Customer Reviews

Yurara, Vol. 1

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

 

 

Yurara has been able to see ghosts since she was a young girl. This has lead to her living a life estranged from her peers who think her long periods of staring off in to space and sudden crying fits are unforgivably odd. Instead Yurara's strange actions are from her empathic connection to the spirits around her. She had thought that starting a new school would give her a new chance, unfortunately it turned out there were more restless entities there than anywhere else she had ever been. To top it off the ever flirtatious, popular and not to mention grabby, Mei, develops an instant interest for her, much to the dismay and jealousy of her female classmates. Soon Yurara finds that there are even greater forces at work, in her classmates, in the spirits drawn to the school and, most importantly, within Yurara herself. So much for fitting in!

I really enjoyed this start of Shiomi's new series, even more than her Night of the Beasts manga. It had subtle humorous moments that I totally enjoyed. I love the interactions between Yurara, Mei and Yako and see a potential love triangle issue brewing. This manga was much, much better than I expected and I'm very excited about reading future volumes. This manga is rated for older teens, but thus far I haven't seen anything I think would be too offensive for younger teens as well.

I too read a preview of it in Shojo beat and i was totally psyched to read more. However..i found that the rest of the volume is not nearly as exciting. it was just lackluster. i still don't really care about any of the male leads and Dark Yurara is still heads and tails more interesting than her normal self. it's just not that good. but it has potential to get better.

"Yurara" by Chika Shiomi is a manga under the Shojo Beat brand from Viz in the US. The first volume introduces the main characters, Yurara, Mei, and Yako. Yurara is an innocently dense high school girl who can see see ghosts and sense their emotions. Mei and Yako can also see ghosts and they have fire and water "magic" that can elimate ghosts. Yurara is protected by a guardian spirit that comes out and covers Yurara in the body of a tall beautiful woman when Yurara in is danger. The guardian spirit is fiesty and rowdy, the very opposite of Yurara. This guardian can also point lost spirits to "the other side." Mei is a very flirty with Yurara and her guardian spirit while Yako is more reserved. Of course, since there are three main characters, there is a triangle relationship between the three. This, though, is more like fan service than an element that furthers the story along.

After reading the first volume, I would say that this is not a compelling manga to me. There's no depth to Yurara or the male leads, although, they are trying with the sensitive Yako character. There also appears to be no underlying story arc, but rather a series of day-to-day accounting of ghost stories. I will read the second volume when it comes out to confirm this. I think, though, "Her Majesty's Dog" is a better series if you like shojo ghost-mystery manga.

I came across a copy of this manga volume while browsing the shelves at my local library. Out of curiosity, I checked it out to see what it was all about.

The main character of the series is Yurara Tsukinowa. She's a quiet girl who has the ability to see spirits and sense their emotions. However, she tries to keep this talent hidden, hoping that her peers won't see her as someone weird or abnormal. However, after she meets Mei Tendo and Yako Hoshino (two guys with spiritual powers to ward off vengeful spirits), she reveals her secret to them. When she reveals her secret, Yurara discovers she has the power to release souls.

While there are a number of manga where the protagonsists can see spirits or ghosts, I really liked how the concept was executed in this manga volume. If you have an interest in manga where the protagonist can interact with the supernatural, and you have an appreciation for the shojo genre, then I would recommend Yurara. If I can ever come across future volumes of this manga, I wouldn't hesitate to read them.

I wrote this review after checking out a copy of this manga volume through the King County Library System.

Yurara may not be for everyone, but it was for me. I really liked this first volume and am interested in all the characters. Yurara Vol. 1 made me laugh, but I laugh at almost everthing (what is funny to me may not be to you). Chika Shiomi draws manga very 80's but her work is clean and only has what there needs to be not a detail more. Pick up Yurara, it might surprise you. It surprised me.

Chika Shiomi's NIGHT OF THE BEASTS and CANON are fast-paced, plot-driven action series based around unusually assertive heroines with more "shonen" style artwork. None of this is true of YURARA, which has softer artwork, a more passive heroine, and an episodic structure with no evidence of an overarching plot as of Book 2.

Yurara can see spirits. On the same day she happens to come to a new high school, Yurara suddenly gains the ability to communicate with lost souls. Whenever she does this, she turns from a shy mouse into a raven-haired beauty - who no longer takes any nonsense from ghost-busting sidekicks Lecherous Goofball Boy and Broody Sensitive Boy.

This is not a case of split personality. It is the same Yurara in both cases making the decisions. Even her meek persona is stronger than most shoujo heroines, and I like her believable attempts to stand up for herself despite her shyness. The art is nice, if nothing special. And there is quite a bit of humor that worked for me, such as one boy's insistence on providing "ghostly" special effects every time he has to deliver a spot of exposition.

Sadly, though, each episode centers around some boring, lame, perfunctory excuse for a ghost story. One typically banal ghost is just a pervert who tries to grope Yurara, making the guys get all protective, making her heart go BA-BUMP, end of story! The obligatory Irresponsible Shoujo Smut is provided by a teacher/middle school student "love" affair portrayed in a romantic light. The boys have the cool ghostbusting powers, while Yurara just has the "chat with ghosts while looking hot" powers. When a ghost tells Yurara about a falsely accused student who committed suicide, Yurara just says "Oh, what a pity" and sends her off to the afterlife. She doesn't try to actually clear the dead boy's name, which might require detective work or an actual plot. I suppose the reasoning is that if she doesn't get to look hot doing it, then why bother.

I do like Yurara herself, who is ten cuts about the All Eyes No Brains heroines you find elsewhere. It is frankly rare to read shoujo where I don't hate the heroine with a passion (GENTLEMEN'S ALLIANCE CROSS) or at best find her annoying (FRUITS BASKETS), so a likable heroine is no small thing. Yurara actually comes across as a real girl, and for that I give the series three stars. But the stories are very lame, and I don't think Yurara's powers are all that empowering. As long as she and the author continue to rely on her power exclusively to solve things, this title is going to be a bit dull.

If you haven't tried ShojoBeat's other title SKIP BEAT, also about a meek heroine who gets in touch with her dark side PERMANENTLY, then you really should. Of the three ongoing Chika Shiomi series out in English, I'd say CANON looks the most promising.

I love ghost stories!!! And this one is one of them!!! I wonder why Yurara has a guardian Spirit? And what happened in Mei's past that makes him so mad at lonely spirits? This manga is a have to read!!! I still can't put the book down!!!

I bought this one tonight on a whim, and I LOVE it. I'm completely bummed the next one isn't out until September. It's coherent and different. Ghosts, well developed characters, some love stuff- all good.

It sort of irks me the person before me rated this without having read it, only a preview. She edits it to say she really likes it, after having read the thing. This is deserving of four stars at least, and I give it five. If you like shojo with just a little something on the side in the way of mystery (think Fruits Basket) you'll like this series.

I have yet to order this title, but I read a preview of the first chapter in last month's Shojo Beat. The set up is a little lame in my opinion, but its shojo so I guess I can't expect too much. The book centers on three individuals who attend the same high school or junior high, and are bonded by a unique gift- they see dead people. Yurara, the main character, thinks at first that she is the only one with this power when a ghost haunts her classroom, and more specifically her seat! The two guys (whose names I have forgotten for the moment), not only see the ghost, but each has a special power designed to keep it out. This looks to be a promising manga title, and while I only gave it three stars, bear in mind I can only rate what I read. The little bit I read was a set up and not the full first volume, so it was a bit boring, but it did have me wanting to read more.

(6/08/07)- Update- I have now purchased this manga and I think it will be an excellent series. For the romantics out there, there is a sort of triangle developing already. I say "sort of" because I think it might be obvious who'll win Yurara's heart in the end. The two guys involved are named: Mei Tendo and Yako Hoshino. Also there is another character who resides within Yurara herself, a beautiful guardian spirit who also calls herself Yurara. She appears whenever spirits are present who need help crossing over. Yurara's special gift is actually being able to help these lost souls find their way. Mei's gift is fire and Yako's water, both used as a means to keep spirits out of areas or used to fight them. In volume one we learn some background information on Yurara and Yako. I'm hoping volume two will tell us more about Mei's character, but as of now he's still a little bit of a hormonal mystery. Overall, if you like science fiction and romance this series is for you! I still give Yurara: Volume One three stars though. Its a nice start and introduction to the series.