Manga Review: Yurara vol.1

Manga Review: Yurara vol.1

Story and art by: Chika Shiomi

By: Aliraluna

                                     Review:

Since being a child, high-school girl named Yurara Tsukinowa, has been able to see, hear and feel ghosts and spirits. What she doesn’t know is what’s inside of her in relation with her strong ability and powers of sensing spirits. Upon arriving to another year at school, she encounters three issues: one: a popular girl is complaining on being in the same classroom with her, two: the two most popular and handsome boys at school are sitting at her row and she’s in the middle of them, and three: there’s a very angry spirit sitting on her desk. As the days passes, the spirit gets more and more violent against her, who supposedly has taken her seat; meanwhile Yurara gets to know more about this popular guys who aren’t that normal: they both can see and fight spirits. Yako Hoshino tells the story of the boy who stole money and committed suicide in the same classroom they are studying which may be related with the spirit of the girl haunting her, but to her dismay, after she starts to run as she got scared of the tale, she gets attacked-but to Yako’s surprise he sees the head of a woman with long black hair appearing to protect Yurara. But the issue doesn’t end there, the spirit decides to attack a second time in which Yurara sees the story of the spirit, and when she’s about to fall to the floor a new strange person appears instead of the cute, shy, blond haired Yurara, instead, is found a long black hair beauty with long legs and arms- very tall and powerful woman who helps the spirit to go to heaven. After Yako explains what must be that strange beauty that emerges sometimes from Yurara, she will encounter different situations that involves, high-school girls jealous of her, boys and spirits. Her strange transformation will save her from drying in the water while trying to pass to heaven a small child found in the swimming pool. And, with this two completely personalities the boys start to unravel their feelings and emotions when it comes to being one or another. What and how will they react every time this strange phenomenon happens again? 

Opinions:

I may have a long list of mangas that I love but I have to say that Chika Shiomi is by far one of my top 5 most loved and adored mangaka. Since I read this manga (long time ago) I have always loved it- you don’t know how many times my heart goes ‘doki-doki’ and heart-broken at the same time. I ALWAYS cry at the end of the story. This story besides the beautiful art, it caught my attention that Yurara, a very young girl who has to deal with ghosts, spirits and more frightening things, with school, boys and girls, is a girl who wasn’t scared of the spirits, rather one that wanted to help them; one that wanted to have the power needed to give them aid. Also, while the stories are a bit sad in this volume, I still laughed SO much when I saw their faces and how well I can imagine the way they would use a tone and their expressions are. Believe me, you can even notice the slight differences of expressions made by the ever stiff Yako! And while I was rereading this I got tears in my eyes when I saw the last page; “Today Yako… seems a bit more… kind than usual”. The reason is because I remember always when I finished the whole series, I was very, very sad. That is, until I saw that a new series that would have my favorite character: Yako, would appear- I was truly happy to have more bits of his amazing world and life even though is …well, sad. And a very particular scene in the other series called Rasetsu, she says the same about him. Anyway, enjoy this story! I’ll be uploading the reviews of this amazing five volumes <3. 

Reseña de Manga: Heaven's Will

Reseña del manga: La voluntad del Cielo

Historia e Ilustración: Satoru Takamiya

Por: Aliraluna

Traducido por: Orlok

Reseña:

 El Cielo al cual regresarás algún día es la historia de cómo Sudou Mikuzu, una chica temerosa de los chicos y de los fantasmas, conoce a Seto Ashiya (un exorcista travesti) y a Kagari (un vampiro bello que puede transformarse en un lobo) en la célebre mansión embrujada que todos conocen, mientras intenta escapar de un monstruo. Ellos acuerdan por escrito que Mikuzu pagará un pastel a Seto cada vez que éste haga desaparecer a un fantasma. Al día siguiente, Seto visita a Mikuzu en la escuela de ésta, en que Mikuzu descubrirá una facultad suya extraordinaria, consistente en ver criaturas que la gente normal no puede ver; descubrirá por tanto que es una “kenki” y que “oni” es el término que se emplea para designar tales criaturas. Días más tarde, cuando Mikuzu está a punto de morir, Seto y Kagari le salvan de un monstruo pero, para sorpresa suya, Mikuzu descubre que ese monstruo era lo que le perseguía por todos lados; resulta entonces que el monstruo fue antaño un hombre y que anduvo entonces enamorado de Mikuzu sin confesar a ésta, sin embargo, su amor por ella. De esta manera, Mikuzu, Seto y Kagari hiciéronse amigos y compañeros en la misión de exorcizar a los “oni”.

En La voluntad del Cielo, las historias de cómo Seto Ashiya adoptó la conducta travesti y de cómo Kagari conoció a Seto serán descubiertas por Mikuzu mientras los tres intentan exorcizar el piano de Souichirou Takayanagi (el presidente del consejo estudiantil de la escuela superior Seiou) en una semana.

Descripción de los personajes:

Sudou Mikuzu es una chica que tiene pelo negro corto, es bien delgada y tiene grandes ojos negros. Es particularmente temerosa, quizá a causa de la facultad extraordinaria que posee, la cual le permite ver fantasmas y otras criaturas. Teme a los individuos del sexo masculino. Mikuzu toca el piano y hornea pasteles.

Seto Ashiya: Tiene pelo rubio largo y grandes ojos marrones. Viste a la moda Lolita. Su arma es un bello abanico brillante de mano que encierra un misterio. Es muy fuerte y es el maestro de Kagari. Ama comer pasteles y el almíbar (syrup) de arce y el de mantequilla.

Kagari: tiene pelo negro, unos ojos azules gélidos y es bien alto. Él es un vampiro y puede transformarse en un lobo; obtiene su alimento de la mano de Seto, puesto que éste es su maestro. Kagari suele ser un tipo callado. Seto es el único que puede hacer realidad su deseo (i.e. el de Kagari).

Opinión:

Es triste que esta historia consista solamente en un volumen. Hay una carta dentro del libro en que el autor explica que Mikuzu nunca se enamorará de Seto; nunca sabremos si Seto cambiará de parecer, ni lo que ocurrirá a Kagari, ni cuál era el nombre verdadero de Seto. Sabemos únicamente que Kagari luce más tranquilo y que Mikuzu sería más feliz si los tres permaneciesen juntos. Todos se esforzaron tanto por entenderse mutuamente y acercarse entre sí que todo ello tocó en verdad mi corazón.  ¡Ah!, y un sombrero corona la “n” del título.

Manga Review: Heaven's Will

Manga Review: Heaven’s Will

Story and art by: Satoru Takamiya

By: Aliraluna

Review:

The Heaven to which you will someday return, is the story of how Sudou Mikuzu a girl with a phobia toward boys and scared of ghosts met Seto Ashiya; a cross-dressing exorcist; and Kagari a beautiful vampire that can transform into a wolf, in the famous haunted mansion that everyone knows about while trying to escape from a monster. They make a contract in which Mizuku will pay Seto with a cake every time he makes a ghost disappear. The next day, Seto visits Mikuzu at school in where she will learn that she can see things that normal people can’t because she’s a Kenki and that oni is the term used referring to those creatures. Days later, when Mikuzu is about to die Seto and Kagari save her from the monster, but much to her surprise she finds out that the monster was the stalker that appeared everywhere she was- he became a monster because of this but when he was saved by Seto he explained that he wondered why he never confessed his love for her. This is how Seto, Mukuzu and Kagari became friends and companions to exorcism the oni.

In Heaven’s Will the stories of how Seto Ashiya started to cross dress and how Kagari met Seto will be found out by Mikuzu while the three of them try to exorcism the piano of Souichirou Takayanagi, the student council president of Seiou High School; within a week.

Characters overview:

Sudou Mikuzu: She has short black hair, is very slim and has big, black eyes. She’s very easily scared as she has the power to see ghosts and many creatures and has a phobia toward boys. Mikuzu is able to play the piano and bake cakes. 

Seto Ashiya: Has long beautiful blonde hair and big brownish eyes; he dresses in Lolita fashion. His weapon is a beautiful, shiny fan that holds a mystery. He’s very strong and is the master of Kagari. Loves to eat cakes and really likes maple and butter syrup.

Kagari: Has black hair and blue icy eyes and is very tall. He’s a vampire that can transform into a wolf; being Seto his master he feeds from him. Kagari tends to be very quiet. His only wish can be done only by Seto. 

Thoughts:

It’s really sad that this story is a one-volume shot. There’s a letter inside the book in which the author explains that Mikuzu will never fall in love with Seto. We will never know if Seto changed his mind nor what will happen with Kagari, nor which was the real name of ‘Seto’. What we know is that Kagari seemed more at ease and that Mikuzu would be happy if the three of them stayed together. They all worked so hard to understand each other and become closer that it really touched my heart. Oh! And the “n” in the title has a little hat.