Angel Sanctuary, Vol. 19

天使禁猟区 [Tenshi Kinryōku] #19

by Kaori Yuki

The war of angels against demons reaches its climax, as all the players converge on the Tower of Etenamenki, where lies the Tablet of Heaven--the key to unlimited power. Having fought their way through the Gate, Setsuna and his crew find that Lucifer and High Angel Rosiel are already inside. Meanwhile, Sara, possessed by Angel of the Apocalypse Sandalphon, has made her own way to the Tower. Rosiel plans to use the tablet to control the universe. Sandalphon wants the power to unleash the Apocalypse, while Setsuna wants to repair and restart the human world. Who will reach the Tablet first--those who want to destroy the world, or those who want to save it?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Romance, Angels, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

About the author

Kaori Yuki (由貴香織里) is a Japanese manga artist.

She debuted in 1987 with Natsufuku no Erii (Jap: 夏服のエリー) on the manga anthology Bessatsu Hana to Yume published by Hakusensha.
She is best known for her gothic manga works, such as the Earl Cain series (Jap: 伯爵カイン, Hakushaku Cain) and Angel Sanctuary (Jap: 天使禁猟区, Tenshi Kinryōku)

Her work is typically serialized in one of Hakusensha's two shōjo manga anthologies, Bessatsu Hana to Yume and Hana to Yume. In 2010, Kaori Yuki was one of many manga artists whose work would appear in the new shōjo manga anthology Aria by the publisher Kodansha on July 28, 2010.
Her doujinshi-ka name is MoonClock.

Reviews

[Rosenblue(vintage & retro manga & classic literature deserve more love on GR) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only one volume left in this epic series!

[Bibliothecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for complete series



No matter how hard he tries, Setsuna always manages to run into trouble, and his love for his sister is just one of many things that seem to be going wrong. It is only when two demons appear and make his life an even bigger mess that Setsuna comes to realise all his misfortunes might be linked to the fallen angel Alexiel.

I would definitely consider Angel Sanctuary a great and classic manga. But for all that, I am sure it does not appeal to everyone. In addition to the incestuous relationship between Setsuna and his sister Sara, there are drugs and alcohol, gruesome murders and mutilations, rape, child murder, a twisted view on religion and god, suicide, characters whose minds turn grotesque and obsessive - the list goes on. These are subjects that might be very appealing to some, but also very problematic for others.

I belong to the latter - usually, these subjects would automatically cause me to stay clear from such a book. It is truly a macabre tale, and that's just the way Kaori Yuki's works go. Yet despite my reluctance to give such subjects a try, I can say that whether one likes it or not, there's no denying that this is a brilliantly crafted story with an impressive amount of meaningful characters.

Kaori Yuki's art and stories all suffer and gain from the same thing: the sheer mass of detail. Her art is absolutely gorgeous with all the fine hair and cloth and just all the immense details. But at times, it can make the pages overcrowded and confusing - it certainly takes a longer time to read than your average manga. The story is at times likewise confusing as anything - it can be hard to keep track of which panels come first. But it's the wonderfully interwoven plot that remains a solid point throughout. The smallest details from the first volume can become relevant in the later ones and there is one plot twist after the another. There's never a boring moment as we follow Setsuna unravelling all the intrigues that surround the large cast.

Although I would consider the plot a strong point of this work, it is yet the characters who seem to turn it into something special. I have rarely come across a manga with so many characters who all have diverse and deep personalities. You get to love and hate all of them as even the most villainous ones prove to have something very humane and rather pitiful about them. In the end, one wonders - who was the true villain, if there was one at all? But with all the variety, there's no denying that the majority of them are broken characters. Every one of them seems to be involved in one twisted mess or another.

Luckily, there are great bonds of love, friendship and family that stand strong throughout the story and every now and then offer a well deserved comic relief. Angel Sanctuary is most certainly worth a try for any who enjoy strong character-driven stories that'll leave you with a hard time picking out a favourite character.

[Lesedelfin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wie die Zeit manchmal vergeht. Mir kommt es wie gestern vor, dass ich den ersten Angel Sanctuary Manga gelesen habe und jetzt habe ich schon den vorletzten neunzehnten Band beendet.
So in etwa kann man auch die Handlung betrachten. Obwohl so viel passiert ist, ist mir der Beginn am deutlichsten in Erinnerung.

Kaori Yuki hat im letzten Band den dritten großen Krieg eröffnet. Die Dämonen wollen den Himmeln erobern. Rosiel und Luzifer wollen Setsuna endgültig auslöschen. Die Helden sind auf dem Weg nach Atziluth - Gottes Wohnstätte, der nach dem zweiten großen Krieg nur noch Rosiel und Gottes engsten Vertrauten zugänglich war.
Der neuzehnte Manga beginnt mit einer völlig unerwarteten Einführung über Alexiel und als Leser erfährt man die neusten Unglaublichkeiten. Mehr als eindrucksvolle Zeichnungen setzen die Handlung in Szene und haben gleich zu Beginn klar gemacht, dass dies der bestgezeichnete Manga dieser Reihe ist. Besonders Eden, der Ort an dem Alexiel festgehalten wurde, wirkt sehr erhaben und gleichzeitig traurig. Die Zeichnungen lassen Emotionen für sich sprechen und durch die neuen Enthüllungen über die Zwillinge Alexiel und Rosiel bekommt man als Leser den Eindruck, dass die Mangaka hier nochmal eine fast neue Geschichte erzählen möchte. Ich war schockiert und gleichzeitig völlig gefesselt - Yuki bringt den Charakter von Alexiel auf ein völlig neues, begeisterungsfähiges Level!

Auch die Zeichnungen von Setsuna - besonders die, in denen er seine Flügel ausbreitet und seinem Instinkt folgt - waren sehr ansprechend und beweisen wieder einmal wie erwachsen sein Charakter geworden ist.
Natürlich steht auch Luzifer und sein Leben im Mittelpunkt, besonders seine Verbindung zu Alexiel - man kann als Leser also einiges erwarten!

Ich finde für einen vorletzten Band hat dieser wieder alles zu bieten: Dramatik in Form von vergangenen Verfehlungen und Erlebnisse, große Gefühle, die die Charaktere schon immer vorran getrieben haben dafür zu kämpfen, was sie lieben und ihnen wichtig ist. Und natürlich nicht zu vergessen die großen Momente der Überraschungen!
Auf geht's zum großen Finale!

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

So now we get more back story on Alexial, Rosiel and Lucifer. The past few books have been action packed. It'll be rather interesting to see how everything ends.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was better than the last 12 volumes or so, but is it too little too late?

[Anja · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm just reading it to complete the series.

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final war between Heaven and Hell has reached its climax. Having fought their ways through the gate, Setsuna's group, and Lucifer and Rosiel have reached Etenamenki, and it's a final battle between Setsuna, Alexiel, and Lucifer. Rosiel reveals to Setsuna that he has the blood crystal that houses Lucifer's soul, and that is why Lucifer will listen to none other than him. Lucifer is ordered to kill Setsuna, but as Setsuna's last seconds lie before him, Sakuya Kira's spirit appears..! According to him, not all is lost, because somewhere, deep inside Lucifer, Kira's soul is still alive!


The nineteenth volume... Nooo! It's almost over!! I don't know how Kaori Yuki-sensei is ever going to fit everything I had expected and anticipated into one more volume..!! And another thing, even though they are, or might, bring Kira back... the way they did it is not disappointing in the least-- it's actually hopeful!! This is yet another amazing addition to an amazing series!! And I am really going to miss it..
P.S. My heart aches for Raphy... Q-Q Please.. whatever happens... don't let Raphy or Setsuna die!! QAQ GO AHEAD AND KILL SARA, BECAUSE I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ANYMORE. SHE IS SO GODDAMN WEAK IN THE ARMS OF A MAN.

[Michael Schmid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Der vorletzte Band und was gibt es dazu zu sagen, als OH MEIN GOTT …

Endlich befinden wir uns in Atziluth, der höchsten Sphäre des Himmels, wo Rosiel und Luzifer bereits auf Setsuna und Co. warten. Anfangs kommt eine richtig geniale Szene mit Luzi-sama, bis sich die Geschichte immer weiter zuzieht und am Ende der Turm Gottes, Ethemenanki, erscheint.

Wir erfahren auch endlich mehr über Alexiels und Rosiels Hintergrund und was es mit dem Garten Eden und dem Baum der Erkenntnis wirklich auf sich hat. Auch Katan bekommt wieder einen sehr genialen Auftritt und am Ende erscheint niemand geringeres als … na ja, lest einfach selbst. ;)

Und ich wage mich nun an den finalen Band von einer der besten Manga Reihen aller Zeiten.

[Swiftsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

With everything reaching a decisive and conclusive end, I can't help but say this manga does manage to make you think about a different perspective to things. I'm a Christian myself so I don't believe a thing this manga makes angels out to be but it is definitely an entirely different interpretation of how things work up there. Kaori Yuki defies the odds, publishing this though it is controversial and isn't the best of works to read for a novel that highlights the astounding beauty of the heaven's.

[Jody Mena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this entire series. Kaori Yuki is a masterful storyteller and a talented artist.

[Vanlilith]

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