Nabari No Ou, Vol. 1

隠の王 [Nabari No Ou] #1

by Yuhki Kamatani

Apathetic schoolboy Miharu Rokujou is content to meander through life in the sleepy village of Banten. But his quiet existence is shattered when the Grey Wolves of Iga, a powerful ninja clan, attempt to kidnap him in broad daylight. Only then does Miharu discover that the ultimate power of the hidden ninja realm — a power that can do both great good and great harm — is sealed within his body. As battles erupt among rival ninja clans seeking to control him, Miharu must overcome his apathy and learn the ways of the ninja if he wants any shot at survival!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Action, Shonen, Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published November 27, 2004

About the author

Yuuki Kamatani is a Japanese mangaka.
Please also see Japanese and Chinese language profile: 鎌谷悠希.

Pixiv:

Reviews

[Martine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aside from the fact that it's about modern day ninjas (heck yeah ninjas!), there is nothing so far that I find particularly thrilling or annoying, but it's supposed to get more interesting, so I keep reading.

Apparently it's a bit similar to Naruto and though I never really saw nor read that, I can point down some of the similarities.

So for anyone who is unsure wether or not to start with these series, I'll just leave the words of the person who recommended it to me here:

"It’s very different from every other manga I’ve read, possibly because it really has the potential to be bombastic, but manages to be very calm and introspective. Technically, it’s about ninjas, but it’s really a story about ultimate fuck ups and learning to forgive yourself. It breaks down a lot of notions of good and evil and the means used to achieve certain ends and really ties everything together with fantastic characters.

It’s also one of the more heart-breaking things I’ve ever read[...]."
- Manda, the Queen of Crack

VERY IMPORTANT EDIT: IF YOU KEEP READING THIS SERIES, YOU WILL CRY. A LOT! (Unless you don't lack a heart, that is.)

[Dominique "Eerie" Sobieska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miharu, a 14 year old student, is a master at indifference. And considered adorable by his peers. He only wants a quiet life until he learns that he is the vessel of the power Shinrabansho, a ninjustu creation, wanted by all factions. We can only presume whoever controls or gains the power of the Shinrabansho, controls the ninja world.



It seems that Miharu and Kumohira have a past that Miharu does not remember. Aizawa and Shimizu protect him during their journey to Fuuma Village.

[Jahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apenas inicia y siempre es un enredo (eso que me lo leí hace muuuchos años), pero igual lo amo tanto. El sentimiento bonito que me dejó en el corazón sigue ahí y eso no se puede borrar.

Veremos que tal sigue.

Yoite y Miharu mis niños.

[#ReadAllTheBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always skeptical of manga such as this. Much like the other reviewer, I'm not that much of a fan of ninja. They're just too overdone in today's manga. Everywhere you turn, there's some new manga or anime coming out with the same 2-3 plotlines. But I decided to give this manga a try because I figured that it would be wrong to typecast this series.

The plotline follows Miharu, a somewhat normal but apathetic teen who just wants to inherit the family okonomiyaki business in peace. Unfortunately for him, he has the secrets of everything trapped inside of him & several different factions of ninja want those secrets to either be used or hidden away. If it were up to Miharu, he'd continue to live normally, but the powers within him want to be used & will not be denied!

I actually rather liked this manga. The plot isn't entirely new, but there are a few nice new twists to it. I like that Miharu is extremely apathetic (on the surface, anyway) about everything & that he often uses some of his latent talents (cuteness, ect) to his own devices. He provides a good chunk of humor in the series, which is definitely a bonus. The artwork is nice & I like the manga's pacing. We get a pretty good look at the developing dynamics between the characters & there's a nice plotline going on.

The only thing I'm worried about is that while there's a chance for the plot to grow into something truly wonderful, there's also the potential for this to develop into horribly bogged down plotlines ala Naruto. Still, this is a pretty good start to a series, so I'll be picking up the next volume to see if the good plot & pacing continues.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading this manga was like pulling teeth. First of all, there is nothing new under the sun with the whole "You have a magical secret power inside you". It strikes as a bit of a Naruto knockoff, especially once he is surrounded by friends with fighting skills and an exceptionally devoted teacher. But the problem with this book really is the main character.

The whole point is that the main character doesn't care. I mean, really is apathetic. Not apathetic and funny or apathetic but brave when he needs to be. But just doesn't care and BORING. Oh so BORING. And it makes it hard for me to get into this story. I don't care why Miharu is so indifferent. I just want him to go away. I will not be reading the second volume.

[Kazeshini · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is about Modern day Ninjas.

Rokujo Miharu is a boy that live a carefree live and do not care about anything the story starts when Aizawa Koichi Miharu's classmate pesters him to join the Nindo Club in his school. Later in the night Miharu was attacked by a Ninja.Later Aizawa and miharu's english teacher Komohira Thobari who were also actually ninjas saved Miharu and defeated the ninja.Miharu learns that he was not an ordinary person as he poseses a secret art "shinra banshou" in him which is said to grant any wish the owner wish for.Miharu's english teacher Kumohira Thobari got down on his kneels and swear to Miharu that he will protect him from anyone.

[Neve Goldsmith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had some thoughts on this but I can’t be asked. This was so bad.
The first part was is confusing.
For a big portion of the book I thought the English teacher was student and possibly dating the student with glasses (or maybe that’s just a me thing). The protagonist while having a couple of funny moments with his ‘indiffrenceness’ was a boring blank slate.

The teacher did remind me of a ninja version of Severus Snape... just without the assholeness.
I did think the train scene was cute.

The girl annoyed me and I thought she was going to be an antagonist for a hot min.

I did like the dude with glasses.

The ending was naff.
Definitely did not make me want to read ninja/action stories.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has a couple of things going for it: it's recommended by someone who shares similar tastes to mine and it's published by Yen Press, a company that does good work on translation and packaging. The selling point in the synopsis so far is that the story is about modern ninjas. And, while that's nice and all, the protagonist is aptly described as apathetic, and it's getting old fast. I prefer my characters to have a little more kick in them, but at only one volume in, it's early still. I'll hold off on judgment for now. Onward, ho!

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very generic shonen series about a modern day school boy who learns his body holds all the secrets of the hidden ninja world, which not surprisingly makes him an object of interest to many, many people. This sort of humdrum setup could only be redeemed by really strong characterization, and unfortunately there's no hint of this so far; the protagonist is mostly a blank, and the side characters are fairly run-of-the-mill. This isn't bad so much as it is just boring.

[Mog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone who compares this series to Naruto is just being silly. The characters are far more charming, the plot far more interesting and to top it off it has platonically gay ninjas. How can you possibly beat that?

And by the way, this comes from a FAN of Naruto, so don't think I'm badmouthing Naruto here either.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this as much as I remember liking it the first time, it felt a bit fast and messy, things happening without enough explanation. But I like the aesthetic and the art and it seems like it'll be a good series, just not one that's gripped me enough to continue right now!

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sort of like a Bleach meets Naruto....

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read half of this a while ago so I don't really remember it that well, but it seems to have a lot of potential. On to volume 2!

[Raphael Vincent · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as Naruto, the art I mean, but it's hard to find a urban ninja story set in modernity these days so I guess this'll do.

[Lucinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay, it didn't totally draw me in but was a decent start.

[Sophie Noel · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5
Ridiculous and stupid, but I was entertained. (I don't think I was supposed laugh so much, but whatever XD)
I didn't like it, but hard-core manga fans may enjoy it!

[Claire]

I couldn't even finish it. Not interested.

[Toni · Rating 2 out of 5]

The pacing is terrible honestly.

[chvang · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I might have enjoyed it more if I was more familiar with the ninja tropes it is satirizing. At least I think it's satire. I didn't really know what was going on.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Review of Volumes 1-3]

Nabari No Ou is a good manga/anime. The volumes I’m reviewing cover seem to cover the first 8 1/2 episodes. I’d only seen the anime before now but I’m glad to have finally gotten around to reading the manga.

I wasn’t super blown away by these volumes but I was still enjoying the story. I was invested in Miharu and what was happening. I loved the artwork, especially all the action scenes. There wasn’t much character growth but it may be too soon for that. We know the stakes and (kind of) who opposition is early so we’re set for more action and tension to take off in volume 4.

I adore Miharu. I don’t mind that he’s apathetic most of the time because his big heart and sense of humor shine through on several occasions. He’s not as weak as others may perceive him to be. He can defend himself for the most part.

It’s a compelling story overall that I’d recommend to others.

[Rudolph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched the series long before my recent decision to start reading the manga, and I've found myself colored impressed. Miharu takes on a much more active role than he did in the anime, not to mention those extra fight scenes that took place, all a lot of fun to watch and read through. I started reading this series for the same reason I started reading manga in the first place, to compare them to the animated series I've already watched and enjoyed to no end, and get a better picture of the series through the materials that were omitted, and from what the mangaka of the series wanted to tell the readers though comical shorts, messages to the reader, or just a one-off image of a character. This first chapter did not disappoint and I recommend it to all of the Nabari fans out there who haven't started reading the series and want to, it is more than worth it.

[Shin Donghae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kalau bicara manga ninja, semua lsg mematok Naruto sbg pakemnya hhe.
Namun Kamatani sensei memberikan sentuhan modern pada manga ninja versinya.

Ringkasannya terlihat cukup menjanjikan (meski terkesan simpel), seorang anak laki-laki yang cuek dan tidak punya tujuan dalam mencari jati diri, ternyata memiliki (tanpa disadari) teknik ninja paling kuat yang pernah ada, yang memberinya kekuatan dewa. Setelah ini, semua ninja di Jepang mengejarnya untuk mencuri kekuatan tsb.

Cerita Nabari terkesan lebih mendayu untuk jilid awal ini, banyak dialog2 dg ideologi di balik ninjitsu dan juga bagaimana seorang ninja harus berpikir. Manga ini memang agak berbeda, memadukan shonen (plot) dan shojo (artwork) yg cukup baik.

[Scott Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A specifically shinobi-centric manga, Yukhi presents a fun storyline that moves the ninja in question from the past to a modern setting.

The secondary protagonists carry a lot of weight in this one as the protagonist's thing is his general indifference to, well, everything. There's just enough peeking out to make him intriguing rather than annoying, and he grew in that positive direction (intriguing) as the volume progressed. I'm hopeful the story continues building on Miharu's (the protagonist's) slow-growing dynamism from here so that he comes to equal the appealing world Yukhi's set the story in.

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nabari no Ou is off to great start! We follow indifferent Miharu Rokujou, who has become involved in the world of the ninja! Yuhki Kamatani's art work has changed quite a bit since this series began, but even in this first volume, their art is very expressive and fluid. And the character dynamics between the main leads will be interesting to see develop as the series continues. Overall this is a wonderful start to a fascinating urban fantasy, I look forward to future volumes.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miharu considers himself the most apathetic guy at school, and no one disagrees - until ninja clans begin a war over an ancient power sealed inside him, leading to his involvement in training a grand power that could rip the world apart! Kamatani begins a thrilling and humour series with this witty entry that will please fans of action and mystery. So much for surviving on wit and sarcasm alone!

[Francine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miharu is as apathetic as Haruhi from Ouran High School Host Club, and as much of a shota as Ciel from Black Butler, which are two series I greatly enjoyed. Miharu's deadpan interactions towards the other main characters are very funny.
I can't believe I've missed out on this series all this time; I'm really looking forward to reading more in the future.

[Ifrah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read 14/14 Volumes

I wanted to read this manga because of an amv I saw when I was in middle school. It was about two of the main characters Miharu and Yoite to the song “Can’t Take It” by the All-American Rejects. It heavily implied a relationship between the two of them so of course I was intrigued and vowed to one day know the story. I enjoyed parts of this a lot, but I’m also slightly disappointed, probably because I went into this not knowing anything at all about it other than their potentially being a gay relationship between Yoite and Miharu (there isn’t one unless you squint).

Nabari no Ou or The King of Nabari is actually about ninjas. Miharu has a power called the Shinrabanshou and he’s basically indifferent about it. Over the course of the manga he tries to separate the power from his body as other ninja clans want the power for their own. He ends up meeting Yoite who has his own power called the Kira except every time he uses it, he chips away at his life. They start out enemies, but slowly form a bond as Yoite makes Miharu promise to use the Shinrabanshou to erase his existence in exchange for helping Miharu become the King of Nabari instead. Honestly every scene they had together was electric. I wish this story was just about them.

I thought Yoite’s backstory and the “secret from 10 years ago" was going to be more horrible and traumatic than it was. It was sad for sure, but I was expecting more. I did take some long pauses between volumes and was reading a spotty scanlation so that could have played into my reading experience. I’m still happy overall that I read this series since it has been in the back of my mind all these years.

[BookLoving-Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story with some good characters.
The drawing is gorgeous, though the characters could do with a little more flesh on their bones (why are characters in manga always so skinny?).
A must read.

[Lailatun Nadhirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pernah baca manga ni waktu zaman sekolah. Saja baca semula. Hehehe.
Volume 1 Nabari no Ou sangat tak klise macam mana lain. Itu yang seronok baca sampai tak sedar dah habis bacaan.

Dan ternyata diriku masih 'crush' kepada Kumohira-sensei. Hahahaha!

[Juli R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ninjas, un poco de magia y personajes típicos de esta clase de mangas.
PERO, el estilo de dibujo y las secuencias son muy rápidas y dinámicas así que voy a seguir.
Además, son muy pocos tomos 🙏