Beautiful creatures known as Alichino grow stronger by eating the souls of humans. However, the Alichino's dominance over humans may be at its end with Tsugiri, a quiet young man with the power to destroy their race. But the battle is just beginning--a mysterious woman named Matsurika makes an appearance at Tsugiri's home, and she threatens to kill those close to him unless she gets what she wants!"The artwork is as awe-inspiring as the story itself... Fans of dark fantasy tales will adore Alichino." -Laura Geist, Newtype
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The questions of destiny, life and death will ring hollow and pretentious for those not willing to surrender to this manga's beautiful art. The tale is populated by gorgeously aloof creatures, impossibly long-limbed with darkly fringed cats' eyes and cascades of hair that frame masklike faces. Alichino are a form of demon, mystical beings that grant deeply held wishes in return for souls. Only one person is able to slay them, Tsugiri, but he's faced with an unexpected bond with one of his hereditary enemies. Tsugiri is a typical goth hero in that he's haunted by destiny and cursed by being special, but the fantasy situation allows a strong expression of such themes as searching for one's place in the universe and trying to make decisions while manipulated by forces beyond one's control. The story, nothing to write home about and sometimes hard to follow, is simply a vehicle for the lovely goth characters. The landscapes, ornate chambers and sweeping natural vistas are similarly detailed and the visual richness threatens to overcome readers. Fans of such manga as Paradise Kiss and xxxHOLiC should be equally mesmerized by these androgynous aristocrats. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up–This exquisite continuation of the story reveals more information about the Alichino, the wish granters who feed off of human weaknesses, and concentrates on their relationship with the Kusabi, who gain power by releasing stolen souls. Tsugiri, the last surviving Kusabi, is protected by three Alichino, though others in the group want him dead. A battle ensues between the two factions. The illustrations in this volume are just as stunning as in the first, with a strong story line to match. The beautifully effeminate style for male characters, (known in manga as bishounen) only adds to the artistic allure of this work. The themes here are darker than in the first, exploring the gray area between good and evil, and how the two may not be entirely distinct. This volume is more violent and offers more romantic situations, though neither would be considered gratuitous. The finale should be highly anticipated.–Jennifer Feigelman, Plattekill Public Library, Modena, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Review for Volume 2,
This review is from: Alichino Vol. 2 (Paperback)
Call my review 3 1/2 stars. The Alichino are beings who hunt humans for their souls. They are beautiful, almost angelic-like beings of grace. The Alichino are drawn to a young man named Tsugiri who is a Kusabi. Alichino are drawn to his powers like moths to a flame but at the same time, Kusabi has the power to kill the Alichino as well. Tsugiri soon finds himself caught between groups of Alichino who want to hunt him down and those who want to protect him such as Ryoko, Enju, and Myobi. Why these Alichino want to protect his is never really stated although they appear to have almost a symbiotic relationship to Tsugiri. Soon though, a rival Alichino named Matsurika arrives and attacks Enju. She abducts him and carries him away, knowing that Ryoko and Tsugiri will follow and attempt to rescue him. In this realm they meet the Lord Yui, who has humans devoted to him, unaware that he too, is Alichino.
The artwork by Kouyu Shurei is the main selling point of the series. It is among the most gorgeous art I've ever seen in a Manga and conveys an undercurrent of sadness throughout. The lush lines and detail is truly phenomenal. That said, it is, and Shurei even makes light of this, sometimes hard to tell the female characters from the make. The Alichino have an Elf-like androgynous look to them, again almost angelic. It does occasionally make the story somewhat difficult to follow. My biggest complaint would be with the story. While Shurei is a brilliant artist, his story-telling skills are somewhat lacking. Not much of anything happens for the first half of the book until Matsurika shows up and attacks Enju. There's also come confusion to me with Tsugiri. Should he not view the Alichino as enemies since most want to hunt him down? What is the nature of his relationship to the group of Alichino who protect him? A lot of questions are there and few answers are provided. Perhaps it will all wrap up neatly in the final volume of the trilogy. Reviewed By Tim Janson
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Soulless,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Alichino Vol. 2 (Paperback)
Exquisite art and beautiful androgynous men can only take a manga series so far. Unfortunately, that's most of what the second volume of "Alichino" has going for it. Kouyu Shurei crafts an intriguing world and some flowerings of a story, but nothing feels thicker than the paper it's printed on.
Tsugiri is struggling with the knowledge of his past -- and his destiny -- when his guardian Enju is suddenly kidnapped by a mysterious woman, Matsurika. She threatens to pick off his friends one by one, unless he goes to meet the strange Lord Roshiki -- and of course, Tsugiri is determined to bring his closest friend back. But on their travels, they run into a strange city, a damsel attacked by alichino, and a mysterious alichino who rules over both of them. When Tsugiri tries to save the girl from Lord Yui, the alichino reveals a side of this strange race that he never knew before. But can it prepare him to deal with the strange Lord Roshiki, and his impish servant? As still pictures, it's hard to imagine manga art more beautiful than this -- elaborate costumes, swords, landscapes, and swirling drawings during the less concrete moments. It's all very gothic in flavour, full of dark ornate visuals and beautiful skinny people in medieval clothing -- not to mention Yui's beautiful nighttime cityscapes. Unfortunately, it's all beauty and little substance. The story is brief and rather thin, with a rather contrived cliffhanger at the end, and characters who seem to be all angst and nothing more. Ryoko exists mainly as an enigma, and Tsugiri's mood flips aimlessly from rage to whininess to random resentment -- a truly boring hero. Only Lord Yui and the puckish Matsurika are of any interest, and neither appears for very long. And beautiful as the art is, it begins to get a little monotonous -- all the characters have masklike faces that never move even when they're screaming their heads off. The men are all dainty, feminine and long-haired, while all the women are dressed in Lolita styles except for Matsurika. In fact, that seems to be all Myobi is in this volume to do -- model little-girl dresses. The second volume of "Alichino" is all glamour and beauty, but without a soul. While Shurei cooks up something of a storyline, it's too frail to follow.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Finally, the action picks up.,
By Calix Vincent (dancing at Lost-Hope) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Alichino Vol. 2 (Paperback)
If you liked the first volume of Alichino enough, then you will more than love the second. A lot more things happen in this volume than in the first. The expressions (that seemed so dead in the first) actually do improve in this volume. Action scenes are a lot better drawn, and the story is a lot stronger. A great improvement over the first. ^^
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