Angel Sanctuary, Vol. 2

天使禁猟区 [Tenshi Kinryōku] #2

by Kaori Yuki

The most insane creatures in the nine planes of heaven and nine planes of hell are all telling messed-up teenager Setsuna that he is the reincarnation of an angel. That wouldn't be so bad except that some of these beings are trying to kill him, and others want him to lead them in a revolt against God! All Setsuna wants to do is keep a sister he loves away from the dangerous creatures who are trying to harm her. Unfortunately some of the worst harm can come from Setsuna's love, which threatens to bloom into full-blown incest! How can Setsuna protect his sister from himself?!

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

192 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1995

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

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't surprised to see Descendants of Darkness recommended in the end pages: both series are dramatic, overwrought messes that are enjoyable despite having all sorts of things happening that are either objectionable or don't make sense. So far the plotting here seems a little tighter than DoD, but the angel backstory isn't as strong as the shinigami world-building. 10 volumes into DoD I'm thinking the implicit romance will never be made actual; I wonder if any relationships will occur in this series.

I'm not put off by the (emotional, there's no sexual activity) incest in this volume. I was in volume 1 because it seemed like Setsuma was secretly perving on his sister while she only had fraternal affection, but now we learn that she loves him, too. So while mildly perturbed, I'm actually more bothered by the persistent sexist tone of the author, who writes outright that she prefers male characters because "they don't have to be sweet." There are repeated remarks about women needing to be beautiful so that men will protect them. Too bad for plain girls, I guess?

And no one protects boys. It makes me a little sad, actually. The delinquent boys, the meek girl with glasses, they get killed like it's nothing. Ah well, it's only paper...

[Tatiana Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mystery and tragedy continues and we're left with a cliffhanger. Love it! I'm ready to lift my lazy butt and grab volume 3 from the basement.

At the moment, I'm not sure what to make of our tragic main character Setsuna. Not too impressed with him yet since he seems so down and out. He needs to snap out of it! Alexielel seems more bad-ass. I want more of her please lol!

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, I think I'm officially done with this series. Two volumes in and I still don't give a crap about any of these characters. It's hard enough work matching up names and characters.

[Nikki Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stellar. The art is amazing and so is the storyline. It's totally original. The manga is MUCH better than the time-crammed anime version.

WARNING: it's not for the faint of heart. It features lots of blood and a twinge of incest.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lol, this is confusing AF.

[Lightwhisper · Rating 2 out of 5]

A boy who loves his sister, even if a fantasy/paranormal manga, doesn’t work for me. And he’s dumb and the action is not that great.

[Michael Schmid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Geschichte um die verbotene Liebe zwischen Setsuna und Sara nimmt hiermit ihren Anfang und niemand anderes als der anorganische Engel Rosiel ist es, der diese Zwei trennen will. Ein für mich sehr gelungener Anfang und auch wenn die Geschichte am Anfang etwas wirr und unverständlich wirkt, kommt man irgendwann schon rein und dann liebt man diesen Manga einfach. Kaori Yuki hat sowieso einen sehr eigenen, detailreichen Zeichenstil, den ich einfach nur beneidenswert finde. Dies gepaart mit einen doch recht brutalen Szenen machen ihre Werke wirklich zu einem Highlight.
Noch kurz zur Deluxe Edition. Also ich habe sämtliche Standardmangas schon vor einigen Jahren gelesen und kenne daher auch das Ende, aber nun noch einmal die Geschichte in dieser Form zu lesen ich noch mal war ganz anderes. Daumen hoch für Carlsen. Sowas lob ich mir. So eine Aufmachung hat dieser Manga auch wirklich verdient!!!

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

We start in Sara’s perspective as she agonizes over hateful words her brother has told her. She can’t believe what he says is true and admits to herself that she loves him beyond the love of siblings. While this realization makes her feel tainted and sinful, what truly tears at her heart is the idea that Setsuna hates her.

Angel Sanctuary plays with a lot of biblical themes, so perhaps this is intended to call out the story of Adam and Eve, where the woman is often credited with tempting the man into sin with her. In this case, the sin is incest. Sara does not seem remorseful for her feelings, although she is still hesitant to act on them.

Read more at Chapter TK

[Дени ★ Проданова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Четеш, опитваш се да вникнеш в историята, опитваш се да проучиш, да схванеш Сецуна, да разбереш какъв е и за какво се бори. Но в процеса откриваш нещо друго. Може би не самите герои са важни, а това, което представляват. Ангели, които се бунтуват срещу небесата. Ангели, които убиват, които мразят, които сеят разруха. Демони, които обичат, които търсят отмъщение, които страдат. Хора, които търсят посоката, а тя някак винаги им убягва. Розиел и Алексиел - брат и сестра, които се мразят, биха се убили един друг. А от другата страна Сецуна и Сара - брат и сестра, които се обичат и биха умрели един за друг. Два различни свята, но и в двата смъртта сякаш е единственото, но и грешното решение.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - There were a few things I liked and a few I didn't like in this volume. Some scenes were boring and others were adorably creepy and disturbing. I'm loving the drawings more and more tho, and I don't know how much longer I will stand Sara's character. Sooo anoying this girl is...

[Nea Poulain · Rating 3 out of 5]

2025: lo relei para acordarme de que vergas estaba pasando.

This shit is crazy bonkers bananas, sign me up. Los adolescentes so super delulu me encantan. Y los ángeles tienen una delusion bastante... Angelic. Quiero saber más, me gustó.

[Bryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

So ridiculously over the top, and the mangaka is enjoying herself so much!

[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.

[Lexi Clarxson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sinopsis: Existe más que solo el mundo de los humanos. Por siglos se ha hablado de la existencia del Cielo y el Infierno, ángeles y demonios. La guerra entre ambos extremos está a punto de iniciar y solo Setsuna, un joven estudiante de preparatoria, tiene el poder para definir el destino de la guerra, ya que es la reencarnación de uno de los ángeles más fuertes que ha existido.

Opinión: El estilo de dibujo de Karoi Yuki se distingue por su trasfondo gótico, que mezcla con detalles sobrecargados, varias viñetas por página para mostrar diversos fragmentos de las escenas y acciones, con fuertes contrastes de luces y sombras que reflejan constantemente la contraposición de luz y oscuridad dando más dramatismo y profundidad a sus historias.
En estos primeros dos tomos de la serie, se presenta a los personajes principales, aquellos primeros contactos que empiezan a tener entre ellos, representando los 3 mundos que formaran parte de la guerra bíblica; el humano, el cielo y el infierno.
Setsuna es el protagonista de la historia, un chico que suele meterse en problemas bastante seguido y que guarda un oscuro secreto del que se avergüenza, pero que no puede quitarse de la cabeza.
La autora suele tratar temas muy polémicos en sus obras, jugando constantemente con lo prohibido, con esta dicotomía entre el bien y el mal, lo correcto y lo incorrecto.
También pone de manifiesto la representación LGBTQ+ en gran parte de sus personajes, dándoles más diversidad no solo en sus personalidades sino en sus identidades, sentimientos y preferencias.
Ángel Sanctuary es una historia que comenzó a publicarse en 1995 en Japón, y que desde entonces ha sabido exponer muchos tabúes que persisten hoy en día.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is getting better, more characters are being introduced and more plot is going to the war between the angels and the video game. I feel like the cast could easily get out of hand though. It seams like there is a reason behind Setsuna having those feelings for Sara, but why does she reciprocate them?

[TheBookishHobbit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is some twisted stuff... but I'm loving it lol. This is 100% a series not for the faint of heart and I would say for an older audience. I'll give an overall age rating when I'm all done at volume 20. Can't wait to read the next one!

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok.

[AJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Anime still better so far. I dragged my feet trying to finish this volume. Will volume 3 be the breaking point?

[Bobby Stringini · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I am enjoying the series so far, this volume was much slower than the first. Still, will for sure pick up volume 3.

[Lissibith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The truth about Sara and Setsuna's relationship gets out. Not just to one or two people - the exact oppression and ridicule he'd feared surrounds Setsuna. And that's an unneeded distraction, as more of the denizens of Heaven and Hell are coming to find him.

The cast of this series gets truly large - somewhat unwieldy in my opinion, even though everyone has a part to play. This one introduces us to a blind priest, a new young angel working for Rosiel, and a third young angel. And I really like all of them, especially the priest, although I can find some pity in my heart for the one working for Rosiel. His callousness toward his followers suggests nothing good about her future.

We also get to see the first true awakening of Alexiel's power, and it's notable that it's partly manifested first from a place of gentleness. Murderous gentleness. 'Course it really busts loose when Setsuna learns the truth about someone very close to him in what's a really great scene imo.

[Carina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember my main complaint of this series now. There are so many characters and opposing factions introduced in a short span of time I just struggle telling who is on whose side... Now I don't mind ensemble casts but introducing a lot of characters very quickly is always a risky thing - it was a complaint I had with Game of Thrones as well.

Plot in this volume. Sara plans to move abroad and makes up with her friend, Setsuna gets attacked a lot, has some revelations and then seems to act really, really out of character. Oh, and random angels of various ranks are now popping up.

I really cannot recall at this point just why I rated this series so highly at first... hopefully something will jog my memory in the next couple of volumes though!

[Ray M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Setsuna is slowly awakening to his powers so that's nice.

More incest... kinda expected that but I like how the author chose to focus more on the conflict of Setsuna's feelings related to his incestuous feelings. The author made sure to let the audience know that the incest in this story wasn't going to be all sunshine and rainbows.

One thing I didn't like is how one character who is Tom Boyish.... they explicitly acted like she was supposed to be feminine and dainty in order to be protected... like why? Can't she be a Boyish damsel in distress? Also why can't she be capable of protecting herself?

Rating: 3/5

[kuristina- tabreez · Rating 4 out of 5]

If it wasn't bad enough that Setsuna is battling his incestuous feelings for his sister Sara, forces from Heaven and Hell are flocking to him. Some trying to kill him, some simply observing, some just being plain annoying.
The angels and demons are after Setsuna for the angel Alexiel that had died long ago whose soul now resides inside of Setsuna.
However, if Alexiel were to ever fully awaken it would not only lead to Setsuna's demise, but it would bring about the end of Tokyo and then the world...

[Aleina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, I think this is a great series (and I've liked it more as I've read it) but I really really really really really really really really really really really really reallly really really really don't like the incest part! XP I think that is probably the biggest turn off about the book (besides the weird angel=genderless and sort of hermaprhodite, lesbian, gay like things that confuzzles me), yet I like the series. Does that say something about it? :)

[Viridian5 · Rating 1 out of 5]

A character gets badly mutilated every chapter! Me: "Oh. Intestines." Even I have a threshold for incest, violence, mayhem, and twistedness. Angel Sanctuary stomps past all of them and then holds up someone's chopped-off hand in triumph. I put the books down and hide, shuddering, under a bed.

[Maria Belen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Segundo tomo y las cosas empiezan a ponerse interesantes, nuevos personajes rodean a Setsuna y todos tienen algo en común: Desean que despierte el ángel inorgánico Alexiel, hablando de, este tomo es su primera aparición por así decirlo y con ello solo deja mas y mas interrogantes.

Rating: 3.8

[Cerys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly harder to keep up with than the 1st volume and had much less interaction between characters but still an interesting and quick read :) really not a fan of the writers side notes however, they are quite off putting

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw the anime before reading the manga - thank godde the manga is more complete! :) Finally finished the story.

[Oyceter · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://oyceter.livejournal.com/276336...

[Laurie(Time Stand Still) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is still setting up the story. I have more volumes to read.