蒼の封印 4

蒼の封印 [Ao no Fuuin] #4

by Chie Shinohara, 篠原千絵

鬼門の秘密が書いてある西園寺文書を見るために、西家の本拠地・鬼無里の屋敷に忍び込 んだ蒼子と彬。その秘密は、地下に封印された鬼の骸骨に隠されていた。蒼子と彬の頭の 中に直接語りかけてくる骸骨。その話によると、蒼子は東家の最後の女王・羅　（らごう） の髪から再生されたクローンだという。また、西家の人間と交わった鬼はその能力を無く してしまうというのだ。話の通りだとすると、蒼子が彬と交われば人間になることができ る。彬を好きになり始めたばかりの蒼子は、いきなりそんなことを言われとまどいを隠せ ない。だが彬は蒼子と結婚すると言い出す。意外にも西園寺家の反対はなく、結婚の儀式 が始められて…。

Genres: Manga, Japanese Literature, Romance, Mystery, Fantasy, Shojo

Paperback

First published January 26, 1993

About the author

Chie Shinohara (篠原千絵) is an award winning Japanese manga artist best-known for Red River, known in Japan as Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori: Anatolia Story. She has twice received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo, in 1987 for Yami no Purple Eye and in 2001 for Red River.

Aside from her comics work, she has also written several prose novels. She has published the six volume Big Draw Daughter Hatsu light novel series, as well as five gaiden (or side-story) novels related to her Red River series. All of these were illustrated by Shinohara herself.

Works

Akatsuki no Lion - 2003
Ao no Fūin (Blue Seal) - 1992–94
Houmonsha wa Mayonaka ni (Midnight Visitor) - 1984
Kioku no Ashiato (Footprint of Memories) - 2005
Kiri no Mori Hotel - 2007
Kootta Natsu no Hi (Frozen Summer Day) - 1995
Mizu ni Sumu Hana (Romance of Darkness) - 2004
Mokugekisha ni Sayounara (Farewell to the Eyewitness) - 1985
Nanika ga yami de mite iru (Something Watching in the Dark) - 1986
Ryouko no Shinreijikenbo (A Record of Ryoko's Psychic Events) - 1988–91
Sanninme ga Kieta (A Third Person Disappeared) - 1992
Soshite Gokai no Suzu ga naru (Then Five Bells Rang) - 1994
Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori: Anatolia Story (Red River) - 1995–2002
Tokidamari no Hime - 2008-09
Touboukyuukou (Runaway Express)
Umi no Yami, Tsuki no Kage (Moon Shadow on a Dark Sea) - 1986–91
Yami no Purple Eye (Purple Eye of Darkness) - 1984–87
Yume no Shizuku, Kin no Torikago - 2010-present

Reviews

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, I gotta give it to Chie she can deftly move genre to genre in a single story without missing a beat. So far Blue Seal has been varied if nothing else. While that varied nature allows it to commit to whatever Chie wants to happen next I fear its also spread the manga thin a bit. Especially in terms of Soko who again feels underbaked as she struggles to evolve or change past scared and shocked in any situation.
We get some explanation on the Kimon / Oni and the Byakko families. Apparently the Byakko defected from the rest of the four directional saviors and the Kimon/Oni died? And Soko is a clone of the previous Oni Queen named Rago. Then we get another of those four Chinese directional mythical beasts in Genbu of the North. We also get something of a power system with the West Kimon being able to resurrect the Kimon and have blue flames, the Byakko having force fields maybe and that astral projection, and the Genbu having mind/emotion control amd black flames. Its also neat how each have a role to play in re-creating or influencing the resurrection of the Kimon from creating it with Soko/Souryo, helping the process along with the brother, or stopping others powers and stopping the process with the Byakko. It's a little too convoluted but it serves to strengthen how this is all part of some larger deal with resurrecting the Kimon.
Overall this volume wasn't terrible with a lot more denser lore going on here to set up for a larger story that I fear is going to have Soko continue to ask for help and be scared rather than take agency herself. The ending was really good though with Soko and Akira becoming a couple on the run as well while eerily chased on a highway late at night until the new Genbu of the North tears shit up.

[Felix · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't get why they would still want to kill her if she didn't have any more powers, since she wouldn't be any sort of threat or couldn't be of any use to anyone. But drama I get it.
Still it was too dumb for me to gloss over so it couldn't be 5 stars.
Other than that I'm very pleased with every twist and turns and eager for the next one.

[Rintea W · Rating 4 out of 5]

With all the excitement, I almost forgot that this anime still keeps its romantic core. If I hadn't come across a plot like "having a relationship" to turn Soko into a human, it would’ve been a total swoon-fest.

The hero and heroine in this volume are blushing all the time, but don’t think it’ll be that simple! It’s not over yet.

A new character has entered the scene.