Customer Reviews

Kekkaishi, Vol. 1

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The author, Yellow Tanabe (nice name, eh?) mentions that when she was a kid, she and her friends would play a game in which they pretended to create invisible walls. Their declaration was, "I stretched the barrier from here to there!" And if someone walked into the area, they would get the cold shoulder, as if breaking the most important law of life.

From this imaginative game comes the making of Kekkaishi. In the first volume, we learn that in order to make a barrier, called a kekkai ("protective ward"), a Kekkaishi must perform three acts: (1) say the word "Hoi" to designate a target, (2) say "Joso" to position the Kekkai, and (3) call out "Ketsu" to create the barrier. Once that is established, the user has the option to either say "Kai" to let their prey go, or "Metsu" to destroy it.

Since the first volume is so filled with content--more so than most manga--my brief overview only covers a little bit. So just keep this in mind.

Story overview:

Where a Junior and Senior High School stands, there once towered a castle. Buried deep below the school is the spirit of the master of that castle, who was from the Karasumori clan. He possessed a power that to this day attracts nasty beings called ayakashi. If they spend any significant amount of time in the school grounds, they will grow bigger, more powerful, and dangerous.

Two children, who have special Kekkaishi powers passed down from generation to generation, are designated the guardians of the school. Since ayakashi are creatures of the night these guardians must lose out on a lot of sleep. If that wasn't enough, it just so happens that their families are in a feud over who should be the true successor. This puts both Yoshimori (age 14) and Tokine (age 16) in an awkward position, as they so often end up working together.

When Yoshimori was nine years old, his naivety lead to the scars on Tokine's arm. To this day he has two major goals: (1) never allow someone to get hurt in front of him again, and (2) make a castle cake big enough to live in. His dream to build the cake is constantly being overcome by his crotchety grandfather, lack of money, and fighting off ayakashi. As is the case when he finds out that one of Tokine's teachers happens to posse inhuman powers, and the two of them must put a stop to it.

My thoughts:

The characters are wonderfully designed, the artwork is top rate, and the story is brilliant. A page turner for sure. This is currently one of my favorite manga series.

James D. Maxon

[...]

A lot of anime and manga have the protagonist banishing demons, monsters and ghosts. Not unique.

But "Kekkaishi" manages to be a lovable little story anyway, mainly because of the way Yellow Tanabe tells the story. The first volume of this long-running action/comedy manga is filled with with plenty of humour, action, a hint of potential romance, and a scruffy young hero whose duty is to zap evil supernatural beasties.

Yoshimori Sumimura and his older friend Tokine Yukimura are the heirs of rival clans of kekkaishi, whose duty it is to zap ayakashi (little ghost-demons) who gather at a powerful spot at their school. Several years ago, Tokine was badly hurt when Yoshimori hesitated in killing an ayakashi.

Now Yoshimori is obsessed not only with becoming stronger, but protecting his older friend -- when he isn't trying to beat her at the kekkaishi game. But he suddenly is confronted by some slightly odd problems -- including a dead confectioner who starts tagging along with him, and witnesses how the kekkaishi have to deal with ghosts.

And Yoshimora crashes when Tokine says that he's creeping her out, followed by a hunky teacher asking her to meet him after school. But of course, the teacher isn't all that he appears -- and this particular ayakashi is a powerful one. And Yoshimori's enthusiasm for pastry lands him in trouble when the confectioner puts him in line for the best cake in the world.... and he promptly gets called away on kekkaishi business.

"Kekkaishi Volume 1" doesn't make it immediately obvious whether the series is going to be good, bad or middle-of-the-road. The concept is promising and Yellow Tanabe quickly spins out an intriguing backstory for the two kekkaishi families -- and a believable backstory for the two lead characters. And his unique artwork -- with rounder faces and realistic bodies -- adds to the feeling.

If there's a problem, it's that the first volume's stories are relatively fluffy pieces -- it feels like Tanabe was figuring out how his series would go, and was making some lightweight tales about pastry, flaky ghosts and Yoshimori's pre-romantic troubles. But there are some spectacularly nasty moments as well, such as a demented ghost threatening the heroes with scissor-hands.

And Tanabe sprinkles it with plenty of comedy, from Yoshimori's sexy "lookalike" shikigami to his constant use of kekkaishi to thwart his grandfather. And the feud between the two clans -- which involves lots of brawling and verbal abuse between the old folks -- is more hilarious than harrowing.

Yoshimori is a likable hero -- he's naturally pretty lazy and unmotivated at being a kekkaishi, since his chosen calling involves making vast candy castles. But his determination to become stronger for Tokine's sake is quite sweet, although Tokine (who swings between sweet and standoffish) is a bit of a dark horse. Oh yeah, and the demon dogs who accompany the two kids are quite fun.

The first volume of "Kekkaishi" is a bit frothy in places, but it has the makings of a brilliant manga series. Definitely worth checking out.

why am i always first to review these books? oh well, this book is pretty cool, regardless of how freakin' hard it is to pronounce the name. it's about YOSHImori, a fourteen year old who has the ability to create barriers out of thin air. He becomes friends with this pastry chef guy, who died thinking about a really lame vegetable. (poor guy) And, of course what manga wouldn't be without a love interest? (hey, read the book. it could happen*eventualy*) Tokine is yoshi's 16 year old neighbor. She, like yoshimori, is a kekkaishi (barrier master)
and both of their families are feuding over who's really the true practitioner(don't know what that means, either)of the art.
this book gets a five outta five, because, for now, i can't tell whether it's gonna freakin rock (the highest compliment i know) or whether it'd just be ok. read it for yourself. if i didn't think it was worth reading, i wouldn't have reviewed it, so it's definetly a good way to spend an hour, if nothing else.

I am rating it based on the overall story line, until the last volume vol 35. Being a long time (25 years) manga reader, it is a manga worth reading 2 or 3 times. However, it is not case for the ending. The mother of the main character development and the relationship with the main character is very limited. and she is actually a BIG part of the story. (Sorry for a little spoiler) So, after summarizing the story lines, art work, characters development and other misc, I can only rate it 3-star.

However, for just this volume 1, I'd rate it 4-stars.

This first vol. has a good introduction. The characters were drawn in kind of young and cute format. The story has a little "new" concept comparing to others. The "magic/power" that they have is interesting, and how their relationship is being unfolded later. I'd say, volume 1 to 20 is worth buying.

I have to say, that this manga is specTACULAR!!! Like fellow critic said (kind of): "This manga is very mature!" Kekkaishi is very refreshing and full of promise. Kekkaishi is about a 14 year old kid who is a Kekkaishi (barrier master) and has a demon ghost dog for a pet. The boy's name is Yoshimori. He has a 16 year old friend named Tokine. One time while hesitating to annihilate an ayakashi (night demon), Tokine gets her arm raked up terribly while protecting him. Their families have been feuding for 400 years over which clan is the true practitioner of the art of Kekkaishi. The two clans are: Summimura (Yoshimori),and Yukimura (Tokine). Each legitimate heir of the two families has the Hoin (seal) on them. The Summimuras have it on their right hand, while the Yukimuras have it on their left chest.
It is a nice change of pace from the crap on TV right now, is super hilarious while still being a clean book, but still can get serious. It is sometimes scary, which I LOVE, and is a great manga. (Don't you love manga-ka Yellow Tanabe's name?)

I came across Kekkaishi a number of years ago, and approached it with some skepticism--I worried that it would be another one of those shonen manga with a good premise that just gets strung out for way too long. Instead, the series is a delight from beginning to end, and if possible even strengthens as it goes along, and the author and/or editors had the good sense to end the series on a high note after 35 volumes rather than try to stretch out another 35, as they probably could have.

Kekkaishi turned out to be a very pleasant surprise, and one of the more mature shonen manga I have read ... "mature" not in terms of, say, sex or violence but rather in terms of the psychological depth and complexity of the characters and their relations with each other. The story drives the action, rather than the other way around, but despite this added depth the story moves along at a nice pace, as mysteries are unraveled, relationships are deepened, sacrifices are made, and ultimately resolution occurs. The maturation shown by the young protagonist throughout the series and his evolving relationship with family and friends is particularly striking. The general ambiance is a pleasant mix of the old and the new; most characters wear traditional Japanese clothes most of the time (Yoshimori with tennis shoes, of course!), the battles tend to be as much cerebral as physical, even the way many of the characters speak and interact feels a bit old school (in a good way).

I think Kekkaishi would be enjoyed both by younger readers who might appreciate it simply for its action, but I think this manga will be a pleasant surprise for more mature readers as well. Compelling story, interesting characters, beautiful artwork that creates a vivid world in the imagination of the reader ... Kekkaishi was an enjoyable and memorable series to read.

I've watched Kekkaishi for a while now on Adult swim and loved it so I decided to start reading the Manga. It was worth it. I absolutely love this Manga! I am really picky on manga because of how the Mangaka draws it, and this is very well done. I'm officially addicted to the Anime and the Manga!!

I first found out about this manga from one of the manga fliers at the bookstore... you know, the kind with the editor's picks and promos... but in it was an excerpt from this book, and it interested me. I went out and bought it not long after, and fell in love with it. It has a lighthearted "fun-ness" about it that I just love.... and yet, there's the part where Yoshimori tries so hard only to protect Tokine... they really are two great characters, and I can never wait for the next one to come out!

So, let's say your a demon hunter in training in Japan(God knows there's alot of them there!)but your sick of your grandpa's constant bitching about family tradition, and all you wanna do is be a baker. That's the premise for Kekkaishi by manga-ka Yellow Tanabe.

Yoshimori is the latest in his family's group of spiritualists. They have the power to set up barriers around demons, and either exorcise them to the afterlife, or just contain them in an attempt to ward them off. At the same time, there is a rival clan of from the same order whose latest disciple Tokine is Yoshimori's neighbor and schoolmate, although she goes to the high school part of the campus while he's still in middle school(they sometimes mix in grade schools in Japan). Most of the ghosts and other undead nasties habitat around their school because it was the site of a temple that was overrun with demons centuries ago. Now, both Yoshimori and Tokine's plans recieve payment from a mysterious benefactor for keeping the area clear of spooks.

Yoshimori gets help from a dog demon named Madarao who is indebted to his family's service for the past few centuries. Tokine gets help from a similar canine called Hakubi. Between the two of them, they have to deal with possessed teachers, pesky chef ghosts, and other things that might make campus life more like an episode of Buffy.

Kekkaishi is a pretty fair manga. It's not as gripping as say Bleach which is also about teenage ghost chasers. But it does have a pretty original story and interesting artwork. It seems to develop more and more with each chapter, so its worth looking into further volumes of.

kekkaishi is about yoshimori a kekkaishi (a kekkaishi is a demon hunter).well any way the manga was great and cant wait for no. four to come out!!the manga kekkaishi is also rated teen and in my perspective it shouldn't.kekkaishi has some vilonce but nothing offensive and there is demons but its not like there all freaky(like the one in the manga deatnote ugg)but its suitible for ages 10 through your age.i loved the manga and cant wight to see what yellow tanabe dishes out next!!i found this manga in borders i desided to try something else than what my friends told my to like naruto and shaman king thats how i found this manga.who knows maybe you could try something new like ohhh ummm let me see umm KEKKAISHI!!!!

^_^