Angel Sanctuary, Vol. 5

天使禁猟区 [Tenshi Kinryōku] #5

by Kaori Yuki

The angel Alexiel loved God, but she rebelled against Heaven when she saw how disgracefully the other angels were behaving. She was finally captured, and as punishment sent to Earth to live an endless series of tragic lives. She now inhabits the body of Setsuna Mudo, a troubled teen in love with his sister Sara. Setsuna's misery mirrors the chaos among the angels, and their combined passions threaten to destroy both Heaven and Earth.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Romance, Fiction, Angels

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1996

About the author

Kaori Yuki (由貴香織里) is a Japanese manga artist.

She debuted in 1987 with Natsufuku no Erii (Jap: 夏服のエリー) on the manga anthology Bessatsu Hana to Yume published by Hakusensha.
She is best known for her gothic manga works, such as the Earl Cain series (Jap: 伯爵カイン, Hakushaku Cain) and Angel Sanctuary (Jap: 天使禁猟区, Tenshi Kinryōku)

Her work is typically serialized in one of Hakusensha's two shōjo manga anthologies, Bessatsu Hana to Yume and Hana to Yume. In 2010, Kaori Yuki was one of many manga artists whose work would appear in the new shōjo manga anthology Aria by the publisher Kodansha on July 28, 2010.
Her doujinshi-ka name is MoonClock.

Reviews

[Willa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is getting more and more interesting! I really like how detailed this fantasy world is, and that the author also added some Nordic mythology elements.
While reading the third volume I again really couldn't believe that Cassandra Clare had not read this so I tried to look it up again and what do you know, she in fact did! She even mentioned this manga series in one of the TMI books, City of Glass and has mentioned it in her blog!!! I couldn't find any discussions about this or about how much did it influence her so that's strange but I'm still very amazed that the first ever manga that I randomly found and chose to read had influenced the author of my all time favourite series! The world sometimes works in mysterious ways.

[Bibliothecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for complete series



No matter how hard he tries, Setsuna always manages to run into trouble, and his love for his sister is just one of many things that seem to be going wrong. It is only when two demons appear and make his life an even bigger mess that Setsuna comes to realise all his misfortunes might be linked to the fallen angel Alexiel.

I would definitely consider Angel Sanctuary a great and classic manga. But for all that, I am sure it does not appeal to everyone. In addition to the incestuous relationship between Setsuna and his sister Sara, there are drugs and alcohol, gruesome murders and mutilations, rape, child murder, a twisted view on religion and god, suicide, characters whose minds turn grotesque and obsessive - the list goes on. These are subjects that might be very appealing to some, but also very problematic for others.

I belong to the latter - usually, these subjects would automatically cause me to stay clear from such a book. It is truly a macabre tale, and that's just the way Kaori Yuki's works go. Yet despite my reluctance to give such subjects a try, I can say that whether one likes it or not, there's no denying that this is a brilliantly crafted story with an impressive amount of meaningful characters.

Kaori Yuki's art and stories all suffer and gain from the same thing: the sheer mass of detail. Her art is absolutely gorgeous with all the fine hair and cloth and just all the immense details. But at times, it can make the pages overcrowded and confusing - it certainly takes a longer time to read than your average manga. The story is at times likewise confusing as anything - it can be hard to keep track of which panels come first. But it's the wonderfully interwoven plot that remains a solid point throughout. The smallest details from the first volume can become relevant in the later ones and there is one plot twist after the another. There's never a boring moment as we follow Setsuna unravelling all the intrigues that surround the large cast.

Although I would consider the plot a strong point of this work, it is yet the characters who seem to turn it into something special. I have rarely come across a manga with so many characters who all have diverse and deep personalities. You get to love and hate all of them as even the most villainous ones prove to have something very humane and rather pitiful about them. In the end, one wonders - who was the true villain, if there was one at all? But with all the variety, there's no denying that the majority of them are broken characters. Every one of them seems to be involved in one twisted mess or another.

Luckily, there are great bonds of love, friendship and family that stand strong throughout the story and every now and then offer a well deserved comic relief. Angel Sanctuary is most certainly worth a try for any who enjoy strong character-driven stories that'll leave you with a hard time picking out a favourite character.

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kato & Setsuna are still looking for the mystical tree Yggdrasil. They get attack quite often by ghouls. When they finally reach their destination, Setsuna meet Uriel, the guardian of Hell Gates. There is also a lot of pages about Kato “tragic” past.

Angel Sanctuary is probably one of the hardest manga I have to review. Everything is all over the place & there is a bunch of plotlines with different characters at the same time.

[TheBookishHobbit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay I need more volumes ASAP now that the angel plotline is taking over I'm really enjoying myself. I want to know more about this spiritual work Kaori Yuki has come up and I'm very interested in the lore of the manga. Can't wait to order books 6-10 next :)

[Jenny Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, now the angel plot takes over. This is what I was waiting for. The action ramps up, as does the intrigue. Hopefully, this is where the series stays at, rather than the weirdness of the others.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a little confusing.

[AJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Story pacing and the amount of entertainment provided, is at a all time low.

[Lesedelfin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Der letzte Manga von Angel Sanctuary hat mir richtig großen Lesespaß bereitet. Es gab viel Humor, die Zeichnungen versprühen irgendwie mehr Charme und die Geschichte war auf Anhieb zu verstehen. Ich möchte die Kirche noch im Dorf lassen, aber ich denke ich habe mich nach fünf Bänden schon relativ gut in diese Geschichte hinein versetzt und finde sie wirklich spitze.
In diesem fünften Band bleibt die Geschichte einen kurzen Moment stehen und Kaori Yuki nimmt sich die Zeit mehr über ihre Charaktere zu erzählen. Man lernt Uriel, den Wächter des Höllentores kennen und erfährt sehr viel persönliches über ihn und seine Ansicht zu Alexiel - besonders am Ende erwartet den Leser eine große Offenbarung. Auch andere Engel werden namentlich genannt und welchen Platz sie im Himmel haben. Das sollte man für die weitere Story wohl auch im Hinterkopf behalten.

Und während Setsuna eine sehr abenteuerliche Reise durch den Hades auf sich nimmt um Sara zu retten, kämpfen Rosiel und Sevothtarte im Himmel um die höchste Macht - zwar im Verborgenen, aber es knistert vor Rache.
Auch die Geschichte zwischen Rosiel und Katan setzt Yuki nachvollziehbar und emotional in Szene und verpasst der Handlung einen entscheidenen Schwung, über den es hoffentlich bald mehr zu lesen gibt.

Von der Handlung her mag dieser fünfte Band zwar auf der Stelle treten, aber was man alles über die Charaktere erfährt, ist sehr wichtig für die weitere Story. Yuki erschafft damit viele mögliche Handlungsstränge, die mich neugierig machen. Trotz allem ist es spannend bis zum Schluß - da nochmal ganz besonders! - und absolut nicht langweilig.
Auch die Ausdrucksweise der Engel fasziniert mich. Sie klingen wirklich wie von einer höheren Macht gesprochen. Angel Sanctuary ist verzaubernd, beeindruckend und an vielen Stellen sehr einschüchternd.

[Lissibith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something has gone very wrong in the underworld. Kato has done an about-face in personality, and the two meet up with a young woman who looks remarkably like Sara but who has no care about the pain and torment she can cause. In fighting with her, the lord of the underworld himself is summoned to do battle.

Once he and Setsuna settle their differences martially, Setsuna gets to go on another redemption quest - this time into Kato's memories, to try to save his soul from being absorbed, used and lost. And while Kato's not a good person, the view into his own perception of self-worth and the world in general is very sad. But helping him is nothing next to what Setsuna's overall goal is. The thing he's looking for has been taken to heaven, and his time is almost up.

This manga is so complicated. It's one of the few I can't just breeze through. There's a lot of text, a lot packed into the lovely art, and a lot going on generally in the plot. The huge cast of characters, each with their own separate motivations and desires, also adds to it. I'm really finding that so far, this one holds up from my memory of the first read.

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setsuna has seven days to rescue his beloved sister Sara and make it back to the world of the living before his body and soul dies forever.
His first stop on his journey is to find the Guardian of the Hellgate, the one who last captured Sara's soul. But to complete this task in the foreign land of the dead he must have an assigned guide, and that guide is none other than Kato, Setsuna's former classmate, whom Alexiel had killed! Can Setsuna trust his safety in the hands of someone whom he had caused their life to be cut short..?!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something about this series is just not clicking with me. I really prefer Kaori Yuki's more tightly-plotted stories like Godchild. Looking back on the volumes, I can see that she's doing a decent job of evolving the two major storylines going on at the moment, but I guess the characters aren't engaging me enough. (I do have a soft spot for Katan, though.) I'm not giving up on the series, but it'll probably stay pretty low on my list of things to collect.

[Nikki Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stellar. The art is amazing and so is the storyline. It's totally original. The manga is MUCH better than the time-crammed anime version.

WARNING: it's not for the faint of heart. It features lots of blood and a twinge of incest.

[Aleina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This book happened to be not so confusing to me. :) It does seem like this author is having lots of fun with story plots and ideas and almost seems like she could just make multiple book series. In any case I liked this one a lot more and I [3 LOVE [3 the "Angel Eater". ^_^

[Jody Mena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this entire series. Kaori Yuki is a masterful storyteller and a talented artist.

[sitting pretty on the throne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Floriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Colui che amavi era uno che gli angeli non possono assolutamente amare.»

Ho una cotta per Kato *w*

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

How heartbreakin...and emotional...this manga was...I'm burning with anticipation for the next one!!

[Nameh dah · Rating 5 out of 5]

La historia de Kato es ETERNA PENITA
La historia de Uriel... ¿Por qué es tan bipo este sujeto?

[Anja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dieser Band war wesentlich strukturierter. Ich konnte wieder der Handlung folgen und einige offene Fragen klären. Insgesamt sehr spannend!

[Clare Moseley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still weird as hell. Rosiel is so obviously physically based on HYDE from L'Arc~en~Ciel and frankly I'm here for it.

[A.R. McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[emily_oriley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too many characters..... @.@