Enchanter Volume 1 (Vol 1) [Paperback]

Izumi Kawachi (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Series: Enchanter | Publication Date: July 4, 2006

Fulcanelli is an "Enchanter," an ancient engineer/alchemist who is able to imbue the weapons and gadgets he constructs with magical powers. Transformed into a demonic being after his death, he is always accompanied by his demon lover Eukanaria. Due to circumstances still unknown, his is in need of a new body. Until one can be found, Eukanaria must guard the pendant containing his soul from the many demonic forces that wish to obtain his great power for their own. In the present day, Haruhiko Kanou is an ordinary boy good with machines and nursing a crush on his science teacher and neighbor Yuki Fujiwara. Little does he know, he is Fulcanelli's perfect double and Eukanaria has tracked him down...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Many years ago a powerful human-turned-demon named Fulcanelli experimented with the transmutation of metals to produce tools with Demonic Powers. Today, Eukanaria, his demonic lover, is in search for the perfect "shell" for Fulcanelli's soul: he's lost his corporeal form and she's determined to bring him back. Enter Haruhiko Kanou, good with machines and the perfect candidate for Fulcanelli's new body. Chaos quickly follows, as Haruhiko must suddenly fend off both demons and Eukanaria. This manga struggles to fit itself into many different genres—romance, comedy, and action—and falls short in the process. The frequent sexual jokes and shots of Eukanaria's panties become stale, and actually succeed in slowing the story down. What saves it from becoming unbearable is Haruhiko. His naivete and bashfulness make him charming and his passive manner offsets Eukanaria's overbearing personality, making the interactions between the two feel (almost) like a well-played comedy routine. Fan service aside, Kawachi's artwork is an interesting mix of cuteness and masterfully drawn action sequences, with an appeal to both male and female fans. This series has the potential to become quite enjoyable, depending upon whether or not it can focus itself more clearly. (July)
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From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–Haruhiko, 17, has a reputation for being able to fix things. He picked up this skill trying to impress his neighbor, Yika, a sweet young woman who is now a teacher at his school. His bumbling crush on her is his greatest concern, until a bizarre twist transforms the story from a typical high school romance into an occult fantasy. Suddenly, Haruhiko finds himself the object of attention of a demon named Eukanaria, who just happens to be the spitting image of his love (except that she is dressed in incredibly skimpy clothing and has wings). She was drawn to Haruhiko because he smells like her dead master, whose soul she is trying to find a vessel for, and to preserve the safety of the school and the woman he loves, Haruhiko needs to help Eukanaria. While there is no actual nudity, the erotic tension of this book runs high, and the demon girl's various poses are both revealing and highly provocative. Even the main character is uncomfortable at times. Because of its sexy humor and art, this is for older teens.–Dawn Rutherford, King County Library System, Bellevue, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing (July 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569708665
• ISBN-13: 978-1569708668
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,355,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good ecchi manga..., February 7, 2009

By 

Darius Wilkins - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Enchanter Volume 1 (Vol 1) (Paperback)

As soft-core porn as it might be, this is a pretty wholesome manga for mid-teens. It's fairly sex-positivist and (even with all the fan service) tends to treat female characters with respect and nuance if not quite full dignity (it *is* an ecchi, after all).

The series treats sex as something that assists and complements a full partnership. The sex occur in the background with peripheral characters and not the two main ones--for reasons you'll find out by page 5 or so...

It is also closer to steampunk sci-fi similar to Foglio's Girl Genius in sensibility and plot devices than the nominal schoolhouse fantasy that some people might assume if they just pick it up off the rack. Magic in the series is treated simply as another kind of tech rather than anything mystical or spiritual.

One of the reasons I think this is a good manga for sophisticated parents to give to their teens is that the writers are *very* sneaky. It has the usual "but that would make me creepy/rapist/wrong" kind of thought-bubble jokes you'd find in any ecchi. However, there is a very strong element of Kantian categorical imperative that weaves itself through the plot. Enchanter handles serious topics about death, violence, and rape by deriving an off-kilter death-prime, rape-prime, so on, and working out the personal implications to the characters. No after-school special messages, just a fun(ny) plot that leaves nice little moral mines behind. For a kid thinking about sex and sexual activity, I don't think this manga would hurt. Do note that seriously, this *is* an ecchi, which has standard noxious conventions that lots of people(especially guy teens) like, thus a parent should check out this volume and see if they are comfortable with the plot devices before splurging. This manga is more for boys than girls, due to it being an ecchi. However it has plenty enough elements of a shoujo manga to be enjoyable by many girls.

If you're a kid reading this, well...
The drawing is so-so to pretty good (I have high standards). The inking is actually very good. People's faces are expressive and there is a wide range of emotions before you get to the "funny faces".

Plot is primarily relationship based. It doesn't have even as much action as, say, Rosario + Vampire. The protagonist wins some and loses some. None of the fights are fought for very clear reasons. It's always about "protecting" someone, but why? how? This manga is *all* about working out the whys and hows and is pretty funny while figuring that out, especially with sex, love, and friendship. It is also pro-engineers, mechanics, and inventors so gadgets are a feature. To be perfectly honest, this isn't a manga for dumb kids. That means there are lots of metaphors, similes, and other English Teacher Torture Devices within. On the plus side, re-readibility is good because of that.

Hopefully, this review helps.