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是 - ZE #1
是-ZE- 1
由於某個原因，雷藏住進了滿是俊男美女的宅邸，並且墜入愛河。
他的對象－－紺是個既冷漠又總是板著臉的美少年，
但紺卻未曾嘲笑過裝扮引人注目的雷藏。
在這裡，雷藏被迫每天欣賞同居人們稍嫌過激的親熱場面，
而他對紺的愛意也日漸加深。
可是紺卻為登門拜訪的客人，進行著秘密的工作……
志水雪絕不可錯過的LOVE DESTINY大作，就此拉開序幕!!
他的對象－－紺是個既冷漠又總是板著臉的美少年，
但紺卻未曾嘲笑過裝扮引人注目的雷藏。
在這裡，雷藏被迫每天欣賞同居人們稍嫌過激的親熱場面，
而他對紺的愛意也日漸加深。
可是紺卻為登門拜訪的客人，進行著秘密的工作……
志水雪絕不可錯過的LOVE DESTINY大作，就此拉開序幕!!
Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
5 people are currently reading
620 people want to read
About the author
Yuki Shimizu
80 books104 followersYuki Shimizu (Jap: 志水ゆき) is a Japanese author of BL manga.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 31, 2011
3.5 stars. This manga reminds me of another work by Yuki Shimizu, "Love Mode". Not the story per se, but the style: several couples, some of them established, some struggling to get there, some so new to it that they don't even realize their feelings for each other yet. And because we learn about the comings and goings in the Mito family through Raizo, the funny young guy, it also reminded me a bit of "Fruits Basket", what with the crazy family and the nutjob main hero. I'm interested in reading more...
July 21, 2016
This is a love story about words user, puppeteer and their paper doll... a story when a word isn't just a communication tool but can be "powerful" enough so that even a cuss isn't just a mere cuss words but could do harm, and a wish or hope can be granted by words alone.
In Ze's world, just a single word from your mouth, you can bond people, you can make them love or hate you, you can make them forget everything, you can crush their body, and you can kill them just with one word : "Die."
But that can happen only when you're a Kotodama. A Kotodama never choose or learn or use magical items to be a "words" user, they're born with it. They can use it to earn money, be it in form of good deeds or bad deeds. And that's the fate befalls upon Mitou Clan. But, nothing's perfect in this world, even in this fiction world. Such a convenient skill has its own disadvantage too.
Physical injuries would appear on Kotodama's body whenever they use the "words". The more they use the words, the more closer they are to death, due to the physical injury this power can cause. Therefore, Kotodama need a Kami beside him/her all the time.
A Kami (paper) is a human doll, made by puppeteer from paper doll. Kami, a living doll with human appearance, may have "brain" and soul, but neither warmth nor blood flows through their veins (like a vampire, huh? minus fangs and blood thirst, lol). And their solely life purpose is to heal their Kotodama's wounds.
There are 2 ways to heal Kotodama. First, Kotodama can use "words" to transfer their injuries to Kami's body. Second, transfer it via body fluids (using mouth or fingers). However, the more Kami receives pain, the faster his/her core is destroyed (and the faster he/she dies). When Kami dies, he/she will turn back into paper doll and reset their past memories when the puppeteer restore their human appearance for their new master. Meanwhile, when Kotodama dies, someday he/she will reborn as a Kami.
1 Kami created for 1 Kotodama. And 1 sad love story for each pair. I love all the couples in this manga. But imo, the most touching one and made me cry most is Himi and Genma's love story. I don't really like Genma, though.
Imho, this is another diamond in the dump, another original story among the cliche ones. I really really like this manga. And totally recommended it for yaoi lovers. :D Anyway, this manga kinda reminds me of Hybrid Child.
Btw, the puppeteer in this Ze manga, I am really curious about him. Just how old is he? I believe there must be more to him than meets the eye, hoping the mangaka would tell his story ASAP. I was currently reading vol 5 as I posted this review. There are some missing chapters here and there from vol 6 to 11, but that won't stop me from reading it as I had already found the chinese version, yippie! :D Well, this one is a good story indeed, so I want to buy the official version from emanga.com. Better save more money, 11 volumes!! >_<
In Ze's world, just a single word from your mouth, you can bond people, you can make them love or hate you, you can make them forget everything, you can crush their body, and you can kill them just with one word : "Die."
But that can happen only when you're a Kotodama. A Kotodama never choose or learn or use magical items to be a "words" user, they're born with it. They can use it to earn money, be it in form of good deeds or bad deeds. And that's the fate befalls upon Mitou Clan. But, nothing's perfect in this world, even in this fiction world. Such a convenient skill has its own disadvantage too.
Physical injuries would appear on Kotodama's body whenever they use the "words". The more they use the words, the more closer they are to death, due to the physical injury this power can cause. Therefore, Kotodama need a Kami beside him/her all the time.
A Kami (paper) is a human doll, made by puppeteer from paper doll. Kami, a living doll with human appearance, may have "brain" and soul, but neither warmth nor blood flows through their veins (like a vampire, huh? minus fangs and blood thirst, lol). And their solely life purpose is to heal their Kotodama's wounds.
There are 2 ways to heal Kotodama. First, Kotodama can use "words" to transfer their injuries to Kami's body. Second, transfer it via body fluids (using mouth or fingers). However, the more Kami receives pain, the faster his/her core is destroyed (and the faster he/she dies). When Kami dies, he/she will turn back into paper doll and reset their past memories when the puppeteer restore their human appearance for their new master. Meanwhile, when Kotodama dies, someday he/she will reborn as a Kami.
1 Kami created for 1 Kotodama. And 1 sad love story for each pair. I love all the couples in this manga. But imo, the most touching one and made me cry most is Himi and Genma's love story. I don't really like Genma, though.
Imho, this is another diamond in the dump, another original story among the cliche ones. I really really like this manga. And totally recommended it for yaoi lovers. :D Anyway, this manga kinda reminds me of Hybrid Child.
Btw, the puppeteer in this Ze manga, I am really curious about him. Just how old is he? I believe there must be more to him than meets the eye, hoping the mangaka would tell his story ASAP. I was currently reading vol 5 as I posted this review. There are some missing chapters here and there from vol 6 to 11, but that won't stop me from reading it as I had already found the chinese version, yippie! :D Well, this one is a good story indeed, so I want to buy the official version from emanga.com. Better save more money, 11 volumes!! >_<
January 8, 2012
More of my reviews and ramblings at PANTS OFF REVIEWS
Like 'what the feck'! I don’t know why it took me so long to read this; I should have taken the hint because it’s by the same Mangaka who created one of my all time faves ‘Love Mode’. So I dived into this one with a somewhat high expectation of awesmazingness, and I freaking got it.
Raizo is trying to make it after losing his beloved grandmother. He takes the position as a housekeeper in a house full of some unusual but very attractive men ‘and women’. The job is easy enough, cook, clean, and keep things organized. If only simple meant that there was no man in the strange creepy mask, no crazy talk about curses, and the fact that he just watched someone’s arm get ripped off and put back together again ‘huh’. Talk about an unusual household.
So Raizo is in over his head, seems that everyone is sort of doll and is used to heal the person they belong to. It becomes all sorts of crazy from there, and Raizo is wishing his grandma were there, to keep the crazy away.
I loved this unusual little manga. I found it hilarious and definitely, a series I will be continuing. I can’t wait to see what becomes of Raizo and his potential mate. Though it feels very light and easy now, I have a feeling things are gonna get tense and interesting. Happy I took a chance on this manga!
May 16, 2016
1st. read: 3/19/09
September 7, 2023
As I finish reading the last chapter of this series, I kept on thinking: How could I never even heard of the title of this amazing book?
HOW. COULD. I.
s t o r y
In the beginning, the story focused on Raizou, a somewhat happy go-lucky guy who had to move to a mansion filled with 6 unique strangers after his last living relative passed away. Here, he immediately fell for one of the resident, a quiet pretty boy called Kon. Little did he know that his life in the mansion will not only revolve around his attraction towards the mysterious boy, but also around the secret business that the whole residents were keeping.
Oh hell no, they were not drug dealers.
Ze did not only focused on Raizou's and Kon's relationship, though. As it progressed, the story revealed the heart-wrenching, tragic, and beautiful stories of the residents of the mansion and of those that Raizou met in the business. Each pairing were presented a different arc, consisted of 5-10 chapters long.
To put it simple, even though the series began with Raizou's story, the main focus of it was actually the story of the fate of the people involved in such violent and tricky business, about how they thrived for their happiness in such limited freedom, and about the bond of the masters and their kotodamas.
I have little expectation for Ze because I have never even heard of it before, but what I read definitely threw me off. The story was not the typical mainstream yaoi. I was amazed by the concept of the business and the strong bond of the pairings.
I was also in love by how the author, Yuki Shimizu, arranged the pairings' story arc-by-arc, with the last arc being the climax of the entire series. I saw many people were complaining that the ending was not enough, but to me it was perfect; a neat conclusion that did not reveal nor conceal too much.
The only thing that bugs me with the story is that there were too much flashback. The timeline was actually moving back and forth and the reader needed focus to understand where it was currently on. Even so, I ended up amazed too by how some arc were connected to one another in some way.
c h a r a c t e r s
Like I've said before, the story covered more than the relationship of Raizou and Kon. Amazingly, despite the quite large number of characters in it, none of them were just a mere shadow. Every character have their own minds and contribute to how the story goes, even just slightly. They affect each other, even to those in a different arc.
I actually did not care at first with the other characters, but when I read their arc. BOOM. I love everybody.
My favorite was Konoe and Kotoha's. Their relationship began as something innocent and adorable, but when Kotoha finally bestowed his painful responsibility, they tried so hard to find a solution where none of them needed to get hurt. The amount of love and care they shared for each other was a tear-jerk for me.
My second favorite was Shoui & Asari's arc, only because Asari was a bit of an asshole to me haha. Third was the whole Rikiichi + Waki + Magane arc, followed by Genma & Himi's, Raizou & Kon's, and the least was Ryusei & Moriya's. Some other pairings were available in the book too, but did not have an arc on their own.
v i s u a l
The main reason why I did not bat an eye to this book was probably because of the artwork. The book was published 12 years ago and it has an old-yaoi artwork vibe to it (you know, like the era of Junjou Romantica). But now that I've finished the whole thing, I realized that there are other books with older vibe to it haha. And Ze's artwork is actually pretty decent, if not really beautiful.
To me, one of the most beautiful visual of this book was Asari's flashback just after he was revived. The memories of him and Shoui together were drawn in a 2-pages spread, with those blurry-kinda-lines. It may be quite a minor thing to point out, but the visual there supported the situation beautifully and had successfully made me cry seeing it.
The only complaint is that I had trouble differentiating some of the characters because they either shared a similar hair-style or because they changed their hair-style in some point of the story (especially those with a backstories arc).
o v e r a l l i m p r e s s i o n
I regret just reading it today. I really dunno why this book is never mentioned in yaoi forums or other websites that I've visited before. I just wish more people would read this book. The story was excellent, the characters were all special, and the bond of the pairings... damn, everything was just so beautifully done.
5 STARS!!!
HOW. COULD. I.
s t o r y
In the beginning, the story focused on Raizou, a somewhat happy go-lucky guy who had to move to a mansion filled with 6 unique strangers after his last living relative passed away. Here, he immediately fell for one of the resident, a quiet pretty boy called Kon. Little did he know that his life in the mansion will not only revolve around his attraction towards the mysterious boy, but also around the secret business that the whole residents were keeping.
Oh hell no, they were not drug dealers.
Ze did not only focused on Raizou's and Kon's relationship, though. As it progressed, the story revealed the heart-wrenching, tragic, and beautiful stories of the residents of the mansion and of those that Raizou met in the business. Each pairing were presented a different arc, consisted of 5-10 chapters long.
To put it simple, even though the series began with Raizou's story, the main focus of it was actually the story of the fate of the people involved in such violent and tricky business, about how they thrived for their happiness in such limited freedom, and about the bond of the masters and their kotodamas.
I have little expectation for Ze because I have never even heard of it before, but what I read definitely threw me off. The story was not the typical mainstream yaoi. I was amazed by the concept of the business and the strong bond of the pairings.
I was also in love by how the author, Yuki Shimizu, arranged the pairings' story arc-by-arc, with the last arc being the climax of the entire series. I saw many people were complaining that the ending was not enough, but to me it was perfect; a neat conclusion that did not reveal nor conceal too much.
The only thing that bugs me with the story is that there were too much flashback. The timeline was actually moving back and forth and the reader needed focus to understand where it was currently on. Even so, I ended up amazed too by how some arc were connected to one another in some way.
c h a r a c t e r s
Like I've said before, the story covered more than the relationship of Raizou and Kon. Amazingly, despite the quite large number of characters in it, none of them were just a mere shadow. Every character have their own minds and contribute to how the story goes, even just slightly. They affect each other, even to those in a different arc.
I actually did not care at first with the other characters, but when I read their arc. BOOM. I love everybody.
My favorite was Konoe and Kotoha's. Their relationship began as something innocent and adorable, but when Kotoha finally bestowed his painful responsibility, they tried so hard to find a solution where none of them needed to get hurt. The amount of love and care they shared for each other was a tear-jerk for me.
My second favorite was Shoui & Asari's arc, only because Asari was a bit of an asshole to me haha. Third was the whole Rikiichi + Waki + Magane arc, followed by Genma & Himi's, Raizou & Kon's, and the least was Ryusei & Moriya's. Some other pairings were available in the book too, but did not have an arc on their own.
v i s u a l
The main reason why I did not bat an eye to this book was probably because of the artwork. The book was published 12 years ago and it has an old-yaoi artwork vibe to it (you know, like the era of Junjou Romantica). But now that I've finished the whole thing, I realized that there are other books with older vibe to it haha. And Ze's artwork is actually pretty decent, if not really beautiful.
To me, one of the most beautiful visual of this book was Asari's flashback just after he was revived. The memories of him and Shoui together were drawn in a 2-pages spread, with those blurry-kinda-lines. It may be quite a minor thing to point out, but the visual there supported the situation beautifully and had successfully made me cry seeing it.
The only complaint is that I had trouble differentiating some of the characters because they either shared a similar hair-style or because they changed their hair-style in some point of the story (especially those with a backstories arc).
o v e r a l l i m p r e s s i o n
I regret just reading it today. I really dunno why this book is never mentioned in yaoi forums or other websites that I've visited before. I just wish more people would read this book. The story was excellent, the characters were all special, and the bond of the pairings... damn, everything was just so beautifully done.
5 STARS!!!
March 9, 2023
On fait la connaissance de Raizô qui, après la mort de sa grand-mère, est hébergé dans une mystérieuse résidence peuplée d’hommes dont il va très vite découvrir leur secret. Même principe que la série précédente de la Mangaka : Love mode, avec une exposition de plusieurs couples qui vont se mêler et se croiser au fil des tomes. La différence, l’univers empruntait. C’est un fantastique avec les Kamis (hommes de papier) et les Kotodamas (Humains avec des pouvoirs magiques qui s’enclenche par ‘incantation’, du moins par les mots).
Une petite entrée en matière plutôt plaisante, drôle et originale. Je ne connaissais pas cette légende japonaise et j’ai trouvé sympa la façon dont la mangaka se l’ait approprié. J’étais un peu perdu au début, mais on s’y fait vite aux subtilités. Les personnages introduis semblent intéressants et attachants. A voir pour la suite.
Une petite entrée en matière plutôt plaisante, drôle et originale. Je ne connaissais pas cette légende japonaise et j’ai trouvé sympa la façon dont la mangaka se l’ait approprié. J’étais un peu perdu au début, mais on s’y fait vite aux subtilités. Les personnages introduis semblent intéressants et attachants. A voir pour la suite.
January 4, 2018
4.5 stars, one of my top favorite yaoi. It took awhile for the whole series to come out, I think it stalled out around v. 5 but eventually we got the rest! Very much love this one and reread it a few times. Be warned there is one volume towards the end that strongly suggests shota, not my favorite part and quite a bit icky but other than that its a great strong story line with multiple couples. Lots of angst and strong silent types falling for fragile ukes.
May 20, 2017
*3,5 STARS
September 14, 2017
Reread in japanese.
Kon's way of speaking in japanese is somehow more manly than in english. I like that.
Kon's way of speaking in japanese is somehow more manly than in english. I like that.
December 13, 2017
I treasure this manga. It's a jewel.
July 23, 2022
Los personajes, el mundo creado y el development de las relaciones son perfección.
September 15, 2010
Following the death of his grandmother, Raizou Shichikawa takes a position as a housekeeper in a rather unusual household. How unusual is it? Glad you asked! Step inside, and we'll take a look, as we begin volume 1 of Yuki Shimizu's Ze.
Raizou's name means thunder master, but his face belies his name, as one of the guys in the household is quick to point out. The residents of the mansion include Ouka Mitou and his doll Benio; Kotoha Mitou and Konoe; Waki and Kon. Raizou is told he'll be rooming with Kon, who seems less than thrilled with his presence. But since the death of his grandmother, he has no family and nowhere to go, so he has to stay with them. For now he has no futon, so they give him a sleeping bag, which will do in a pinch. Raizou makes a comment to Kon that the house looks like one where you might find zashiki warashi, or child spirits. When he asks Kon if he's ever seen such things, the youth replies - all the time. Then he tells Raizou that if he wants to leave, this might be a good time to do it! When Raizou asks what Kon would like for dinner, he replies it doesn't matter - whatever it is, he won't eat it.
Undaunted, Raizou puts his best foot forward in cooking the best meal he can for his new housemates. He goes to inform them that dinner is ready. Waki lies and says he'll be down. He then catches Ouka and Benio in the middle of some perverted looking training - guess they're a bit busy to eat right now; but at least Konoe and Kotoha are at the table and already eating by the time Raizou returns to it. Well, Kotoha is eating, Konoe is not. And when Kotoha accidentally bites his tongue through eating too fast, Konoe is quick to cure it - with an intimate kiss, before carrying him out of the room. Suddenly, Raizou is confronted with a kitsune! Or at least a person in a kitsune mask. The kitsune encourages Raizou to eat this lovely meal he has prepared, and as he does so, listens to him talk about his late grandmother, whom he misses greatly.
The next morning Raizou optimistically prepares breakfast. When he takes some to Konoe, he finds him hard at work on the internet, something about placing curses. Konoe makes fun of Raizou's clothes, but the truth is he was forced to sell his good clothes to cover his grandmother's death taxes, so he doesn't have much left. Waki gives him some money for new clothes, and asks him to run some errands while he is out, taking Kon with him. While Kon waits for Raizou to try on some clothes, a strange man accosts him, accusing him of being a kami-sama. Luckily Raizou returns just then, so Kon grabs him and runs, which baffles Raizou, but Kon holes up with Waki upon their return, with no answers forthcoming. A strange thing happens at dinner that night. Raizou has made nabe (hot pot), the smell seeming to draw everyone in, when suddenly someone cries, "It's coming" and then, without warning, Konoe's arm has simply come off of his body and landed in the nabe! Something is very strange in this house, but what? And is it any wonder that interest in the nabe suddenly wanes?
The others take it in stride, but it seems that they have two choices open to them - they can either tell Raizou the truth, or kill him. Luckily for him, they choose the former option. They explain to him about the kami-sama, but he is still confused about who is who and what is what. Again, they don't eat, despite the meal Raizou has gone to the trouble to prepare. And no matter how much he tries to tell Kon that he is there to do the work, Kon insists on trying to do it. Apparently, that is how he measures his self-worth. The next day, Ouka offers Raizou a lift to school on the way to work, but Raizou has forgotten something, so he has to return to the house. Will he be in time to prevent a tragedy?
You can read my complete review at Yaoi Radius!
Raizou's name means thunder master, but his face belies his name, as one of the guys in the household is quick to point out. The residents of the mansion include Ouka Mitou and his doll Benio; Kotoha Mitou and Konoe; Waki and Kon. Raizou is told he'll be rooming with Kon, who seems less than thrilled with his presence. But since the death of his grandmother, he has no family and nowhere to go, so he has to stay with them. For now he has no futon, so they give him a sleeping bag, which will do in a pinch. Raizou makes a comment to Kon that the house looks like one where you might find zashiki warashi, or child spirits. When he asks Kon if he's ever seen such things, the youth replies - all the time. Then he tells Raizou that if he wants to leave, this might be a good time to do it! When Raizou asks what Kon would like for dinner, he replies it doesn't matter - whatever it is, he won't eat it.
Undaunted, Raizou puts his best foot forward in cooking the best meal he can for his new housemates. He goes to inform them that dinner is ready. Waki lies and says he'll be down. He then catches Ouka and Benio in the middle of some perverted looking training - guess they're a bit busy to eat right now; but at least Konoe and Kotoha are at the table and already eating by the time Raizou returns to it. Well, Kotoha is eating, Konoe is not. And when Kotoha accidentally bites his tongue through eating too fast, Konoe is quick to cure it - with an intimate kiss, before carrying him out of the room. Suddenly, Raizou is confronted with a kitsune! Or at least a person in a kitsune mask. The kitsune encourages Raizou to eat this lovely meal he has prepared, and as he does so, listens to him talk about his late grandmother, whom he misses greatly.
The next morning Raizou optimistically prepares breakfast. When he takes some to Konoe, he finds him hard at work on the internet, something about placing curses. Konoe makes fun of Raizou's clothes, but the truth is he was forced to sell his good clothes to cover his grandmother's death taxes, so he doesn't have much left. Waki gives him some money for new clothes, and asks him to run some errands while he is out, taking Kon with him. While Kon waits for Raizou to try on some clothes, a strange man accosts him, accusing him of being a kami-sama. Luckily Raizou returns just then, so Kon grabs him and runs, which baffles Raizou, but Kon holes up with Waki upon their return, with no answers forthcoming. A strange thing happens at dinner that night. Raizou has made nabe (hot pot), the smell seeming to draw everyone in, when suddenly someone cries, "It's coming" and then, without warning, Konoe's arm has simply come off of his body and landed in the nabe! Something is very strange in this house, but what? And is it any wonder that interest in the nabe suddenly wanes?
The others take it in stride, but it seems that they have two choices open to them - they can either tell Raizou the truth, or kill him. Luckily for him, they choose the former option. They explain to him about the kami-sama, but he is still confused about who is who and what is what. Again, they don't eat, despite the meal Raizou has gone to the trouble to prepare. And no matter how much he tries to tell Kon that he is there to do the work, Kon insists on trying to do it. Apparently, that is how he measures his self-worth. The next day, Ouka offers Raizou a lift to school on the way to work, but Raizou has forgotten something, so he has to return to the house. Will he be in time to prevent a tragedy?
You can read my complete review at Yaoi Radius!
January 12, 2015
This rating and review are for all of the completed volumes.
Finished Review: I have some rules considering writing manga reviews. In manga series, usually I'll only review once per title, usually at the volume 1. But I'll write reviews in every volumes if it's an intercorrelated anthology in the same title (like, Salad Days, for example). This story, I thought at first was in the latter category, but now when I'm done reading it, I realized that one review is actually adequate. So I'll edit it.
Yesterday, someone in a fanfiction's author group recommended me this manga. At first I thought it was from my favorite mangaka, the creator of Dear Green: Hitomi no Ounowa, but when I get down to it, it's actually from Yuki Shimizu-sensei, the one who draw Love Mode. Wow her artwork is developing so... far...
That being said, this story is a multipairing stories revolving around a kotodamashi family (some kind of shaman who could use words to hurt people). In the beginning, there is Raizou, a "stray" boy who got taken into Mitou household as a cook. The house occupants consisted of Mitou Ouka and her human-doll Benio; Mitou Kotoha and Konoe; and also Waki and Kon. At first, Raizou thought they were just a normal family, but in fact, they are pairs of kotodamashi (the shaman) and kami-sama (the human-paper for kotodamashi's barrier). Waki is the puppeter (the one who made kami-sama) Benio is Ouka's kami-sama, Konoe is Kotoha's, and Kon haven't got his kotodamashi yet. There's also a man wearing a fox-mask, who happens to be Asari, kami-sama of Mitou Shoui, the head of Mitou family. Later volumes would also showed us the story of Mitou outer branch family. There are Genma who got quite a tragic story with his late father's kami-sama, Himi. And also Ryusei, a kotodamashi who refused to use his power, with his suddenly appeared kami-sama, Moriya.
From the pair list, I love Asari and Shoui's story the most. He and Shoui just so ugh~ I cried when I read their story in later volume. Second favorite is Moriya and Ryusei, because their total-straight-guys attitude is amusing to read, though the romantic and dramatic feeling from this pairing is quite lacked--since Ryusei is well... a slut. (lol)
But this story will be hard to follow for those who doesn't familiar with Japanese folklore. Not many description made to explain the world of kotodamashi and kami-sama. And it's true that Yuki Shimizu seems like cannot hold a world-building very well. The first few volume was full of confussion, and the essential explanation of kotodamashi and kami-sama world comes much later. So let me explain some thing about the universe for you who might not understand.
Kami-sama is basically a paper, literary a paper, whose resurrected with some ritual from the puppeter. They are tasked to protect their assigned kotodamashi, to heal their wounds and to act as a barrier for when the kotodamashi got a rebound from the curses they made. While kotodamashi could curse other people, or even a country, it's not without a price. Usually they would get wounds, depends on the scale of destruction they made. Kami-sama need to heal those wounds by exchanging bodily fluid with their kotodamashi. Sometimes, the person got cursed by kotodamashi would strike back with any kind of expellment, and when those times come, kami-sama was there to be their kotodamashi's barrier.
Well, I really love japanese folklore, so this story interests me. Also, this story put me into tears several times. But there are still rape/forced-sex angst in most pairings, which I cannot tolerate, whatever the reason.If you love someone, talk with your mouths, gentlemen, not with your dicks. Thankfully, Yuki Shimizu's artwork in this one is so pretty.
Finished Review: I have some rules considering writing manga reviews. In manga series, usually I'll only review once per title, usually at the volume 1. But I'll write reviews in every volumes if it's an intercorrelated anthology in the same title (like, Salad Days, for example). This story, I thought at first was in the latter category, but now when I'm done reading it, I realized that one review is actually adequate. So I'll edit it.
Yesterday, someone in a fanfiction's author group recommended me this manga. At first I thought it was from my favorite mangaka, the creator of Dear Green: Hitomi no Ounowa, but when I get down to it, it's actually from Yuki Shimizu-sensei, the one who draw Love Mode. Wow her artwork is developing so... far...
That being said, this story is a multipairing stories revolving around a kotodamashi family (some kind of shaman who could use words to hurt people). In the beginning, there is Raizou, a "stray" boy who got taken into Mitou household as a cook. The house occupants consisted of Mitou Ouka and her human-doll Benio; Mitou Kotoha and Konoe; and also Waki and Kon. At first, Raizou thought they were just a normal family, but in fact, they are pairs of kotodamashi (the shaman) and kami-sama (the human-paper for kotodamashi's barrier). Waki is the puppeter (the one who made kami-sama) Benio is Ouka's kami-sama, Konoe is Kotoha's, and Kon haven't got his kotodamashi yet. There's also a man wearing a fox-mask, who happens to be Asari, kami-sama of Mitou Shoui, the head of Mitou family. Later volumes would also showed us the story of Mitou outer branch family. There are Genma who got quite a tragic story with his late father's kami-sama, Himi. And also Ryusei, a kotodamashi who refused to use his power, with his suddenly appeared kami-sama, Moriya.
From the pair list, I love Asari and Shoui's story the most. He and Shoui just so ugh~ I cried when I read their story in later volume. Second favorite is Moriya and Ryusei, because their total-straight-guys attitude is amusing to read, though the romantic and dramatic feeling from this pairing is quite lacked--since Ryusei is well... a slut. (lol)
But this story will be hard to follow for those who doesn't familiar with Japanese folklore. Not many description made to explain the world of kotodamashi and kami-sama. And it's true that Yuki Shimizu seems like cannot hold a world-building very well. The first few volume was full of confussion, and the essential explanation of kotodamashi and kami-sama world comes much later. So let me explain some thing about the universe for you who might not understand.
Kami-sama is basically a paper, literary a paper, whose resurrected with some ritual from the puppeter. They are tasked to protect their assigned kotodamashi, to heal their wounds and to act as a barrier for when the kotodamashi got a rebound from the curses they made. While kotodamashi could curse other people, or even a country, it's not without a price. Usually they would get wounds, depends on the scale of destruction they made. Kami-sama need to heal those wounds by exchanging bodily fluid with their kotodamashi. Sometimes, the person got cursed by kotodamashi would strike back with any kind of expellment, and when those times come, kami-sama was there to be their kotodamashi's barrier.
Well, I really love japanese folklore, so this story interests me. Also, this story put me into tears several times. But there are still rape/forced-sex angst in most pairings, which I cannot tolerate, whatever the reason.
January 23, 2010
Okay, this was weird but not as bad as I expected. Raizou has to go and live with these guys at a house somewhere because his Grandma died and he has no family (popular yaoi theme #1). He’s trying to fit in but they are weird. Oh wait, seems some guy curses people and then when the curse bounces back he is injured but that’s okay cause he’s made out of paper and heals. Yes, made out of paper. His arm flies off in the kitchen into the stew. Riiight. Okay, I am totally cheating and if you want to read an amazing description of the book that makes a bazillion times more sense than mine ever would go HERE. In fact I am stealing this line from their review “There are some things ZE does very well, but guiding readers gently into its complicated world isn’t among them.” EXACTLY. I should have read their review first, the book would have made way more sense to me. I think it would help to understand some of the Japanese mythology surrounding these creatures to totally get it, which obviously I didn’t. It’s still not the worst yaoi I’ve read despite people made of paper and not having a clue what was going on half the time. There is a second volume which according to that reviewer is much better. It will be continuing it’s yaoi world tour soon.
January 20, 2015
Don't judge me! I was influenced by my brother's interests in these kinds of stories. But to note some citations - the plot is like Fruits Basket, with lots of pairings, back stories, and supernatural. It's about a new housekeeper being thrust into the live of a powerful family who uses paper dolls as their protectors. Not sure if there is a legit Japanese folklore about them, but this perspective is very unique. Sketches are nice, so are ecchi scenes, hahaha. But it is still weird that there are innocent pairings, vulgar beyond repair, and those two-straight-guys-doing-sex-because-they-need-help. LOL.
I would recommend this to the open-minded manga readers who likes the manly sketches. The art reminded me of Kyou Kara Koi Wo Hajimemasu (forgot who's the author, though)
I would recommend this to the open-minded manga readers who likes the manly sketches. The art reminded me of Kyou Kara Koi Wo Hajimemasu (forgot who's the author, though)
June 5, 2010
I did have a moment of concern about learning all the characters, but that passed pretty easily (I think). Should also be easier to follow the story in the following volumes, which I look forward to reading.
Raizou is kind of a weirdo/goof! I totally get the Fruits Basket for yaoi/BL connection, though.
I want to be happy to see a female pairing (why can't we have quality yuri here?), but this particular female pairing is pretty flippin' weird, so I'm left wondering whether it's a positive inclusion. One's not recognizably a woman (pretty hot guy, though), and the other seems to have no personality, will or clothing. Um...yeah.
Asari and Shoui are sort of fascinating, and I hope we also get to see more layers from the other characters in the future.
Raizou is kind of a weirdo/goof! I totally get the Fruits Basket for yaoi/BL connection, though.
I want to be happy to see a female pairing (why can't we have quality yuri here?), but this particular female pairing is pretty flippin' weird, so I'm left wondering whether it's a positive inclusion. One's not recognizably a woman (pretty hot guy, though), and the other seems to have no personality, will or clothing. Um...yeah.
Asari and Shoui are sort of fascinating, and I hope we also get to see more layers from the other characters in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2010
This book, like all of Yuki Shimizu's books, is kind of like birthday cake delicious and desirable, but not exactly a square meal. But who cares about nutrition when you've got a birthday cake like this! Ze has a very loose speculative element--human dolls--which serves mainly to add drama to the romance lines in this volume. In later volumes the worldbuilding is explored slightly more closely in the subsequent volumes. The art is beautiful and the dialogue often quite funny. Those seeking verisimilitude are warned to avoid it--though I would also suggest that those seeking verisimilitude would be better served avoiding yaoi manga altogther. :)
February 10, 2017
Thrown right into the action, with a lot of characters and couples introduced very quickly. The only characters I felt I knew well and understood, by the end of the story, were Raizou and Kon. Raizou is an orphan, struggling to fit in, lonley and all around sweet guy. Kon is a kami without a master, so he feels useless with no purpose, so he lets himself be hurt. Asari and Shoui are a tragic pairing. Shoui doesn't want to use Asari to heal because it hurts Asari. To heal their master is a kami's job and Asari can no longer heal. The world is set up quickly with not much character development.
September 27, 2009
It started weird; then again, I read this stories for Mitou Shouin and Asari. Kinda remind me of Tezuka and Fuji from the Tenipuri slashed fandom, there I said it.
Shimizu Yuki is good at angst, but not yet a master like Kawai Touko who could master the art of angst without any rape scene. While the frustration as shown in Gemma/Himi is clear, I couldn't get the vibe of a forced relationship which started with rape and more rape. Oh well, it's going to be more intense on the seventh volume, so I still can hope.
Shimizu Yuki is good at angst, but not yet a master like Kawai Touko who could master the art of angst without any rape scene. While the frustration as shown in Gemma/Himi is clear, I couldn't get the vibe of a forced relationship which started with rape and more rape. Oh well, it's going to be more intense on the seventh volume, so I still can hope.
June 6, 2011
Fruits Basket parody? Hated the characters for the first few chapters, but did finally like them by the end. Favorite pairing is, um, I have forgotten the names already, but the kotadamishi who is injured because he refuses to inflict pain on his kamisama and the kamisama who wears a fox mask.
The art is better than Love Mode, but still not actually good.
The art is better than Love Mode, but still not actually good.
August 27, 2011
I loved the Love Mode manga by this author and hoped for more of the drama with various lover combinations, and she does try to deliver that - but I really did not like the paranormal bits she introduced to this story or the pseudo comic relief couple of always-caught-in-the-act lesbians Oka and Benio.
The strength of Love Mode was the choices the lovers made, here the pairings have NO choice.
I'll be giving this away.
The strength of Love Mode was the choices the lovers made, here the pairings have NO choice.
I'll be giving this away.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2014
Online - Vol 1- chap 26 ongoing/not scanned
LOVE THIS ART!
the story is pretty good as well. I like reading about all of the different stories and how all the Kami's were created.
The online site that i was reading it on did have some of the pages out of order and felt that at some points the 'chapter' i was on was incomplete. So i felt that some of the stories i just don't know how they ended.
LOVE THIS ART!
the story is pretty good as well. I like reading about all of the different stories and how all the Kami's were created.
The online site that i was reading it on did have some of the pages out of order and felt that at some points the 'chapter' i was on was incomplete. So i felt that some of the stories i just don't know how they ended.
January 19, 2017
Yaoi Manga mit verrücktem Start; man hat erneut Paare die gerade erst entstehen, welche die länger zusammen sind und welche die wieder zusammen finden müssen. Dazu noch das ganze Konzept ob ein solcher papier-Kami wirklich als Mensch zu betrachten ist.
January 22, 2022
Loved Yuki Shimizu'S work with Love Mode and this did not disappoint. Lovely art. A house full of spiritual healing couples, Raizou comes to the house as housekeeper and cook. This series explores the love of all the different couples here.
June 2, 2017
A unique and creative story. Cruel but very memorable. A must read!!
October 26, 2014
I'm re-reading this whole series since I just got #9 in the mail today!!
It's one of my favorite series
It's one of my favorite series
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