどこ？その二人は愛人かな？敵かな？妖に落ちたかな？
その犬の敷紙みたいのは何？妖？霊？
何で良守はそこまでお菓子を好きかな？何でおじいさんはそこまで嫌いかな？
何で時音は彼にいつも冷たいの？強くさせるため？
結界の使い方は簡単。そういう問題ではない。ただなぜキャラがその行動するのは理解できない。何でこの二つの家族が戦っている？良守の母はどこ？時音の父はどこ？その二人は愛人かな？敵かな？妖に落ちたかな？
その犬の敷紙みたいのは何？妖？霊？
何で良守はそこまでお菓子を好きかな？何でおじいさんはそこまで嫌いかな？
何で時音は彼にいつも冷たいの？強くさせるため？
April 27, 2022
This is a reread for me. And I have watched the anime when it was aired. Kekkaishi starts off weak. You won't even notice that there is overarching plot. But stick with it. It's not the usual endless power up treadmill Shounen you are used to.
March 2, 2023
This is a manga I had read bits of a very long time ago and watched the anime for it even longer ago. When I was in elementary school (I’m 25 now!), this aired on Toonami, usually somewhere from 11pm to 1am (I can’t quite recall its timeslot)
September 11, 2023
This was my first manga series. I read it in high school in 2008 and never stopped loving it. I love the characters and the world so much. If you're looking for a supernatural manga with a lot of heart, I highly recommend it.
March 30, 2018
Not a bad series with descent character growth.
March 26, 2019
Keskinkertaista demoninmetsästysfantasiaa.
April 5, 2020
The beginning of this story in terms of character backgrounds feels a little rushed but the setup is still awesome. I'm curious as to how this will progress which is the point of any good story.
October 28, 2020
Really loving this manga so far, definitely one of the best manga featuring Youkai! Love anything based on a Japanese mythology 😻😁👌❤️❤️
February 13, 2021
Good monster hunting fun with some nice cakes 😜
November 2, 2024
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. An excellent and underrated story that absolutely stands the test of time. This is certainly fueled by nostalgia, but I think that’s for good reason
February 6, 2012
I just reviewed this on my blog a few hours ago.
To view the full review, click here Kekkaishi Volume 1 by Yellow Tanabe
This is the first book in the Kekkaishi series. I read and finished this yesterday. I was actually thinking about reading this series and watching the anime for the past two years, I don't know why I didn't until now.
Sex: No
Gore: No
Magic: Yes (they have barrier making powers and some kind of exploding power, which I consider to be magic)
Romance: (This one's kind of hard to rate/say) So far, there isn't much romance, especially since this is the first volume in the series and I think there are thirty something books in total for this series, although you can tell that Yoshimori at least likes Tokine, not sure how she feels about him yet.
Action: 4 stars (there is a lot of action)
Pacing: 4 stars (pretty good, although, maybe it's just me, but at some points it was a little slow for me)
Plot: 4 stars (petty good)
Drawings/Art: 4 stars
To view the full review, click here Kekkaishi Volume 1 by Yellow Tanabe
This is the first book in the Kekkaishi series. I read and finished this yesterday. I was actually thinking about reading this series and watching the anime for the past two years, I don't know why I didn't until now.
Sex: No
Gore: No
Magic: Yes (they have barrier making powers and some kind of exploding power, which I consider to be magic)
Romance: (This one's kind of hard to rate/say) So far, there isn't much romance, especially since this is the first volume in the series and I think there are thirty something books in total for this series, although you can tell that Yoshimori at least likes Tokine, not sure how she feels about him yet.
Action: 4 stars (there is a lot of action)
Pacing: 4 stars (pretty good, although, maybe it's just me, but at some points it was a little slow for me)
Plot: 4 stars (petty good)
Drawings/Art: 4 stars
As you know, I'm a huge fan of shonen manga, so I've been trying to find some good mangas to read that I haven't read yet (and I've read a lot of mangas in the past 4 years), and then I remembered that I still haven't read or watched Kekkaishi yet. So, first I watched episode 1 of the anime and then I read volume 1 of the manga, and I enjoyed them both (so far).
A few of the things that I loved about this book was the plot. I enjoy reading books about demon fighting and magic, so it's only natural that I would end up reading this series and liking it. Plus, I like the characters too.
Warning, Spoilers
This is about two families, the Sumimuras and the Yukimuras (they're also neighbours), that are kekkaishis (which is a person that can see ghosts and has the power to create magical barriers around demons and then kill them if they need to, and they protect the Karasumori shrine that a school is built on top of), but they're families have been fighting for over 400 years about who the real kekkaishi family is, well, only Yoshimuri's grandpa and Tokine's grandma are like that, whereas the kids are friends and rivals. It kind of reminds me of Romeo and Juliet.
The story starts with a nine year old boy named Yoshimuri Sumimura and his demon hound/demon dog (I forget what they call them) chasing after a small demon. Yoshimura is a kekkaishi. Yoshimuri hates being a kekkaishi, so he makes a lot of mistakes and has trouble even catching small weak demons. Although, the demon he was after broke out of the barrier, Yoshimuri instantly exploded it, which means that he has a lot of power, he just needs to practice his aiming and to appreciate it. The next night, while Yoshimori and Tokine are looking for a demon and Yoshimuri catches it, the demon ends up tricking him to give him more time and almost kills him, but then Tokine comes and saves the day and gets badly hurt in the process, although she passes out after that. Yoshimuri can't bear to see Tokina get hurt because of him. Because of this incident, he decides to become stronger and be more serious about his job.
And then there's a time skip of five years, so now Yoshimuri is 14 years old and in middle school, and Tokine is 16 and in high school. They're both almost the same as they were five years ago. Although, at school Yoshimuri is always sleeping, and Tokine is the most popular girl in the school and a genius.
Yoshimuri is almost the typical shonen manga main character, except there's something different (like always), he loves to bake cakes and sweets, he's always fighting his grandma (although you see people fighting old men a lot in manga and anime, mostly because they're perverted, but he's not).
I wonder what happened to Yoshimuri's mom and Tokine's dad, I wonder if they're even alive. Those questions are part of what makes want to read more quickly so that I can find out.
Those are the major incidents of this volume, of course more happened, but I don't want to bore you with all of the details.
Overall, I like this manga, it's not one of my most favourites yet, but you never know.
I rated this book: 4 stars.
July 25, 2011
Kekkaishi is my first shonen manga - manga targeted more to boys than to girls. It's refreshing to read about something other than romantic tension once in awhile. Kekkaishi is the tale of the Hatfields and the McCoys...err the Capulets and Montagues...err the Sumimuras and Yukimuras. Aren't all family rivalries essentially the same? Both are demon fighting families and have been so for centuries. Despite living next door, they hate each other. Or at least the grandma and grandpa do. The younger generation - Yoshimori and Tokine (a girl a few years older than Yoshimori) are friendly rivals.
The story begins when our hero Yoshimori is nine years old. Despite his young age, he's already fighting demons. He seems quite capable but hates being a fighter so makes sloppy errors. Tokine has to come save the day. One day while rescuing Yoshimori yet again, Tokine gets hurt in destroying a demon. Yoshimuri can't bear to see Tokina hurt on his behalf. This is demonstrated clearly as he gets older. Fast forward a few years when Yoshimori is 12-13 and Tokine is 16 and the story is much the same. Yoshimuri doesn't like fighting and Tokine steps in to help him. Only now, Yoshimori goes out of his way to protect her.
Like many first volumes, this is largely comprised of set-up. I can tell that the demonology is quite complex. There are multiple types of demons and a detailed set of rituals to destroy them. There is also a strong mythology establishing the Sumimura and Yukimura families as demon slayers. I don't entirely understand what's going on, but I think it will become clear as the series continues.
Yoshimori isn't a particularly unique character. Your stereotypical wimpy guy who also happens to be a hero. But he's quirky in a way that I like. He's obsessed with coffee-flavored milk and loves to bake elaborate cakes. He's also constantly battling his crotchety grandfather. Not exactly a "respect your elders" relationship.
There are multiple action scenes in this volume, a few scenes that hint (but don't entirely achieve) heartfelt emotion, and a few good laughs. I particularly liked Yoshimori's Latin lover doppelganger.
I'm not in love with Kekkaishi after the first volume, but I'm definitely intrigued. This is the type of series that I might get sick of after a few volumes or might become completely obsessed with. We shall see.
The story begins when our hero Yoshimori is nine years old. Despite his young age, he's already fighting demons. He seems quite capable but hates being a fighter so makes sloppy errors. Tokine has to come save the day. One day while rescuing Yoshimori yet again, Tokine gets hurt in destroying a demon. Yoshimuri can't bear to see Tokina hurt on his behalf. This is demonstrated clearly as he gets older. Fast forward a few years when Yoshimori is 12-13 and Tokine is 16 and the story is much the same. Yoshimuri doesn't like fighting and Tokine steps in to help him. Only now, Yoshimori goes out of his way to protect her.
Like many first volumes, this is largely comprised of set-up. I can tell that the demonology is quite complex. There are multiple types of demons and a detailed set of rituals to destroy them. There is also a strong mythology establishing the Sumimura and Yukimura families as demon slayers. I don't entirely understand what's going on, but I think it will become clear as the series continues.
Yoshimori isn't a particularly unique character. Your stereotypical wimpy guy who also happens to be a hero. But he's quirky in a way that I like. He's obsessed with coffee-flavored milk and loves to bake elaborate cakes. He's also constantly battling his crotchety grandfather. Not exactly a "respect your elders" relationship.
There are multiple action scenes in this volume, a few scenes that hint (but don't entirely achieve) heartfelt emotion, and a few good laughs. I particularly liked Yoshimori's Latin lover doppelganger.
I'm not in love with Kekkaishi after the first volume, but I'm definitely intrigued. This is the type of series that I might get sick of after a few volumes or might become completely obsessed with. We shall see.
November 20, 2011
Status: Completed (35 series)
Review of the whole series.
Sumimura Yoshimori and Yukimura Tokine are both school teenager with night's job, protectors of the sacred land called Karasumori. This land attracted ayakashi -demons- that hungry to suck up its power, so every night they have to banished demons that come to close to it. While Tokine take this responsibilty by heart, Yoshimori reluctants to do so, until one day, Tokine got hurt by a demon because of his carelessness. From that time on, he swore to protect people around him, even if that means he should seal the Karasumori completely. **Later we know that Tokine's father was died on action, and Yoshimori's mother, his partner at that time, feel exactly the same, that's why she left home, to find a way to seal it.**
In another place, Yoshimori older brother, Sumimura Masumori is a leader of a Yagyou, group of people with ability. He just promoted as a board of directors of an organization called Urukai. In the outside, this organization is solid and honorable, but in the inside, most of the directors had their own hidden agenda to gain more power, including from sacred land. So when these evils intentions were laid eyes on Karasumori and place it as a battle ground, Yoshimori dan Masumori put aside their diferences, and make a pact to protect their land anyway they could. Not to make things easier, the land itself was restless and start behaving oddly, or should I say, childishly.
****
Also one of my fav shonen manga of all time, although near the end I feel somehow the writer rushed to finish the story, so some of the characters lost the details they deserved, like Tokine's training (hey, she worked as hard as Yoshimori) or Yoshimori's Mom efforts to help Tokimori-sama or Sumimori's struggles in Urukai (man, I love that guy!!), and more stories about people in Yagyou.
Read by downloading from:
vol 1-35 : http://www.mangatraders.com/manga/ser...
Review of the whole series.
Sumimura Yoshimori and Yukimura Tokine are both school teenager with night's job, protectors of the sacred land called Karasumori. This land attracted ayakashi -demons- that hungry to suck up its power, so every night they have to banished demons that come to close to it. While Tokine take this responsibilty by heart, Yoshimori reluctants to do so, until one day, Tokine got hurt by a demon because of his carelessness. From that time on, he swore to protect people around him, even if that means he should seal the Karasumori completely. **Later we know that Tokine's father was died on action, and Yoshimori's mother, his partner at that time, feel exactly the same, that's why she left home, to find a way to seal it.**
In another place, Yoshimori older brother, Sumimura Masumori is a leader of a Yagyou, group of people with ability. He just promoted as a board of directors of an organization called Urukai. In the outside, this organization is solid and honorable, but in the inside, most of the directors had their own hidden agenda to gain more power, including from sacred land. So when these evils intentions were laid eyes on Karasumori and place it as a battle ground, Yoshimori dan Masumori put aside their diferences, and make a pact to protect their land anyway they could. Not to make things easier, the land itself was restless and start behaving oddly, or should I say, childishly.
****
Also one of my fav shonen manga of all time, although near the end I feel somehow the writer rushed to finish the story, so some of the characters lost the details they deserved, like Tokine's training (hey, she worked as hard as Yoshimori) or Yoshimori's Mom efforts to help Tokimori-sama or Sumimori's struggles in Urukai (man, I love that guy!!), and more stories about people in Yagyou.
Read by downloading from:
vol 1-35 : http://www.mangatraders.com/manga/ser...
October 29, 2011
With a funny, earnest and solid start, Kekkaishi makes its mark as a refreshing addition to the overplayed shounen genre. Kekkaishi details the life of Yoshimori Sumimura as he works to improve in his family business - hunting ayakashi aka demons. Despite the hardships of mastering demon catching techniques, Yoshimura is burdened with the pressure of triumphing as the real heir to the Kekkaishi art against his family rival the Yukimura clan next door. But with Tokine Yukimura as a childhood friend and rival, relationships are anything but easy. With both demon hunting and hilarity, Yoshimori must tackle the obstacles in the way of achieving demon hunting mastery.
Surprisingly I found Kekkaishi enjoyable despite my hesitations to start this series. Yoshimori comes off as a pretty laid back, almost bum-like hero yet he has a soft heroic side as well. Even in volume 1, Yoshimori changes as a character from child to adult in both character and strength when working hard to protect the ones he loves..and enjoying life as well. He's a peculiar character with his quirks: loving coffee milk, and his obsession with castle cakes. Above all, he doesn't overly focus on what the typical shounen character exemplifies - saving all and becoming a selfless hero. Yoshimori is simply an idiot, but a lovable one at that.
There's a well-developed and not overly slap stick sense of humor in Kekkaishi too. Yoshimori's lazy character tends to be the butt of jokes in one way or another, however even the jokes seem mellow and enjoyable. The idea of Kekkaishi and their hunting methods are fairly passe, but its characters and easy light plot are the elements that makes this story shine.
Surprisingly I found Kekkaishi enjoyable despite my hesitations to start this series. Yoshimori comes off as a pretty laid back, almost bum-like hero yet he has a soft heroic side as well. Even in volume 1, Yoshimori changes as a character from child to adult in both character and strength when working hard to protect the ones he loves..and enjoying life as well. He's a peculiar character with his quirks: loving coffee milk, and his obsession with castle cakes. Above all, he doesn't overly focus on what the typical shounen character exemplifies - saving all and becoming a selfless hero. Yoshimori is simply an idiot, but a lovable one at that.
There's a well-developed and not overly slap stick sense of humor in Kekkaishi too. Yoshimori's lazy character tends to be the butt of jokes in one way or another, however even the jokes seem mellow and enjoyable. The idea of Kekkaishi and their hunting methods are fairly passe, but its characters and easy light plot are the elements that makes this story shine.
March 28, 2011
Karasumori landlord and his descendants have very high spiritual powers in which can make demons grow dreadfully bigger, stronger and fierceful.
After all of the Karasumori descendants passed away due to a horrifying incidents, the spiritual power didn't wash away and stays in the land where the Karasumori castle used to stand.
The power that envelopes the area lures demons to come to that place.
It is the job of the Sumimura clan and Yukimura clan as 'kekkaishi' to banish those demons who visit that land to absorb Karasumori's spiritual power.
And now the duty is passed to the 22nd generations: Yoshimori Sumimura (14 years old) and Tokine Yukimura (16 years old).
Actually, since long time ago, the Sumimura and Yukimura clan don't get along well (despite they live next to each other). And they also sort of compete --and cooperating-- in kekkaishi skills and jobs.
Yoshimori himself never really adores the job as kekkaishi (he has his own interest in baking cakes and his wild dream to create a cake castle).
But the incident when he was younger where Tokine earned a scar in her hand after protecting Yoshimori from a demon while doing their duty, Yoshimori pledged to himself to never again let Tokine get hurt.
In his kekkaishi duities, Yoshimori is accompanied by Madarao, a dog spirit who helps him to find their targets, and Tokine is accompanied by her own dog spirit, Hakubi.
Together they protect the Karasumori area (which is now in the 21st century is their school) from demons who seek for power and endanger mankind.
After all of the Karasumori descendants passed away due to a horrifying incidents, the spiritual power didn't wash away and stays in the land where the Karasumori castle used to stand.
The power that envelopes the area lures demons to come to that place.
It is the job of the Sumimura clan and Yukimura clan as 'kekkaishi' to banish those demons who visit that land to absorb Karasumori's spiritual power.
And now the duty is passed to the 22nd generations: Yoshimori Sumimura (14 years old) and Tokine Yukimura (16 years old).
Actually, since long time ago, the Sumimura and Yukimura clan don't get along well (despite they live next to each other). And they also sort of compete --and cooperating-- in kekkaishi skills and jobs.
Yoshimori himself never really adores the job as kekkaishi (he has his own interest in baking cakes and his wild dream to create a cake castle).
But the incident when he was younger where Tokine earned a scar in her hand after protecting Yoshimori from a demon while doing their duty, Yoshimori pledged to himself to never again let Tokine get hurt.
In his kekkaishi duities, Yoshimori is accompanied by Madarao, a dog spirit who helps him to find their targets, and Tokine is accompanied by her own dog spirit, Hakubi.
Together they protect the Karasumori area (which is now in the 21st century is their school) from demons who seek for power and endanger mankind.
November 17, 2013
Dulu pas nonton animenya di TV lokal rasanya benar-benar menarik. Konsep kekkai dan variasinya yang tak disangka cukup banyak dan efektif, benar-benar menarik. Untuk sebuah shounen, menurutku Kekkaishi adalah salah satu yang low profile, yang mana keberadaannya cukup langka. Tapi kesederhanaan konsep dan cerita (yang awal-awalnya episodic -- lebih mengingatkan dengan genre slice-of-life) membuatnya menggali hal-hal yang tidak terduga karena batasan yang dibuatnya, cerdas.
Tidak sabar sampai arcnya yang menunjukkan kalau Kekkaishi ini tidak hanya unggul dalam sisi thinking, tapi juga emosional. Even near-balance is rare.
And speaking of rare, Kekkaishi's covers are kind of giving a new definition to shounen manga covers, they've got such beautiful motifs and colors, love them.
Tidak sabar sampai arcnya yang menunjukkan kalau Kekkaishi ini tidak hanya unggul dalam sisi thinking, tapi juga emosional. Even near-balance is rare.
And speaking of rare, Kekkaishi's covers are kind of giving a new definition to shounen manga covers, they've got such beautiful motifs and colors, love them.
June 10, 2012
This really is one of the best random library pick-up manga I've read in a while. I knew nothing about this except that the cover looked cool, a choice with somethings horrible consequences in my recent experience. Not only did I love every single character from our hero Yoshimori (a young demon hunter who just wants to bake cakes) to his grumpy grandfather to the talking demon dogs, the story was well-paced with a great blend of humor and action. The art is consistent and expressive, telling just as much of the story as the words.
This is a great beginning the series. I would recommend this volume to fans of Naruto or Soul Eater or those that like their action with a healthy dose of humor.
This is a great beginning the series. I would recommend this volume to fans of Naruto or Soul Eater or those that like their action with a healthy dose of humor.
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