Steel of the Celestial Shadows, Vol. 4

太陽と月の鋼 [Taiyō to Tsuki no Hagane] #4

by Daruma Matsuura

Down-and-out samurai Ryudo Konosuke has a supernatural gift, but it is a power that has ruined his life. For the gifted, their abilities can be a double-edged sword, granting amazing abilities yet threatening to overwhelm them at the same time. After escaping from some assassins, Konosuke and Aki both struggle not to lose themselves to their gifts. Then a new ally relates the secret story of Lord Haretake of the Tsuchimikado clan. Konosuke will stop at nothing to find his love, Tsuki, but Lord Haretake needs her divine power for his own dark plans...

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Romance, Historical Fiction, Seinen, Historical

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 2022

About the author

Daruma Matsuura (松浦だるま) is a Japanese mangaka.
She is the author of Kasane.

Reviews

[DianaRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

i continue to really enjoy this new shonen series, and volume four further expands on the world building and the backgrounds of very important characters.

i also find it so interesting when over-powered characters are children, and i think haretake is going to be beyond a menace…

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le tavole a colori presenti in questo volume sono uno spettacolo!
Finalmente ci vengono svelati i poteri spaventosi di Aki e Tsuki... Decisamente, due lati della stessa medaglia. Grazie al racconto di Takayama diventa chiara anche la vera natura di Haretake, il mandante della caccia a Konosuke. Quando il potere finisce nelle mani sbagliate i danni diventano incalcolabili... Ripetiamo tutti insieme: non si devono resuscitare i morti, mai!

[Melisande · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://accrocdeslivres.blogspot.com/...

[Dan P · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting exercise in slow pacing and gradual worldbuilding, punctuated with flashy high-energy fight scenes. I wish the world it's building didn't remind me of like 6 other recent shonen series. But it's very pretty!!

[Adam M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series continues to impress as I don't have a sense of where it's going in the best way possible. We get hints of what the author is setting up, but there is still suspense and surprise which makes this very satisfying to read. There was a lot of exposition in this volume, the rest of Lord Haretake backstory carried over from the last installment. Overall the pacing and characterization in this series make it an easy recommendation and very enjoyable. It doesn't rush, it doesn't push, but it picks its moments to heighten and they payoff really well. The art continues to aid the tone of the story and remains some of my favorite ongoing series illustrations. The covers give a lot of atmosphere and the interiors give it weight.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm continuing to enjoy this series.
There's a gradual build up from volume to volume as the story unfolds, the world building becomes grander in detail and scale, and the characterizations of both existing and new characters are either deepened or being introduced in a way that is helping explain the store while providing some background.
And the drama that is unfolding with Haretake alone..... That's going to be interesting once explored in detail.

Artwork is still fantastic and lovely to look at. The two page panels are fabulous 😍

[The Book Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryudo and Aki are taken to a place they can recover safely from the last battle by an strange onmyoji named Takayama. And Takayama knows the history and true nature of Haretake Tsuchimikado.

Meanwhile, Dosuke is carrying out Haretake’s plan for Tsuki… And exploding clouds of murderous darkness aren’t exactly the vibe of a noble quest.

So yeah, it’s a bit of an info-dump / backstory reveal but it’s so good and the tension is peak.

[Junior · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad to say this volume took another left turn and felt like it was about some completely different story. After the last volume I decided to get the from my library instead. Glad I did, cause I’m gonna DNF this series, sad to say. The art is still gorgeous—only reason. I didn’t 2 star it—but the story is confusing (to me) and all over the place (IMO).

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un tome super intéressant qui apporte quelques éléments de contexte même s’il y a encore une grande part de mystère.
En tout cas, l’univers de l’autrice semble assez vaste et fascinant. Et son coup de crayon est plutôt incroyable.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series continues to have spectacular art and an engaging story. Volume 4 provides some long-awaited exposition and shows us more the antagonist behind Tsuki's abduction. After the fast-paced fight of volume 3, this volume feels like a breath of fresh air.

[Zamg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much backstory 😬

[Aildiin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the art

[Echokaymi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il faut que j'aille acheter le tome suivant, cette fin...

[[melanie] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Good art but I’m quite confused story-wise.

[Vivienne Beloved · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.3/5 ⭐️

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.

Aki and Konosuke are rescued by a doctor who transports them away via a jar to a remote mountain hamlet where Konosuke is finally able to recuperate from his poison wounds, but he doesn’t trust the doctor. Why would this man help them out of the blue? The doctor tells them of his long history into the Tsuchimikado family — he was tasked with training the Onmyoji’s son, Haretake, to control his considerable power, but something seemed wrong in the Tsuchimikado family that left the doctor wanting revenge. In another part of the world, we begin to see why Haretake kidnapped Tsuki in the first place, and why he needs her considerable power.

​While most of this volume was backstory into Haretake and not focused on moving forward with Konosuke or Tsuki, I'm actually excited to learn so much about the antagonist and pleasantly surprised at how in depth we're getting and how soon. Normally, this level of deep dive is saved for the closing of the series when you're meant to build empathy for the bad guy right before he's run through or something. Matsuura continues to impress me with the level of commitment given to building each character and providing a rich contribution to the world at the same time.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12

[Libbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5✨

✨ Writing a grouped review for the volumes I've read at the time of writing. It's been a few months since I've read this and can't remember specifics about each volume other than overarching story and my ratings. ✨

A samurai who can't wield a sword? Historical fantasy? Mystery elements? Curses and abilities?

This series is right up my alley and would highly recommend to anyone who agrees with that sentiment.