Yurara, Vol. 5

Yurara #5

by Chika Shiomi

There are two sides to every ghost story...

Yurara Tsukinowa is a quiet girl who can see spirits and sense their emotions. Not wanting to seem abnormal, she hides her secret until she meets Mei Tendo and Yako Hoshino, two guys who use their spiritual powers to ward off vengeful spirits. The dormant guardian spirit in Yurara arises and a strong-willed beauty with the power to release souls emerges!

When Mei and Yako realize their rivalry is tearing Yurara apart, Mei makes a fateful decision. But is his choice really the right one? Soon Yurara will have to trust her own strength when evil spirits threaten those she loves. Don't miss the exciting conclusion of Yurara!

Final Volume!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Shojo, Paranormal, Graphic Novels, Supernatural

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2005

About the author

Chika Shiomi has an amazing talent for depicting chilling and provocative horror stories that appeal to both shojo and shonen readers. Having created manga since 1993, starting with short stories in Akita Shoten's Mystery Bonita magazine, she has had a bountiful career of publishing both long-running series and short stories that have become popular both in Japan and abroad. Shiomi-sensei loves to travel and listen to Guns 'n Roses.

See also 潮見 知佳.

Reviews

[Miss Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

mmm alright

the trouble with this series is its' central conflict never made any sense

because yurara and her guardian were so clearly different distinct people i never understood how mei and yako could act as though either was responsible for the feelings of the other

they are visually differentiated! yako explicitly acknowledges the presence of yurara's 'other self'! WHAT ARE YOU TWO EVEN ANGSTING ABOUT?

i did like the final message about believing in yourself tho

2.5 stars

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The last volume, and gosh I need more tissues!

So this one concludes everything, it settles everything, and I loved it. Yes, it broke my heart. Yes, it made me cry so much that I feel all dried up now. Yes, there are some things I wish were different, but I am still happy with the outcome now that I have had some time to calm down and relax.

We all know what happened in the last volume, Yurara (onee-san)/Yurara (normal) went to Hoshino. Despite Meiwa asking Yurara (normal) to not do it. To stay with him. To choose him. We see the aftermath in this volume, and my gosh, I was just so sad. I have to say I wanted to punch Hoshino more than once, but I could also see that he was heartbroken about it. He wanted to be together with Yurara (onee-san), but he knows it just isn't possible.

Meiwa makes a very tough decision, one that he shouldn't have to make, but I can understand why he did it. It still broke my heart, especially seeing how he spiralled down due to it. *hugs Meiwa*

Yurara (normal)'s friend, or should we call her that? She is there when Yurara (normal) needs it, but then also gets pissy at her (for a bit of good reason, but still, dang girl no need to go full angry on her).

I was a bit confused that Hoshino didn't recognise the guardian spirit (aka Yurara (onee-san)) without Yurara. They look so much alike, even though one wears a sailor outfit (because yeah, outfits stay the same in transformation) and the other a kimono, that I was wondering if he ever got the whole story behind it or if he was sleeping when it was all told.

I am glad what the grandfather did. He finally went and talked to Yurara (onee-san), told her that he understood she was in love (and I loved her reaction), but that she was also hurting his granddaughter and her friends. That instead of coming when there is a ghost to send to heaven, she was also popping up at inappropriate times. Times that Yurara (normal) didn't need her. That Yurara (onee-san) was taking over because she wanted to be with Hoshino.

The conclusion to that was pretty WOW. That is one way to do things, I am not sure if I was happy with it, as it felt like they were just pushing Yurara (normal) off a cliff, but eh. I guess given all it did do what it was supposed to do. I guess Yurara (normal) just needed that big push.

The ending had me in further tears, I don't want to go too deep into it. But dang. That was heartbreaking at points, beautiful in others, and sweet and lovely in yet other moments. I do feel it was a perfect ending. I am not sure how it could have ended any other way. I am glad that the author went for this.

All in all, a wonderful series with ghosts, romance, and some funny situations. I have seen that there is a sort of sequel to the manga, this time from Hoshino's POV, but I am not too sure if I want to read it given the blurb. Maybe I will try it out one day.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[-moonprismpower- · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh I’m crying now! Chika Shiomi always making me cry at the end of all her series!!!

I loved the ending. I’m not the biggest fan of love triangles but I liked this one? If you consider it a love triangle ( more like a square? lol)

Overall thoughts on the series?
I loved it. I heard Yako was the most popular character and as much as I love him, I really did enjoy Mei’s character for the main love interest. But maybe I’m biased because I read Rasetsu before this series so i was able to be okay with Yako “losing the girl”…

Anyway, if you like supernatural romance series with the right amount of comedy, drama and tears, well, look no further! Chika Shiomi will hook you up!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was funm. I loved that the mean girl ended up being Yurara's friend by the end of the series. I will say tho, I would love a romance manga with a lead like guardian spirit Yurara, like she just so cool.

[Lisa Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of the series as a whole: pretty fun, and obviously compelling since I read the entire thing in one sitting. It starts out a bit strange and difficult to follow but I had a handle on what was going on by the first chapter of the second volume. I like ghost stories in general and this is kind of a ghost story, sorta, so that might account for my liking it as much as I did. I do have one strong opinion that is apparently rather unpopular: I LOVE MEIWA. He was awesome and had a shocking amount of hidden depths for this shoujo romantic interest archetype. The way this story is a love triangle but not ACTUALLY a love triangle was pretty interesting and a little bit refreshing. I was super shocked that the series didn't end with the Yurara-Guardian-Spirit magically becoming corporeal and going off with Yakou, so color me pleasantly surprised by the slightly-more-realistic (I mean, as realistic as any story with a bunch of ghosts and shit could possibly be) ending. Yakatoki came out of nowhere and was dumb and the only purpose he served was to help the other one whenever Meiwa and Yakou weren't speaking. Dumb. Anyway, my opinion is unpopular because apparently the mangaka, Yurara herself, and I are the only ones who like Meiwa, which I don't understand. Yakou was a dick. I hate that Brian Krakow shit where the guy who quietly pines for the main character somehow "deserves" her even though he is actually a total asshole to her ALL THE TIME (seriously, rewatch My So-Called Life, Brian Krakow is A DICK). I'll still probably read the sequel series wherein he is a main character, though. I stayed up all night to read this silly series so I am quite tired. Forgive my rambling.

[Mely]

Finally achieves some power in the final volume, but follow-up series Rasetsu is still much better.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Today's post is on Yurara volume 5 by Chika Shiomi. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover is pink with Yurara and Yako on it about to kiss with Mei in the background. As it is the fifth in the series, you need to have read the rest of the volumes to understand what is going on. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character Yurara. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- When Mei and Yako realize their rivalry is tearing Yurara apart, Mei makes a fateful decision. But is his choice really the right one? Soon Yurara will have to trust her own strength when evil spirits threaten those she loves.


Review- A good ending that leaves room for the sequel series that follows Yako. The guardian Yurara decides to leave the human Yurara because guardian Yurara is the one in love with Yako and human Yurara is in love with Mei. So human Yurara has a trail by fire in this volume. She has to deal with some spirits and save Mei herself. This is a fun series; not too dark, not too much romance, just a good paranormal romance manga without getting too intense or dark. I am curious what the second series is going to be about as it is going to be about Yako after both Yurara's and being in love with a ghost. I would recommend this series.


I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 Read #29

Reread in 2020

Well, here goes about my renewed feelings for this series:

-Why was there any doubt that the big divide was that Yurara loved Mei while guardian spirit Yurara loved Yako? There was never the “other self” or “other half” of Yurara. I thought it was clear to everyone in the know that the two Yuraras were always different people.

-Why does Yurara need her grandfather to act as her guardian spirit at the end? What was the point of guardian spirit Yurara leaving then, if her job wasn’t done? Just for plot’s sake to get rid of the character and tie things up with a bow? Dumb.

-The big climax of this volume was so unnecessary. Mei has power to extinguish spirits, so the whole “Yurara has to go save Mei in her big character moment” effort was just blasé at best.

-Yako really gets the short end of the stick. And it doesn’t surprise me that Mei wasn’t a popular character with Japanese readers. The question is why did Shiomi like Mei so much? Especially when the resonant parts of the story involved guardian spirit Yurara and Yako?

-At the end, did guardian spirit Yurara really disappear? Seemed open-ended.

Overall, this series is okay, but I prefer what other works I’ve read of Shiomi’s to this one. Onwards to Rasetsu!

[Remna M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was a really great book about coming out of your shell and believing in yourself. It also teaches a great lesson about gaining independence and unlocking new parts of yourself. It was nice to see Yurara grow slowly, but surely. Although this last volume did have me a little annoyed with her, I was very satisfied with the ending.

[Jessie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm glad these are short reads, otherwise I would have gave up ages ago. Luckily, I can read these very quickly so I don't waste too much time in the snoozeville that they put me in.

[David Doel · Rating 2 out of 5]

No surprise; the ending was as lame as the rest of the story.

[Brianna James211 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really great and satisfying ending to this series!

[Myiesha Speight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely my favorite book of the series!

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bintang 3.
Book 5 of 5.

Kekacauan percintaan dalam hidupnya membuat Yurara terpukul. Yurara merasa dirinya melukai Mei dan Yakou sekaligus sehingga Yurara sakit memikirkannya. Dilain pihak Yakou bertekad untuk merebut dan memiliki Yurara. Mei sendiri saat melihat kondisi Yurara yg tertekan akhirnya mengalah dan memutuskan hubungan cintanya dengan Yurara. Sedangkan "Yurara" sang roh pelindung akhirnya sadar kalau dia menyebabkan kekacauan yg sangat besar dalam hidup Yurara dan sadar kalau yg sudah mati (dirinya) tak dapat bersatu dengan yg masih hidup (Yakou), sehingga sang roh meninggalkan Yurara dan meminta Yurara untuk menggunakan kekuatannya sendiri.

Perpisahan dengan Yurara membuat Mei terperosok dalam keputusasan sehingga banyak sekali arwah penasaran yg ingin membawa Mei dan menjadikan Mei sebagai arwah penasaran seperti mereka. Mengetahui kondisi Mei, Yurara bertekad menolong Mei. Yurara dan Yakou berpacu dengan waktu untuk menyelamatkan Mei dari kematian. Disepanjang perjalanan mereka menuju tempat Mei, Yakou melihat keteguhan hati Yurara dan akhirnya Yakou menyadari semua perasaannya selama ini. Bahwa dirinya hanya memiliki perasaan terhadap "Yurara" bukan Yurara yg asli. Dan akhirnya Yurara dengan kekuatannya sendiri berhasil menuntun banyak roh penasaran saat menyelamatkan Mei.

Berhasil menyelamatkan Mei, kondisipun kembali seperti semula. Yurara kembali menjalin percintaan dengan Mei. Dan Yurara pun mulai menggunakan kekuatannya sendiri tanpa bantuan roh pelindungnya. Sedangkan Yakou... Secara diam diam ternyata roh pelindung Yurara berada disisi Yakou tanpa sepengetahuan orang yg bersangkutan.

Suka dengan pesan "Yurara" pada Yurara: " Disaat apapun, jangan pernah menyerah sebelum berjuang... Maka kau akan menemukan dirimu yg baru..."

[Estara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mei decides the emotional tug of war for Yurara girl between him and Yako is making her sick - true enough. And he'll draw back. This doesn't make anything better, as should be obvious. The only one who can do something about the stalemate is the girl in question.

He descends to even deeper depths of desperation than Yako did in a very well drawn dramatic almost suicide situation. Yurara guardian finally gets direct and tells Yurara girl she won't help her anymore, no matter who dies, so she had better mobilize her own powers.

Yako actually falls to the moralistic depth of thinking it would be ever so much easier if the evil spirits drive Mei insane but at last he realizes he wouldn't want Yurara guardian like that and goes to help both Yurara girl and Mei.

And Yurara girl and Yako both manage to save Mei, Yurara reaching her full potential. Lovely. Reminded me in some ways of Tohru reaching Kyo-monster in Furuba.

However, like Meli said, Rasetsu is a better story.

[Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of cheesy.

I like the idea of a short series (only 5 volumes), but I'm not sure this story worked well in that timeframe...too short, too long, I'm not really sure. Then again, maybe I just needed to reread volumes 1-4 before starting on this one. (I did scan through 3 and reread all of 4 to get back into it, but....)

[Nisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the end of reading this, I am no longer interested in the Yurara, the dumb girl and Mei couple. But I was fascinated by Yurara, the powerful spirit and Yako. They were tragic and beautiful and by far, much more interesting. So... I'm more interested in reading the next series. This one kinda fell flat for me.

[Lucia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series shouldn't be over, five volumes is too short and the story suffered for it, in being too rushed and not as developed as it could have. The author really did an amazing job having us fall in love with these characters and believing in their relationships in such a short span of time. I enjoyed the entire series and am looking forward to reading more for this author!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series Review: A very short and interesting manga Yurara is great for a quick read. The characters are funny and entertaining but the plot is unique but not very gripping. It focuses mainly on the love story. It actually is a prequel for the manga Rasetsu's Flower which is set in at a later time. Over all it is good for a quick read but not anything groundbreaking.

[Ceejay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful horror/romance by Chika Shiomi comes to a perfect conclusion in the fifth volume of this series. No hints. No clues. I just promise that Ms. Shiomi has taken an enjoyably complicated story and steered it a perfect ending that should please all the fans of this manga. I'm so glad that I read Yurara! I'm so glad that Chika Shiomi wrote it!

[Solace Winter · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked about the final book in this series is that they didn't try to go with a very contrived ending. It ended in the best way it could for all parties without forcing a better ending because it's a teen romance. Very well done!

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS SERIES WAS AWESOME! I loved how all the main characters had supernatural powers and all helped each other with them. For me personally, I didn't find that the love triangle wasn't as cheesy as I expected. A great series to try out!

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun manga series, and this is the end of it. I love when you get to the end of a book and the story is all wrapped up so you don't have to worry about finding the next one.

[Malaysia]

soo good

[Kenley · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love love loved it!!! it was like, the best ending possible! it ended just like i wanted it to, which is awesome. mei and yurara are soo cute together! i <3 mei!!

[Sarah Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay ending to the series. I thought it was a little strange and not a real resolution.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was cool when Yurara learned to harness her own spiritual powers. It has inspired me to try to do the same: if you are reading this, may all your evil demons be banished to the great beyond!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ending to this manga is good. I'm a sucker for romantic and happy endings. :)

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay series. It was sort of a hokey ending; very quick wrap up to everything in the past 4 volumes.