This month, we start things off with a review of a new title, Black Bird from Kanoko Sakurakoji, whose Backstage Prince was released by VIZ in 2007. Two follow-up reviews round out the column, with Michelle revisiting Crimson Hero with a look at its eleventh volume and Melinda weighing in on volume three of Magic Touch.
By Kanoko Sakurakoji
Viz, 194 pp.
Rating: Older Teen
Misao Harada has always been able to see spirits, but when she turns sixteen, things suddenly get a lot worse. Kyo Usui, her childhood friend and first love, returns after a ten-year absence just in time to inform her that she is “the bride of prophecy,” and that now that she is sixteen, all sorts of demons are going to want to drink her blood, eat her flesh, and/or marry (read: sleep with) her, all of which will confer some benefit to the demon, be it eternal youth or prosperity for his/her clan. Kyo is a demon himself—a tengu, as it turns out—and appoints himself Misao’s protector, fending off other demons while pressuring her to become his bride.
There are several very good reasons why I shouldn’t like Black Bird. In the first place, it’s another supernatural romance where the somewhat ditzy heroine is possessed of delicious-smelling blood that inspires the hottest guys around to fight over her. In the second, Misao’s childhood memories of Kyo have left her waiting for some guy to show up and protect her from the spirits who’re harrassing her. And thirdly, when Kyo does arrive to perform that function, he does things like fly up into the air with Misao (who is scared of heights) in his arms in order to encourage her to cling to him, saying, “You can’t live without me. I have to teach your body that.” Creepy! That’s just a step away from, “Why are you making me hurt you?” in my book.
And yet, I did like Black Bird, at least more than I’d expected to. Misao, though she’s weak in some ways, is adamant about not becoming Kyo’s bride—even though she’s attracted to him—because she believes he’s only interested in the prosperity that sleeping with her would grant his clan. These doubts also come into play for some fine drama later on when a tricky kitsune (fox demon) arrives and points out that it’s likely not a coincidence that Kyo was Misao were childhood friends, that Kyo must’ve been establishing that early relationship in order to foster a preference for him in Misao’s mind down the road. The notion that her precious memories might all be a sham leads Misao to push Kyo away, though of course he persists in protecting her anyway. It’s angsty, but good.
Sakurakoji’s artwork is attractive, and even though Misao and the rest of the cast boast rather humdrum character designs, Kyo really stands out, making it easy to see why Misao would be so captivated by him. Also, while I’m genuinely not one for smutty scenes, the ones in Black Bird rely more on suggestion than explicit detail, making them all the more sexy.
In the end, Black Bird really is nothing more than your standard wish-fulfillment fantasy. And I think I’m okay with that.
Volume one of Black Bird is available now.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
By Mitsuba Takanashi
Viz, 200 pp.
Rating: Teen
The Crimson High girls’ volleyball team has made it to the third round of the Newcomers’ Tournament and is facing its first serious challenge. Things are going well and they win the first set, but when the opposing team intentionally wounds Crimson High’s star setter, there’s no one who can fill in. Instead, the Crimson High girls rearrange their strategy to protect their injured teammate and refuse to give up. Their spirit of camaraderie and teamwork inspires their rivals, who are, of course, actually sympathetic girls being led astray by an unaccountably obnoxious coach.
Okay, yes, I completely admit that Crimson Hero can be sappy at times. This whole volume seems calculated to make one verklempt, be it the way that the most inexperienced member of the team demonstrates her growth by scoring the winning point or how the girls from the other team come to regret the way they’ve abandoned their friendships in pursuit of the number one spot on the team. Transparent manipulation like this would usually annoy me, but it just works so well in a sports manga that I can forgive it.
There’s also a little progress on the romantic front. It seems that one of the boys who likes Nobara might still have feelings for his ex-girlfriend, but it’s really nothing to get excited about. I’m just here for the volleyball.
Volume eleven of Crimson Hero is available now.
–Reviewed by Michelle Smith
By Izumi Tsubaki
Viz, 200 pp.
Rating: T+ (Older Teen)
Volume three opens as Chiaki and the other members of the Massage Research Society begin a massage competition along with students from several other schools, including Mihime, a boy who made Chiaki collapse with only the power of his voice. The students compete vigilantly (if not always fairly) and Chiaki is feeling the pressure by the end, only to be revived by the appearance of Yosuke, whose presence reminds her how much she loves massage. This volume also contains some wackiness involving a rival school’s newspaper, Mihime’s odd obsession with Chiaki (and his oddness in general), and another student’s mistaken gender identity, but the real story in the last half of the volume revolves around Chiaki’s realization that her feelings for Yosuke may extend beyond her desire to massage him.
What’s frustrating about this series is that though it possesses all the crucial elements of a fun shojo romance—a heroine and hero with real chemistry, a unique premise, and a likable cast of supporting characters—it seems to go out of its way to focus on the least interesting aspects of those things. The relationship between the two leads has remained largely stagnant since the first volume, the massage club premise has become tedious and alternately ludicrous and cerebral, and the believability of the supporting characters has been pushed far beyond normal limits. Only three volumes in, the series still has a chance to recover itself and take advantage of the potentially successful elements with which it began, but for the moment it remains a fundamentally unsatisfying read.
Volume three of The Magic Touch is available now.
–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi
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