Customer Reviews

Kekkaishi, Vol. 5

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When last we were with our favorite ayakashi slayer, Yoshimori, we learned of his older brother and the conflict between them. Yet Yoshimori trusted him enough to share his ultimate goal: to seal off the Karasumori site forever. Why? This he did not share, but as the reader, we know it is mainly to protect Tokine, whom he cares deeply for.

Story overview:

A totoro-like creature shows up at Yoshimori's school and eats everyone's food. One of the students--a girl named Yuri--is able to see the creature, as she possesses paranormal abilities. She seeks out Yoshimori (since she knows he seems them too) and the two of them talk. He ensures her that everything is OK, but his investigation is anything but over.

When the creature shows up at Yoshimori's house, he realizes that it isn't an ayakashi, but a deity named Lord Uro. It seems that the deity's bed needs repairing and only a Kekkaishi can do it. Yoshimori ends up jumping into a lake and is transferred to a dimensional world where he fixes the bed by using his restoration magic on a magical box. Though he repaired the bed, the effects of the dimension start to make him forget who he is. Staying behind to get answers about the Karasumori site, he barely escapes being wiped out of existence. With the help of three things written on his arm (Castle Cake, Seal off the Karasumori site, and Tokine-which was scribbled off,) and his grandfather, he makes it back to his world.

Afterwards we learn a little more about his younger brother, Toshimori who seems to be smart like Tokine, but very new to using the family magic. Not much times passes before Yoshimori and Tokine go up against a new opponent--a really strong three-team ayakashi--who just so happens to be observed from a distance. The two of them appear to defeat the offender, but we learn that this may have just been a test from an unknown group.

My thoughts:

It was fun watching Lord Uro mess with people, and I liked learning about the Restoration Magic. The story mentions how this magic is harder to use outside the Karasumori site and that it is best if used by the Shikigami (the helpers created from magical paper.) I always thought it was a little farfetched to believe it was possible to repair the damage done to the school during the nightly battles, but this explanation helped to clear that up for me.

Things to consider:

For ages 13+ and targeted towards boys. Like the others in this series, this book does not contain any real questionable content for this age group.

James D. Maxon

Author of, "The Cat That Made Nothing Something Again"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1440485275

[...]

Yoshimori Sumimura has an interesting range of problems -- everything from a lying little brother to a local woodland deity. "Kekkaishi Volume 5" introduces a fascinating side to the kekkaishi duties and a sinister new enemy, but Yellow Tanabe briefly takes some time out to explore the daily life of the Sumimura family.

Strange things are happening at Yoshimori's school -- specifically, food is vanishing. Donuts, pastries, chicken, eggs, shrimp, juice, etc. And he soon discovers who it is: a massive nature deity called Lord Uro, who turns up at the kekkaishis' houses whenever his bed needs repairing. Now it's Yoshimori's turn to use his powers in the magical otherworld of the gods... but there are dangers for a mortal who ventures in there.

Then Toshimori tries to dissuade his buddies from visiting his house by claiming that his older brother is essentially a big sadistic ogre. Of course, Yoshimori is nothing of the sort. Hijinks ensue.

And while Yoshimori and Tokine both try to work out the limits and nature of their powers, a new enemy enters Karasumori: a strange bespectacled man and his three ayakashi sidekicks. Unfortunately, the kids are unable to enclose the ayakashi because they can dissolve into a cloud of feathers -- and it will take all of their ingenuity, power and skill to stop them!

Yellow Tanabe is clearly really getting into the "Kekkaishi" series -- Yoshimori's ambition has become to seal Karasumori forever, so that Tokine won't be endangered anymore. But in the process, he begins to delve into the big questions of the series: what Karasumori is, why it was made, and even the question of HOW it was made. No answers yet, but the fact that the questions are there -- and Yoshimori is tackling them -- is a good sign.

In the meantime, Tanabe winds up a solid mix of action, humor (Lord Uro's love of doughnuts), and ventures into the supernatural world (the harrowing mission into the world of the gods to repair Lord Uro's weedy bed). There's some genuinely horrific moments woven into this story, such as poor Yoshimori getting lost in a dark void, unable to remember who he is or where he is.

And our scruffy teen hero gets to show off all sides of his personality in this volume -- he gets to make big delicious cakes, does official ayakashi business, naps and uses all his skill at making barriers. Tokine also struggles with her powers, since she's more skilled than Yoshimori but also much weaker. As for Lord Uro... well, he's an endearing big ol' guy. He has a beaver tail, a bushy face, otter feet and fingers that magically grow for maximum doughnut storage.

"Kekkaishi Volume 5" begins to delve into the secrets of Karasumori, but Yellow Tanabe never forgets to tell robust fantasy stories at the same time.