<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Julietta Suzuki – ComicAttack.net</title> <atom:link href="https://comicattack.net/tag/julietta-suzuki/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://comicattack.net</link> <description></description> <lastBuildDate>Fri, 15 Jan 2016 12:00:14 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3</generator> <image> <url>https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/cropped-Review-1-1-32x32.jpg</url> <title>Julietta Suzuki – ComicAttack.net</title> <link>https://comicattack.net</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height> </image> <item> <title>Bento Bako Weekly: Kamisama Kiss volumes 11-13</title> <link>https://comicattack.net/bbwkamisamakiss11_13/</link> <comments>https://comicattack.net/bbwkamisamakiss11_13/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristin]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 15 Jan 2016 12:00:14 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Bento Bako Weekly]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Columns]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kristin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Manga]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[banner]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hakusensha]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Julietta Suzuki]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kamisama Kiss]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shojo Beat]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Viz Media]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=124704</guid> <description><![CDATA[Title: Kamisama Kiss Author: Julietta Suzuki Publisher: Viz Media (Shojo Beat) Volume: Volumes 11-13, $9.99 Vintage: 2012 by Hakusensha, 2012-2013 by Viz Media Genre: Supernatural, romantic comedy [Previous volume reviews, and it turns out I’ve covered 11 before, oops.] OK, I am really behind on my manga reading, so I’m trying to catch up on […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/kamisamakiss11.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-95543"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-95543" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/kamisamakiss11-195x300.jpg" alt="kamisamakiss11" width="195" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/kamisamakiss11-195x300.jpg 195w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/kamisamakiss11.jpg 440w" sizes="(max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px" /></a>Title:</strong> <em>Kamisama Kiss</em><br /> <strong>Author:</strong> Julietta Suzuki<br /> <strong>Publisher:</strong> Viz Media (Shojo Beat)<br /> <strong>Volume:</strong> Volumes 11-13, $9.99<br /> <strong>Vintage:</strong> 2012 by Hakusensha, 2012-2013 by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre:</strong> Supernatural, romantic comedy</p> <p><a href="https://comicattack.net/tag/kamisama-kiss/">[Previous volume reviews</a>, and it turns out I’ve covered 11 before, oops.]</p> <p>OK, I am really behind on my manga reading, so I’m trying to catch up on a couple of series. This one’s gonna be short and sweet (or so I say, but it never turns out that way). Three volumes in one! This was supposed to go up Wednesday morning, but I wasn’t feeling well early in the week. Still, better late than never! Especially for one of my favorite series.</p> <p>The New Year is swift approaching, and Tomoe needs to visit the upcoming toshigami’s shrine to obtain an ofuda (sort of a protective scroll). Nanami insists on going along, but to reach the toshigami, they mast each pass through a gate that will show them and the toshigami the last twelve years of their lives. Tomoe and Mizuki exit quickly, but Nanami takes so long Tomoe gets worried and goes in after her. While inside the gate, Tomoe is able to see Nanami’s past, and witnesses the tragic events that formed her life. Tomoe vows to protect this innocent child so that she can keep smiling, but he has difficulty reconciling that child with the woman Nanami has become. Still, this rare insight into Nanami’s past makes him grow fonder of her. To further prepare the shrine for the New Year, Tomoe travels to the Other World to buy wood to make proper ofuda. As usual, Nanami follows and swiftly finds herself in trouble. After nearly getting stomped on by a giant, Tomoe insists she wait in one place, and leaves her with a protective leaf. A fortune telling rabbit offers Nanami a fortune in exchange for the leaf, and Nanami is finally able to see what Tomoe thinks of her – a precious bud waiting to bloom. Without the leaf, however, Nanami finds herself the target of some yokai, but to Tomoe’s surprise, she manages to get out of trouble all on her own.</p> <p><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/kamisamakiss12.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-124770"><img decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-124770" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/kamisamakiss12-198x300.jpg" alt="kamisamakiss12" width="198" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/kamisamakiss12-198x300.jpg 198w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/kamisamakiss12.jpg 590w" sizes="(max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px" /></a>Himemiko is anxious to wed her human love, Kota. But a swamp prince, Nishiki-sama, insists that it’s time for Himemiko to marry him, and whisks Nanami and her shrine away to his swamp in preparation. He even tries to whisk Himemiko away, but doesn’t recognize her in the human form she has taken in order to spend time with Kota. In their attempt to escape, Kota is injured, but Ryu-oh arrives just in time to fend off Nishiki for them. Nanami isn’t thrilled, and marches to Nishiki’s palace to give him a piece of her mind. Startled by Nanami’s forceful nature and total disregard for his status as royalty, Nishiki allows her words to worm their way into his mind. Her insistence that he is basically a spoiled, selfish brat that no one would love causes him to rethink his approach. He’s used to being treated a certain way, and given everything he wants, but deep down he isn’t a bad person, and with Nanami’s words ringing in his ears, he slowly starts to change. Meanwhile, Kota discovers that Himemiko isn’t human, and feels he’s been deceived. Confused and heartbroken, he tells Himemiko to leave. But after a pep talk from Ryo-oh, he decides to chase after her, realizing he cares about her no matter what she is. Back at the swamp, Nanami decides to take the overly sheltered Nishiki onto land and show him how many wonderful things exist outside of the water.</p> <p>While out exploring, Nishiki’s servant, Shiranui, locates his master and sends Nanami away. Shortly after, Nanami reappears to Himemiko and Tomoe, who have arrived ath Nishiki’s palace, and is in full, enthusiastic support of Himemiko and Nishiki’s marriage. It’s painfully obvious this is not actually Nanami – this Nanami drinks a lot, is eager to marry off Himemiko and Nishiki, and insists Himemiko forget about Kota. All things the real Nanami would never do or say. Still, a now more mature Nishiki better understands Himemiko’s feelings, and since she believe Kota no longer wants her anyway, she agrees to marry him. As usual, Tomoe is too dense to notice something is wrong, but Mizuki does, and sets off to find the real Nanami. With the wedding about to begin, Kota wanders through the palace in search of Himemiko, while Mizuki finds Nanami has been turned into a frog, and they are both trapped by the spirit who has possessed Nanami’s body. Kota butts in just in time, and he and Himemiko are able to leave the swamp. But it takes the false Nanami to plead with Tomoe to leave the shrine and run away with her for him to finally realize she’s not the real deal. After he scares the wits out of the spirit, it leaves Nanami’s body and the real Nanami is able to return. The volume wraps up with some foreboding information – Tomoe’s growing feelings for Nanami have activated some form of curse, from a vow that he made that he no longer remembers.</p> <p><em><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/kamisamakiss13.jpg" rel="attachment wp-att-124771"><img decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-124771" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/kamisamakiss13-196x300.jpg" alt="kamisamakiss13" width="196" height="300" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/kamisamakiss13-196x300.jpg 196w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/kamisamakiss13.jpg 588w" sizes="(max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px" /></a>Kamisama Kiss</em> may not make me laugh as hard as some other series, but it’s still amusing, fun, and very entertaining. I love almost everything about it. In these three volumes, Nanami’s influence is really starting to show through, with various characters making some personal progress. Himemiko and Kato are the obvious focus, although Ryo-oh is the one who really gives Kato the push he needs. That said, it’s Nanami who has helped Ryo-oh cool down some; without her he likely never would have paid Kato any attention at all. In general her vibrancy and passion bring some life and light to everyone around her, even all powerful yokai who normally wouldn’t bother with humans. Nishiki’s progress from selfish spoiled brat to actual considerate gentleman is almost entirely due to Nanami’s influence. Shiranui cares about his prince, but he also coddles and shelters him to an excessive degree. Nanami almost literally punches that right out of Nishiki’s head. And finally, in volume 13, Tomoe’s past is slowly coming to light. Or well, it’s resurfacing in his own mind, since certain parts of his past were blocked somehow (and Nanami is already partially aware of those memories). There’s been hints dropped here and there, about the human he was once in love with, but it looks like the truth of what Tomoe did in his past will finally be revealed.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kris<br /> </span>kristin@comicattack.net<br /> @girlg33k_kris</p> <p>Volumes provided by Viz Media.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://comicattack.net/bbwkamisamakiss11_13/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Bento Bako Weekly: Kamisama Kiss volumes 10-11</title> <link>https://comicattack.net/bbwkamisama10_11/</link> <comments>https://comicattack.net/bbwkamisama10_11/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristin]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 19 Nov 2012 10:00:13 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Bento Bako Weekly]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Columns]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kristin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Manga]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hakusensha]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Julietta Suzuki]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kamisama Kiss]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shojo Beat]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Viz Media]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=95517</guid> <description><![CDATA[Title: Kamisama Kiss Author: Julietta Suzuki Publisher: Viz Media (Shojo Beat) Volume: Volumes 10-11 (ongoing), $9.99 Vintage: 2011 and 2012 by Hakusensha, August and November 2012 and by Viz Media Genre: Romantic comedy [Volume 9 review.] Everyone is still on Mt. Kurama trying to find and cure the ill Sojobo so the cruel Jiro will […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/kamisamakiss10.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-95542" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="kamisamakiss10" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/kamisamakiss10.jpg" alt="" width="265" height="405" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/kamisamakiss10.jpg 442w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/kamisamakiss10-196x300.jpg 196w" sizes="(max-width: 265px) 100vw, 265px" /></a>Title:</strong> <em>Kamisama Kiss</em><br /> <strong>Author:</strong> Julietta Suzuki<br /> <strong>Publisher:</strong> Viz Media (Shojo Beat)<br /> <strong>Volume:</strong> Volumes 10-11 (ongoing), $9.99<br /> <strong>Vintage:</strong> 2011 and 2012 by Hakusensha, August and November 2012 and by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre:</strong> Romantic comedy</p> <p>[<a href="https://comicattack.net/2012/05/bbbkamisamakiss9/">Volume 9 review.</a>]</p> <p>Everyone is still on Mt. Kurama trying to find and cure the ill Sojobo so the cruel Jiro will not become the next ruler of the tengu clan. One after another, the tengu who are considered weak in body or mind are expelled from the Training Hall at Jiro’s orders, but the normally stoic Jiro is having some mental anguish of his own – he can’t stop thinking of Nanami. Kurama comes up with a partial plan to save Sojobo that requires being invited into the Training Hall and getting Jiro to drink some medicinal sake. Fortunately (or possibly unfortunately), Nanami has a plan to get them in. Kurama will pretend to be the kamisama of Mikage Shrine, which will force Jiro to invite him and Tomoe inside. Then Nanami and Botanmaru will search the Training Hall for Sojobo. Tomoe picks up on Jiro’s attraction to Nanami, and uses her form to distract the tengu long enough for his shields to waver so Nanami can locate Sojobo. Unfortunately, when they find him they discover that Sojobo is beyond the help of Nanami’s miraculous momotan. To add to their troubles, they are discovered by the ayakashi Yatori who throws them in an underground prison. Their plot discovered, Jiro puts up a prison shield around Tomoe and Kurama, trapping them and keeping them from going to Nanami’s rescue. Nanami learns the truth about Sojobo’s condition from Yatori, who plans to kill them, but like any good heroine worth her salt, she rescues herself this time by throwing up a shield against evil that sends the ayakashi flying. There’s not much she can do within Jiro’s shields, so she decides to make the entire building over into her own territory and runs around setting up a powerful shield. Jiro hears the truth about events himself, realizes he’s been tricked, and rushes off to aid Nanami in freeing his father’s soul. Nanami follows Jiro to the nest of the Thunder Beast, where he once threw Kurama as a child, the event which led to the young tengu leaving the mountain. By the time Tomoe and Kurama arrive, Jiro lies injured on the cave floor, having rescued Nanami from the Thunder Beast. Tomoe easily quells the monster, and Sojobo’s soul is returned to him, which immediately begins to heal the mountain.</p> <p><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/kamisamakiss11.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-95543" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="kamisamakiss11" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/kamisamakiss11.jpg" alt="" width="264" height="406" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/kamisamakiss11.jpg 440w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/kamisamakiss11-195x300.jpg 195w" sizes="(max-width: 264px) 100vw, 264px" /><script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></a>In volume 11, the new year is fast approaching, and Tomoe must go to the Toshigami’s shrine for a new ofuda to bless the lands under Mikage shrine’s domain. Nanami insists on going as well, so she, Tomoe, and Mizuki travel to the shrine’s entrance. There they must split up into three separate torii framed pathways, where the last twelve years of their lives will be examined. Unfortunately, while Tomoe and Mizuki soon come out the other end, Nanami does not, so the two shinshi go in to find her. They are able to witness Nanami as a child, and for the first time Tomoe realizes that there are parts of Nanami he is not aware of. So rather than leave with her immediately, he decides to observe her for a bit, and both he and Mizuki learn about Nanami’s troubling childhood. Desperate to make this depressing image of Nanami smile, Tomoe steps into the dream. Unfortunately he gets a bit too wrapped up in things and accidentally confesses his feelings…and asks her to marry him. His panic is short-lived, however, because Nanami doesn’t remember anything, and returns with her happy-go-lucky cheer. They finally manage to meet with the Toshigami and receive his blessing. Things shift gears then and the focus returns to the main story line – Akura-oh’s journey to find and claim his body. Unfortunately, he is going to need Tomoe’s help to pull his body out of the mountain of fire in the Land of the Dead. Meanwhile, Tomoe and Nanami go shopping at a hidden ayakashi market in the other world for a piece of sacred wood to make wooden ofuda for the shrine’s New Years’ celebration. Nanami runs into a fortune teller who reveals Tomoe’s feelings (that he sees Nanami as a precious flower about to bloom), and Tomoe discovers that Nanami is much stronger than he thinks.</p> <p>One story line ends, and another gets rolling again. With some fun, fluffy times in between. Specifically of the romantic variety. Nanami has long been up front about her feelings for Tomoe, but the fox is finally starting to recognize his own, and occasionally act on them. He’s given a bit of a push when Jiro announces his feels for Nanami; for a moment he’s afraid Nanami will leave him for the tengu (well, more petty and jealous, really, than actually afraid she’ll leave). She only has eyes for Tomoe, however, and Jiro backs down. The story is still in danger of being overwhelmed by the romance, but Suzuki continues to find a balance. There’s nothing wrong with the romantic aspects, I’d just rather it not become the focus of the series. There’s plenty of other stuff going on. There’s a lot of room for the characters to grow before they become committed in that way. And it’s really great watching Nanami grow into a capable kamisama. She almost single-handedly defeats Jiro and uncovers the plot behind Sojobo’s “illness.” Which means she practically saves the entire tengu village. Almost entirely without Tomoe’s help, to boot. Nanami comes up with the plan, finds Sojobo, gets her and Botanmaru out of trouble, overrides Jiro’s powerful shields with her own, and locates Sojobo’s soul. She even manages to pull a softer side out of Jiro. In volume 11, she patches things up with the zodiac dragon and his Toshigami, and even gives the Toshigami a boost of confidence. In the other world, she defeats two yokai with her ofuda and rescues a young yokai, without any help from Tomoe. She’s really flourishing as a kamisama; even Tomoe can’t believe how much she’s growing, though of course he still believes Nanami can’t do anything without his help. She’s beginning to prove him wrong, however, though I could see it backfiring if Tomoe suddenly finds himself feeling useless and unneeded. The series maintains just enough depth to keep it interesting (in particular the look into Nanami’s past in volume 11), while remaining a cute and sometimes quite silly story.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kris<br /> </span>kristin@comicattack.net<br /> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/girlg33k_kris">@girlg33k_kris</a></p> <p>Review copies provided by Viz Media.</p> <p> </p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://comicattack.net/bbwkamisama10_11/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Bento Bako Bonus: Kamisama Kiss volume 9</title> <link>https://comicattack.net/bbbkamisamakiss9/</link> <comments>https://comicattack.net/bbbkamisamakiss9/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristin]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2012 09:00:52 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Bento Bako Weekly]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kristin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Manga]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hakusensha]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Julietta Suzuki]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kamisama Kiss]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shojo Beat]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Viz Media]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=87939</guid> <description><![CDATA[Title: Kamisama Kiss Author: Julietta Suzuki Publisher: Viz Media (Shojo Beat) Volume: Volume 9 (ongoing), $9.99 Vintage: 2011 by Hakusensha, June 2012 by Viz Media Genre: Romantic comedy [Volume 8 review.] Before we begin, and before I forget, this month’s Manga Moveable Feast spotlights food manga Oishinbo. Through the 27th of May, Khursten of Otaku […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/kamisamakiss9.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-87945" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="kamisamakiss9" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/kamisamakiss9.jpg" alt="" width="267" height="404" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/kamisamakiss9.jpg 445w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/kamisamakiss9-198x300.jpg 198w" sizes="(max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px" /></a>Title: </strong><em>Kamisama Kiss</em><br /> <strong>Author:</strong> Julietta Suzuki<br /> <strong>Publisher:</strong> Viz Media (Shojo Beat)<br /> <strong>Volume:</strong> Volume 9 (ongoing), $9.99<br /> <strong>Vintage: </strong>2011 by Hakusensha, June 2012 by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre:</strong> Romantic comedy</p> <p>[<a href="https://comicattack.net/2012/04/bbwkamisama8oresama7/">Volume 8 review.</a>]</p> <p>Before we begin, and before I forget, this month’s Manga Moveable Feast spotlights food manga <em>Oishinbo</em>. Through the 27th of May, Khursten of <a href="http://www.punkednoodle.com/champloo/">Otaku Champloo </a>is hosting a delicious look at food in manga, so be sure to <a href="http://www.punkednoodle.com/champloo/manga-moveable-feast/mmf-oishinbo-and-food-manga/oishinbo-viking/">check it out</a>!</p> <p>The kami convention is over, but before she returns home, Nanami takes a special detour to visit Kayako so she can tell her about seeing Kirihito. She finds her friend much changed, stronger and more open with her feelings, and even gets some advice regarding her relationship with Tomoe. Nanami is barely back in school when she’s approached by a classmate and asked to attend a go-kon (a group date). Since Nanami likes Tomoe, she’s not keen on going, but stubbornly attends anyway. Worried about her odd behavior, Tomoe enlists Mizuki and Kurama to go with him and spy on her. Tomoe realizes that maybe Nanami just wants to hang out with other humans and be carefree for a little while, so he leaves her to have fun…until one of the boys at the go-kon tries to put the moves on her. A seemingly jealous Tomoe puts an immediate end to that, but before Nanami can ask him about his behavior, they’re interrupted by Mizuki and she loses her chance. Meanwhile, Kirihito is paid a visit by the yokai Yatori, who wishes to help him recover the body of Akura-oh. Kirihito decides to make use of Yatori, but the excitable yokai is not as clueless as he seems. As Nanami tries to get an answer out of Tomoe once again, they’re interrupted this time by a young tengu who has come down from the mountain searching for someone named Shinjuro, the heir to the clan who has been missing for seventeen years. Nanami is surprised to learn that the person little Botanmaru is looking for is actually Kurama. Botanmaru feels a strong bond with Kurama, because they were both small for tengu and were bullied often. Their clan is in trouble, as the leader, the Sojobo, has fallen ill, and the ruthless Jiro has taken on leadership of the clan. Botanmaru believes that Kurama can help them, and convinces the tengu to return home. And of course, wanting to help her friend, Nanami goes with them, as does Tomoe. When they arrive, they find that a thick miasma is covering the mountain now that Sojobo is weakened. It’s more than a fog, however; a barrier has been put up which creates illusions that stop Kurama in his tracks until he overcomes them, with a little help from an old friend. This old friend, Suiro, is the first to greet them when they arrive at the front gates, and welcomes everyone inside. Nanami manages to get lost while on a trip to the bathroom, and meets several young tengu guarding a large, rotting cherry blossom tree. Unfortunately, females are not allowed on the mountain, and Nanami is discovered by none other than Jiro himself. She manages to get away, but realizes that such a vicious man won’t be able to return the mountain to its former glory. She brought the momotan she received at the kami convention with her, which has powerful healing powers that they hope will cure whatever is ailing Sojobo. Sojobo, however, is being held in the training hall, heavily guarded by Jiro’s men, so getting the medicine to him will be no easy task.</p> <p>About a fourth of this volume is Nanami/Tomoe relationship progression, another fourth is Kirihito stuff, and the rest and bulk of the manga is about Kurama. It’s nice to see the tengu finally get the spotlight. He hasn’t been much more than a side character so far, appearing here and there, mostly for comedic purposes, or to rain on Tomoe’s parade. The stuff between Tomoe and Nanami is nice, but it hasn’t really progressed from the previous volume, and doesn’t really go anywhere in this one. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially as it’s a small part of this volume. And to be honest, the shift of focus is welcome. Whatever their relationship <em>is,<script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></em> it’s at a standstill for now. So in the meantime, we get this awesome story about Kurama and the tengu. As a child, Kurama was deemed a weakling and a failure as a tengu because he was growing abnormally slowly and taking far longer than other tengu to learn to fly on his own. He was bullied by the other tengu, and punished by his older brother Jiro, a violent and ambitious man. Eventually, Jiro grew fed up with Kurama and put him a life threatening situation from which he was rescued by Suiro. Suiro was injured in the attempt, and when Kurama’s injuries were healed, he left the mountain, consumed by guilt and shame. He never intended to return, but when he saw Botanmaru, a tengu so much like himself, and noticed that Jiro was continuing his abusive treatment on young tengu like Botanmaru, he decided to return and do what he could. Unfortunately, it seems the only way to stop Jiro is for Kurama to succeed his father and become the next Sojobo. This is the last thing Kurama wants, however, but the pressure to take on that mantle begins immediately once other tengu learn he has returned to the mountain. Kurama has a good heart, and he knows that allowing Jiro to rule will be bad for the clan, but he clearly doesn’t want to become the leader himself. Suiro knows this, too, and as always, wants to protect Kurama so he can be happy. Having learned more about him, Nanami wants the same, and she’s willing to help Kurama no matter what his decision is. It’s a very serious situation, but there’s enough comedy to keep it from becoming depressing or too dark. There’s also a story thread tying Jiro to Kirihito somehow, though what the tengu wants with Akura-oh is a mystery. Power seems obvious, but hopefully Jiro is a little deeper than that. Next volume…Kurama, Nanami, and Tomoe race to bring medicine to the heavily guarded Sojobo.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kris<br /> </span>kristin@comicattack.net<br /> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/girlg33k_kris">@girlg33k_kris</a></p> <p>Review copy provided by Viz Media.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://comicattack.net/bbbkamisamakiss9/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Bento Bako Weekly: Kamisama Kiss 8 & Oresama Teacher 7</title> <link>https://comicattack.net/bbwkamisama8oresama7/</link> <comments>https://comicattack.net/bbwkamisama8oresama7/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristin]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:00:03 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Bento Bako Weekly]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Columns]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kristin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Manga]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hakusensha]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Izumi Tsubaki]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Julietta Suzuki]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kamisama Kiss]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Oresama Teacher]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shojo Beat]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Viz Media]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=85806</guid> <description><![CDATA[Title: Kamisama Kiss Author: Julietta Suzuki Publisher: Viz Media (Shojo Beat) Volume: Volume 8 (ongoing), $9.99 Vintage: 2010 by Hakusensha, April 2012 by Viz Media Genre: Romantic comedy, supernatural [Previous Kamisama Kiss reviews.] The kami convention is in full swing, but during the special assignment given to her by Okuninushi, Nanami finds herself in a […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/kamisama8.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-85849" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="kamisama8" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/kamisama8.jpg" alt="" width="265" height="405" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/kamisama8.jpg 442w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/kamisama8-196x300.jpg 196w" sizes="(max-width: 265px) 100vw, 265px" /></a>Title: </strong><em>Kamisama Kiss</em><br /> <strong>Author:</strong> Julietta Suzuki<br /> <strong>Publisher: </strong>Viz Media (Shojo Beat)<br /> <strong>Volume: </strong>Volume 8 (ongoing), $9.99<br /> <strong>Vintage:</strong> 2010 by Hakusensha, April 2012 by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre:</strong> Romantic comedy, supernatural</p> <p>[<a href="https://comicattack.net/tag/kamisama-kiss/">Previous <em>Kamisama Kiss </em>reviews.</a>]</p> <p>The kami convention is in full swing, but during the special assignment given to her by Okuninushi, Nanami finds herself in a whole heap of trouble after she follows the human Kirihito through the gate to the Land of the Dead. Her good intentions (to rescue Kirihito) back fire, as they are now both trapped in the Land of the Dead. After running away from various spirits, they are approached by messengers of Izanami, the kami in charge of the Land of the Dead. Izanami agrees to show Nanami the way out, but refuses to allow Kirihito to accompany her because his body is dead (readers who have been keeping up know that he is a powerful demon borrowing a human body until he can regain his own). Nanami, ever noble and recklessly brave, takes a bite of the food of the dead so she will have to stay as well, so that she can find and rescue Kirihito. In the darkness where he is held, Kirihito remembers when he was found by the spirit of a young human male, whose body he took over so he could move about freely. His memories also replay the meeting with Kayako, whom he decided to use to reclaim his body held in the Land of the Dead. As the darkness closes in upon him and his desperation begins to overwhelm him, a light pierces through, followed by a smiling Nanami. Back at the shrine, Tomoe receives a message from Otohiko about Nanami’s current predicament, so he rushes off to rescue her. When Tomoe arrives, the war kami is guarding the entrance. Unable to fight against the war kami in his current form, Tomoe uses the Mallet of Good Luck to break his shinshi contract and return to his yokai form. As Nanami tries her hardest to get Kirihito and herself back home, Tomoe bursts through the seal. Because he used the Mallet without permission, Tomoe is imprisoned by Okuninushi. Nanami rushes to his cell to make Tomoe her shinshi again, but he is unsure if he wants to become her shinshi again now that he’s free. Nanami is understandably upset, but she respects Tomoe’s decision, and begins to catch up on her kami duties while she waits. Tomoe, meanwhile, struggles to interpret his muddled feelings, and to separate his personal feelings from those forced on him by the shinshi contract. When Mizuki appears with a parting gift from Nanami, Tomoe makes up his mind and returns to his master’s side. Tomoe immediately starts acting weird, even agreeing to accompany Nanami on what is basically a date in the human world. He also cranks up the mean-o-meter and bullies Nanami more than usual. Nanami doesn’t let it get her down, though, and puts her all into completing her duties and helping the other kami, making quite the impression. As the kamuhakari wraps up, Nanami gets a pep talk from an old friend.</p> <p>Nanami, you precious, precious girl. While facing the prospect of losing Tomoe forever, all she can do is try to find a way to help take care of him even if he leaves her service. Talk about an awesome master (and heroine). For his part, Tomoe, who was bound by the shinshi contract to care for and protect Nanami, struggles with his feelings for her. The contract makes a shinshi obedient, aware of the master’s well being, and manipulates emotions favorably toward the kami. So Tomoe is understandably confused once the contract is broken, especially since he finds he doesn’t really want to leave Nanami’s side even when he’s not bound to her any longer. Their entire relationship was based on the shinshi contract, so he doesn’t understand why he is still attached to her without it. It takes some goading from Mizuki to snap him out of it, but he’s still not entirely sure of or comfortable with his feelings. He remains adamant that he will not form a romantic attachment to a human, though readers already know he has once before. It becomes clear in this volume that others are aware of Tomoe’s past, but for some reason Tomoe himself is not. However, since now someone other than Nanami has brought up the mysterious woman in his past, it’s possible he may attempt to seek out this information on his own. If even some random shinshi know about the woman, who knows who else knows about Tomoe’s past. There’s also evidence that Kirihito has had past dealings with Tomoe. Mikage seems to have had good reason for tampering with Tomoe’s memory and leading Nanami to him, but only time will tell if his plan will work. Nanami’s bright, smiling face and indomitable spirit are already having an effect, and she’s slowly becoming a powerful and inspiring kami, as well. This series continues to be a cute, sweet, and charming shoujo title that any fan of the genre should be reading.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/oresamateacher7.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-85850" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="oresamateacher7" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/oresamateacher7.jpg" alt="" width="266" height="403" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/oresamateacher7.jpg 443w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/oresamateacher7-198x300.jpg 198w" sizes="(max-width: 266px) 100vw, 266px" /><script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></a>Title: </strong><em>Oresama Teacher</em><br /> <strong>Author:</strong> Izumi Tsubaki<br /> <strong>Publisher:</strong> Viz Media (Shojo Beat)<br /> <strong>Volume:</strong> Volume 7 (ongoing), $9.99<br /> <strong>Vintage:</strong> 2010 by Hakusensha, March 2012 by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre: </strong>Romantic comedy</p> <p>[<a href="https://comicattack.net/2011/12/bbworesamateacher5_6/">Volumes 5-6 review.</a>]</p> <p>It’s time to reveal the story behind Takaomi’s bet with the director of Midorigaoka Academy. Though Takaomi’s talk with Mafuyu and Miyabi Hanabusa’s talk with Shinobu Yui, we finally learn the truth and all the dirty details. This doesn’t come as a surprise to regular readers, but Takaomi is working to restore and return the school to his grandfather. Miyabi reveals that his father duped Takaomi’s grandfather into turning ownership of the school over to him. The Hanabusa’s are in real estate, and the school is located on some prime property. The details aren’t exactly, erm, believable, but what it basically boils down to, is that Takaomi stole all the documents that prove Hanabusa’s ownership of the school. Because Hanabusa cared nothing for the school itself, only desiring the land it’s built on, he let the school degenerate into a bunch of run down buildings filled with delinquents. In three years, Takaomi has to whip the school into shape or turn the deeds over to Hanabusa. Takaomi is at a clear disadvantage, but Mafuyu is moved by his story and agrees to help him however she can. After a short break to get into the serious side of the story, things quickly return to normal with finals around the corner. Hayasaka has to ask Mafuyu for her class notes (since he skipped a few days), but unfortunately, Mafuyu, who is of course ecstatic to have a friend ask to borrow her notes, takes some of the worst notes imaginable. Fortunately, Shinobu, who has decided to resume spying on the pair, takes meticulous notes, so he offers to tutor them. Miraculously, Mafuyu has some incredible memorization prowess, and manages to memorize every word in every subject…and then promptly forgets everything once the tests are over. Takaomi does his part, as well, tutoring students and organizing study sessions, working himself to the bone to get the students’ grades up. Then exams are over and it’s time for a well deserved summer break. Mafuyu goes back home for the break, but can’t bring herself to go visit her former gang after the big deal they made when she left the last time (she thinks they’ll be disappointed she’s returned so soon). Her mother kicks her out of the house, though, so she sneaks around town, until she bumps into Sakurada (the bancho from West High). Sensing an opportunity to get revenge on East High, Sakurada invites Mafuyu to the summer festival. However, to get Mafuyu to go with him, he has to dress up as a girl (which isn’t really a problem for Sakurada). As they play games at the festival, Sakurada pulls out his feminine charm to “beat” Mafuyu at every booth they visit. As they spend time together, somehow each of them realizes what makes/made the other a great leader. While they’re talking around together, they do, unfortunately, get spotted by Mafuyu’s former gang, and thus begins an awkward whirlwind of emotion for current bancho Kohei Kangawa. The gang comes to visit Mafuyu, and they’re thrilled to see her…all except Kohei, who ignores her completely. The ever persistent Mafuyu tries desperately to get to the bottom of Kohei’s actions, and eventually backs him into a corner, causing him to challenge Mafuyu to battle. Unfortunately, just as Mafuyu patches things up, several of the gang’s members go on a camping trip. A heavy storm hits, and they take refuge in a nearby building, where students from Midorigaoka Academy are staying. With the electricity out because of the storm, a night of ghost stories and urban legends comes to life. A bonus story shows Takaomi in his younger years, and the moment when he first met Mafuyu. The volume wraps up with a good handful of four panel strips about the four high schools from Mafuyu’s home town.</p> <p>The story behind Takaomi’s bet for Midorigaoka Academy is finally laid out in this volume. Hints have been dropped here and there, but now everything is pulled together. To be perfectly honest, it doesn’t make complete sense. Takaomi’s motivations are made clear, though the circumstances surrounding how his grandfather was tricked into turning over the school to Hanabusa are still a little murky. And just how Takaomi managed to get a hold of Hanabusa’s private, safe-locked documents is unclear. It’s not really important how he got them, since it won’t really impact the story…unless it does. He could have had someone on the inside get them for him, or it’s entirely possible he broke in on his own. This part of the story only gets one chapter, though, so it’s clear the circumstances aren’t the most important thing on the whole. Apart from that second of the book, the rest of this volume is filled with the laugh-out-loud humor found in previous volumes. The pure joy Mafuyu exudes when Hanabusa asks for her class notes contrasts wonderfully with the look of utter disbelief on his face when he realizes that her notes are nigh unusable. And for some reason, the easily excitable and bizarrely enthusiastic Shinobu really cracks the whip on the pair to help them study for the exams. When he’s supposed to be their enemy. And when he just learned from Miyabi that Takaomi will win the bet if he cleans up the school. Shinobu’s actions, as usual, are completely counterproductive, but he seems to enjoy himself. My favorite part of this volume was watching Mafuyu chase Kohei around town, trying to figure out why he’s mad at her. The poor boy seems to have feelings for his former boss that go beyond mere friendship, and it hurts him that she hung out with Sakurada without even bothering to go and see him. The look of embarrassment and frustration on his face as he finally breaks down and tells Mafuyu he was upset she didn’t come to see him before anyone else is just too adorable. The camping trip with Kotobuki, Yamashita, and Maizono is quite entertaining, though as usual Mafuyu’s old gang gives Hanabusa some pretty wild ideas about their bancho “Mahfyu.” And it’s hard not to laugh while watching a bunch of tough-acting high school boys running around and screaming like little girls over total misunderstandings. Another volume of laughs and smiles from Izumi Tsubaki.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kris<br /> </span>kristin@comicattack.net<br /> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/girlg33k_kris">@girlg33k_kris</a></p> <p>Review copies provided by Viz Media.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://comicattack.net/bbwkamisama8oresama7/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Bento Bako Weekly: Kamisama Kiss volumes 5-6</title> <link>https://comicattack.net/bbkamisamakiss5_6/</link> <comments>https://comicattack.net/bbkamisamakiss5_6/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristin]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:00:27 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Bento Bako Weekly]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Columns]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kristin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Manga]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hakusensha]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Julietta Suzuki]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kamisama Kiss]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shojo Beat]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Viz Media]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=81118</guid> <description><![CDATA[First things first! It’s time for another Manga Moveable Feast! This month the MMF will be celebrating the works of Usamaru Furuya, creator of Genkaku Picasso, Lychee Light Club, and No Longer Human. Experiments in Manga is hosting this month, led by Ash Brown. So check it out! Thanks to a good Samaritan, I’ll be […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>First things first! It’s time for another <a href="https://comicattack.net/category/cafeaturedcolumns/manga-moveable-feast/">Manga Moveable Feast</a>! This month the MMF will be celebrating the works of Usamaru Furuya, creator of <a href="https://comicattack.net/tag/genkaku-picasso/"><em>Genkaku Picasso</em></a>, <em>Lychee Light Club</em>, and <a href="https://comicattack.net/tag/no-longer-human/"><em>No Longer Human</em></a>. Experiments in Manga is hosting this month, led by Ash Brown. <a href="http://experimentsinmanga.blogspot.com/2012/01/usamaru-furuya-manga-moveable-feast_22.html">So check it out</a>! Thanks to a good Samaritan, I’ll be reviewing<em> No Longer Human volume 2</em> later this week. For now, here’s more of the adorable <em>Kamisama Kiss</em>.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kamisamakiss5.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-81344" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="kamisamakiss5" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kamisamakiss5.jpg" alt="" width="266" height="403" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kamisamakiss5.jpg 444w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kamisamakiss5-198x300.jpg 198w" sizes="(max-width: 266px) 100vw, 266px" /></a>Title:</strong> <em>Kamisama Kiss</em><br /> <strong>Author:</strong> Julietta Suzuki<br /> <strong>Publisher:</strong> Viz Media (Shojo Beat)<br /> <strong>Volume:</strong> Volumes 5 and 6 (ongoing), $9.99<br /> <strong>Vintage:</strong> 2010 by Hakusensha in Japan, October and December 2011 by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre:</strong> Comedy, romance, supernatural</p> <p>[<a href="https://comicattack.net/2011/07/bblkamisamakiss4/">Volume 4 review.</a>]</p> <p>During the little crisis of the previous volume, while her shinshi Tomoe was otherwise indisposed, Mizuki activated the contract to become Nanami’s new shinshi. For a while, Mizuki had felt connected to Tomoe, because both of their shrine masters were gone, leaving them alone. However, Nanami arrived, giving Tomoe a new master to serve, and bringing life back into the Mikage Shrine. Mizuki felt even more alone, and grew angry and jealous of Tomoe. Becoming Nanami’s shinshi has given him new purpose, but Tomoe is far from thrilled with the arrangement. At a shrine festival, Nanami commands that they hold hands until they can get along; a seemingly futile experiment, until Tomoe recalls a presence from his past. Back at home, Nanami grows discouraged that the shrine still has no worshipers, and soon learns that the towns people find the shrine creepy and believe it’s haunted. In an effort to prove them wrong, Nanami decides to hold a summer festival at the shrine. Tomoe is absolutely against it, but Nanami forges on. She wants all the hard work that Tomoe puts into keeping the shrine neat and clean not to go to waste. Tomoe, who still has difficulty seeing Nanami as anything more than just a human, begins to have a change of heart when he realizes how persistent and passionate Nanami is about holding the festival, and finally agrees to help. He agrees to teach her the Kagura, a ceremonial shrine dance, but Tomoe is a harsh taskmaster, and Nanami is still struggling with her feelings for him. Her work is cut short when a strange spirit appears and mocks her abilities as a kami, then declares he’s going to test her to see if she’s really worthy of being a tochigami. When she returns home, she immediately notices that Tomoe is behaving strangely; he’s acting far too nice, and treating her entirely differently. Mizuki is suspicious as well, but Nanami’s unease starts fading as her feelings for Tomoe cloud her judgment. However, when Tomoe starts talking about abandoning the shrine so they can be together, Nanami finally comes to her senses. As she continues her preparations, she begins to realize the work and care Tomoe puts into the shrine, and at last rejects the bizarrely acting Tomoe, which ends her “test.” The story briefly shifts to our favorite tengu, Kurama. Kurama, who has rejected the world of the ayakashi for the human world, can’t resits humiliating Tomoe and helping Nanami, who requested his aid for the festival. A failure in the ayakashi world, he’s amazed at the gradual growth of Nanami’s powers. Kurama isn’t the only aid Nanami summoned, however, as Ryu-oh and Himemiko have also answered her call. As ayakashi, however, their suggestions are rather…outrageous. Kurama sees his opportunity as an ayakashi living in the human world to make himself useful, taking the advantage and even shutting Tomoe out of the planning. Tomoe still manages to get the final play in, though. The day of the festival finally arrives. As ayakashi who have heard of Nanami’s Kagura dance start to arrive, the pressure begins to mount as she realizes how many are depending on her to perform her role as the shrine’s tochigami. A pep talk from Tomoe clears her mind, and as she begins her dance on the stage, a spirit appears and helps her perform a spellbinding miracle.</p> <p>Volume 6 opens with Tomoe pondering the significance of Nanami’s miracle, and poor Nanami suffering from the physical strain of performing the Kagura. While she’s recovering, a familiar and troublesome face appears. The ayakashi that tested her in the previous volume is a wind kami named Otohiko. Otohiko has arrived to invite Nanami to Izumo, where a year gathering of kami is to take place. They’ve decided to pit her against another human girl who is worshiped as a kami to see which of them is worthy of going to Izumo. To entice her, Otohiko casually tosses out that someone there might know where Mikage has run off to, but Tomoe immediately steps in and says he doesn’t care about that, and that it’s not necessary for Nanami to attend. Nanami thinks he’s lying, of course, but she doesn’t have time to investigate as her opponent, a girl named Kayako Hiragi, appears to challenge her. After some advice from her ayakashi friend Kirihito, Kayako decides her first move is to steal Tomoe for herself. Infuriated, Nanami finally makes up her mind and agrees to the competition. Otohiko arrives to give them the details. Each girl is given a small egg to watch over for seven days, after which a shikigami will hatch, and Otohiko will decide the winner based on how they turn out. Unfortunately, as Tomoe argues over the situation with Nanami, the egg breaks on its first day, and out pops a tiny monkey. Later, Kayako confronts Nanami in the library without Tomoe around, but they’re suddenly attacked by a large spider yokai. Kayako attempts to banish it, but Tomoe has to step in and destroy it, frustrating Kayako who doesn’t have a shinshi to back her up like the otherwise fairly powerless Nanami does. Nanami, however, doesn’t like having to constantly rely on Tomoe, and wants to be able to do things on her own without always depending on him. Unfortunately, because of the way Tomoe killed the yokai, it left a miasma growing in the school that is attracting other yokai. Kayako comes to demand his help, so Tomoe uses the opportunity to end Nanami’s stubborn resolve, but she insists on at least attempting to purify the school on her own first. Her powers aren’t strong enough to clear away the heart of the miasma, though, and it ends up feeding off her powers instead. Tomoe rescues her, but with his hands stained in blood and tainted by the miasma, there’s little he can ultimately do. Fortunately, and strangely, Otohiko arrives to give Nanami some advice on how to make use of her shikigami. She must give it a name to bestow power to it, so she names it Mamoru (“to protect”). As Kayako begins growing hysterical over her inability to quell the miasma, and Tomoe is helpless while he’s tainted, Nanami suddenly arrives and begins to purify everything, including Tomoe, with the help of Mamoru. After this incident, Kayako starts skipping school in order to nurture her egg, and Nanami is sent to her house to drop off some school papers. While there, they surprisingly bond a bit over their love of some certain ayakashi, but when she leaves, Mamoru warns her that something is wrong with Kayako’s egg. When Nanami returns, she finds Kayako weakened from giving all her energy to her egg, and leaves Mamoru behind to bind it while she takes Kayako to the hospital. While Kayako recovers, Tomoe has a serious talk with Otohiko and finally discovers the truth about the “test.” Devastated by the truth, Kayako goes on a rampage and destroys her egg. Furious with how Kayako has been treated, Nanami rushes to her side.</p> <p><a href="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kamisamakiss6.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-full wp-image-81351" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="kamisamakiss6" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kamisamakiss6.jpg" alt="" width="266" height="406" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kamisamakiss6.jpg 444w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/kamisamakiss6-197x300.jpg 197w" sizes="(max-width: 266px) 100vw, 266px" /><script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></a>One of the things I like about <em>Kamisama Kiss</em> is that the romance elements are secondary, leaving the focus on the story as a whole. It doesn’t overwhelm the story, is what I mean. It’s there, sort of hovering on the edges of everything, and it’s slowly growing, but it’s not what’s important in the series. Nanami’s growth as a kamisama always takes center stage, and the rest of the elements evolve around that. Nanami’s feelings are the focus of volume 5, while Tomoe’s are dominant in volume 6. As Nanami is faced with a bizarrely acting Tomoe in volume 5, she finds herself able to step into his shoes and comes to realize how much care he puts into maintaining the shrine. His efforts are part of what make Nanami want to hold a festival so badly, because she wants the towns people to see how much his hard work has improved the shrine and made it worthy of visiting. She doesn’t want it to go to waste. So when the fake Tomoe starts talking about running away and leaving the shrine behind so they can be together, Nanami realizes something is wrong, because she knows Tomoe would never abandon the shrine like that. She learns this when “Tomoe” leaves the shrine, which causes it to revert back to it’s run down state without his powers to maintain it. Nanami isn’t strong enough yet to do this herself, but she loves the shrine, and puts all the effort she can into repairing it, finally realizing how much care and effort it takes to keep things in shape. Her powers also start growing in this volume, even though she doesn’t realize it herself. Her aura is purifying the shrine and protecting it. When Kurama goes to visit, he realizes just how much Nanami has changed in such a short time. She even has powerful yokai friends to come to her aid, and a second shinshi (Mizuki) has bound itself to her. Then there’s the miracle she evokes during her dance at the festival. She’s slowly becoming less of a normal human girl and more of a kamisama. Tomoe sees this too, and more than just being bound to her, he’s starting to feel Nanami is worthy to protect and serve. Although he is initially against holding the festival, he gives in and ends up helping Nanami in various ways, surprising even himself by his actions. He encourages her in his own ways, gets irritated when he can’t be useful, and even appears to be jealous over Kurama, Mizuki, and Mamoru. He won’t let those around Nanami forget that <em>he</em> is her shinshi. He shows off in front of Kurama as if to say “I’m her shinshi, and no one else. Only I can do certain things for her.” He pouts when Nanami gives attention to Mizuki. He flaunts their status as kamisama and shinshi in front of Kayako. Where before he was just sort of tolerant of having been forced to become her shinshi, now he wants to help and protect her because she’s Nanami, not just because she’s his kami. When her bright smiling face runs forward and she purifies him from the miasma at the school, he feels refreshed and grateful, like when he first met Mikage. He seems to worry less and less about finding Mikage as the story goes on, and more about doing what he can for Nanami. As if she is finally starting to really take Mikage’s place, both as the kami of the shrine, and as his master. The Kamuhakari in Izumo seems like it’s going to be dangerous, particularly given how dead against it Tomoe’s been, so I’m quite interested to see how attending will affect Nanami’s growth as a kami, and what it’s going to take for Tomoe to keep his human master safe. Especially since someone is trying to manipulate things behind the scenes.</p> <p>Oh, by the way, Saturday night I read the first volume of <em>A Devil and Her Love Song</em> from Viz Media (out February 7), and was absolutely delighted by it. If you’re on the fence about it, get off and pre-order the first volume. I’ll review it soon, but I just wanted to say that it’s a good first impression. If you follow me on Twitter, I occasionally comment on new or upcoming manga I’m reading, so if you’re interested, I always post my Twitter SN in my sign off below.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kris<br /> </span>kristin@comicattack.net<br /> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/girlg33k_kris">@girlg33k_kris</a></p> <p>Review copies provided by Viz Media.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://comicattack.net/bbkamisamakiss5_6/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Bento Bako Lite: Kamisama Kiss volume 4</title> <link>https://comicattack.net/bblkamisamakiss4/</link> <comments>https://comicattack.net/bblkamisamakiss4/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristin]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 27 Jul 2011 09:00:31 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Bento Bako Weekly]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kristin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Manga]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hakusensha]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Julietta Suzuki]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kamisama Kiss]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shojo Beat]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Viz Media]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=69038</guid> <description><![CDATA[Title: Kamisama Kiss Author: Julietta Suzuki Publisher: Viz Media (Shojo Beat) Volume: Volume 4 (ongoing), $9.99 Vintage: 2009 by Hakusensha in Japan, August 2, 2011 by Viz Media Genre: Comedy, romance, supernatural [Volume 3 review.] One normal afternoon, Nanami suddenly found herself homeless, kicked out of her house after her dad abandoned his debts. In […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong><a href="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2011/07/kamisamakiss4.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-69265" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="kamisamakiss4" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2011/07/kamisamakiss4.jpg" alt="" width="258" height="392" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/kamisamakiss4.jpg 430w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/kamisamakiss4-197x300.jpg 197w" sizes="(max-width: 258px) 100vw, 258px" /></a>Title:</strong> <em>Kamisama Kiss</em><br /> <strong>Author:</strong> Julietta Suzuki<br /> <strong>Publisher:</strong> Viz Media (Shojo Beat)<br /> <strong>Volume:</strong> Volume 4 (ongoing), $9.99<br /> <strong>Vintage:</strong> 2009 by Hakusensha in Japan, August 2, 2011 by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre:</strong> Comedy, romance, supernatural</p> <p>[<a href="https://comicattack.net/2011/05/bblslam16kamisama3/">Volume 3 review.</a>]</p> <p>One normal afternoon, Nanami suddenly found herself homeless, kicked out of her house after her dad abandoned his debts. In a local park, she saved a stranger from a dog, and he offered her his home as a place to stay. Unfortunately, this “home” was really a shrine, and the man had passed on his role as the resident shrine deity to Nanami. With the help of her shinshi, the wild fox ayakashi Tomoe, Nanami must balance her duties as the shrine deity with her life as a normal high school student. Previously, the white snake shinshi Mizuki kidnapped Nanami to take her kamisama powers. Tomoe rescued her, but now Nanami is starting to have romantic feelings toward her shinshi. She has also been searching for a way to help people with her kamisama powers. When her classmate Ami Nekota professes feelings for the tengu Kurama, Nanami arranges for them to be alone so Ami can confess to Kurama. Tomoe does not approve, however, insisting that humans shouldn’t have or even want anything to do with yokai. Nanami continues to try and convince Tomoe that it’s OK to befriend humans, and even arranges for a girl to walk home with him, but Tomoe states that he has no need of anyone other than Nanami. Just hearing such words from him warms Nanami’s heart, even though she seems to know he’s just taking his duties as a shinshi seriously. Tomoe doesn’t seem to fully understand the predicament, until Kurama explains that Tomoe should be more careful with his words or he’ll cause Nanami to fall in love with him. However, as Nanami laments her lack of a boyfriend, her friends decide to encourage her to attract Tomoe’s attention. She decides to take him on a date, and drags him to an aquarium and onto a high observation deck for a romantic view of the city. Unfortunately, it’s quite clear that Tomoe is irritated about being dragged along, and once he realizes that Nanami is acting strangely, he gives her a little lecture about not falling in love with him, prompting Nanami to confess. Tomoe, thinking she’s being ridiculous, coldly brushes off her feelings, causing a heartbroken Nanami to reject him and order him not to touch her if he doesn’t like her. Nanami would prefer life moved on, but it’s hard for her to sort out her feelings with Tomoe is constantly by her side. Hoping to feel better, Nanami goes on a trip to the beach with her classmates, though it’s against Tomoe’s wishes. Mizuki, knowing a certain secret about Tomoe, agrees to go along to help protect Nanami. When one of Nanami’s friends gets taken under a large wave, Nanami desperately begs Tomoe to save her. Unfortunately, by stepping into the water, Tomoe has drawn the attention of the ruler of the sea, Ryu-oh-sama, whom he has been hiding from for quite some time. Five hundred and twenty-six years ago, Tomoe attacked Ryu-oh’s kingdom and stole his eye, and he has come to collect. He whisks Tomoe away, but agrees to return him to Nanami if she is able to recover his missing eye. With help from Mizuki, Nanami travels back in time to locate the missing eye, but things are not what they appear to be, and making good on this deal will be difficult. Mizuki’s intentions may not be completely pure, either.</p> <p>Another charming volume of <em>Kamisama Kiss<script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></em>. What’s nice here is that the story is becoming more of a romance, without actually becoming more of a romance. The elements were always there, and now they’re slowly growing, without overtaking the rest of the book. Nanami is handling it well, too. At first she moped around, depressed that Tomoe wouldn’t pay attention to her (at least in the way she wanted), and she even put on a ridiculous act to try and make him think she was cute. But by the end of this volume, she’s resolved (at least somewhat) her feelings and decided to be honest with herself even if Tomoe continues to reject her, and be more assertive rather than wait around for Tomoe to change. I’m not sure how it will work out, but I like a girl who doesn’t whine about some guy and mope around. As for Tomoe, through Nanami, we witness some interesting events in his past, including a beautiful girl that he was apparently in love with (an event which may have caused him to close off his heart). Her presence seems to have some connection with Mizuki as well, but it’s unclear so far. Speaking of Mizuki, it appears that he will become a main character, and perhaps serve as a catalyst for Nanami’s and Tomoe’s feelings. He is a bit of a masochist, though, apparently, so it should prove amusing. I can see a rather bizarre love triangle forming in the future. Nanami is still struggling to find a way to help people as a kamisama, and answer their prayers, but now she’ll have two experienced shinshis to guide her, so I imagine she’ll really start to grow in that regard, which I’m looking forward to.</p> <p>Reminder: This week is the <em>Fruits Basket</em> Manga Moveable Feast. You can find the archive at <a href="http://mangacurmudgeon.com/fruits-basket-mmf/">The Manga Curmudgeon</a>.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kris</span><br /> kristin@comicattack.net<br /> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/girlg33k_kris">@girlg33k_Kris</a></p> <p>Review copy provided by Viz Media.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://comicattack.net/bblkamisamakiss4/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Bento Bako Lite: Slam Dunk 16, Kamisama Kiss 3</title> <link>https://comicattack.net/bblslam16kamisama3/</link> <comments>https://comicattack.net/bblslam16kamisama3/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristin]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Wed, 11 May 2011 10:00:37 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Bento Bako Weekly]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kristin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Manga]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hakusensha]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Julietta Suzuki]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kamisama Kiss]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shojo Beat]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shonen Jump]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shueisha]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Slam Dunk]]></category> <category><![CDATA[sports]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Takehiko Inoue]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Viz Media]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=62415</guid> <description><![CDATA[Title: Slam Dunk (“Survival Game”) Author: Takehiko Inoue Publisher: Viz Media (Shonen Jump) Volume: Volume 16 (of 31), $9.99 Vintage: 1993 by Shueisha in Japan, June 7, 2011 by Viz Media Genre: Sports, drama, comedy [Volume 15 review.] The Shohoku boys take a back seat this volume, as most of the action is devoted to […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/slamdunk16.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-62460" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="slamdunk16" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/slamdunk16.jpg" alt="" width="249" height="382" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/slamdunk16.jpg 415w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/slamdunk16-195x300.jpg 195w" sizes="(max-width: 249px) 100vw, 249px" /></a><strong>Title:</strong> <em>Slam Dunk </em>(“Survival Game”)<br /> <strong>Author:</strong> Takehiko Inoue<br /> <strong>Publisher:</strong> Viz Media (Shonen Jump)<br /> <strong>Volume:</strong> Volume 16 (of 31), $9.99<br /> <strong>Vintage: </strong>1993 by Shueisha in Japan, June 7, 2011 by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre:</strong> Sports, drama, comedy</p> <p>[<a href="https://comicattack.net/2011/03/slamdunk15toriko4/">Volume 15 review.</a>]</p> <p>The Shohoku boys take a back seat this volume, as most of the action is devoted to the game between Kainan and Ryonan. Most of the plot on the Shohoku side deals with Sakuragi’s training. Sakuragi has a lot of spirit, is fast, and is great with rebounds, but can’t make a shot worth a damn. Team captain Akagi sets Sakuragi on a grueling training regimen, ordering him to make hundreds of shots a day for the three days leading up to their next game. It’s tough, but Sakuragi pushes forward for the sake of the team. Unfortunately, he pushes a little too hard in his enthusiasm, and completely misses their next game. Even without Sakuragi, Shohoku makes quick work of Takezato (so quick that the page count is miniscule). It all comes down to Kainan, Ryonan, and Shohoku for a spot at nationals, and Kainan and Ryonan are up next. The game is full of surprises, as Ryonan brings out a secret weapon. A prodigy named Fukuda, who was recently suspended and unable to play in the previous games, bursts onto the court, and along with Sendoh makes a near unstoppable team for Ryonan. Not only does Ryonan have a a new variable, their coach also places Sendoh in the uncharacteristic position of point guard. Kainan’s misjudgement of Sendoh’s abilities proves quickly fatal, and he and Fukuda essentially wipe the court with them. Shohoku watches from the stands, impressed by the skills on display, and the wheels start turning in their front line players’ heads as they begin to build strategies to handle whichever team they play next. Unfortunately, they’re currently all too focused on their individual egos instead of thinking how they can work as a team to take down the opposition.</p> <p>Another exciting volume from Inoue. I’m not sure how many different ways to say <em>Slam Dunk</em> is exciting, and that its portrayal of teenage boys feels real. The art is always easy to follow and excellently expresses the action that is occurring. It’s really fun to read, even for someone with no interest in sports (like myself), and, as I’ve said before, if you’re looking for a sports comic, you won’t find much in American comics (they exist, but they’re rare). Manga is about the only place you’ll find a good, entertaining, and accurate sports comic here, so you really can’t go wrong with <em>Slam Dunk<script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></em>.</p> <p><a href="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/kamisamakiss3.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-62461" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="kamisamakiss3" src="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/kamisamakiss3.jpg" alt="" width="249" height="382" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/kamisamakiss3.jpg 415w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/kamisamakiss3-196x300.jpg 196w" sizes="(max-width: 249px) 100vw, 249px" /></a><strong>Title:</strong> <em>Kamisama Kiss</em><br /> <strong>Author:</strong> Julietta Suzuki<br /> <strong>Publisher:</strong> Viz Media (Shojo Beat)<br /> <strong>Volume:</strong> Volume 3 (ongoing), $9.99<br /> <strong>Vintage:</strong> 2009 by Hakusensha in Japan, June 7, 2011 by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre: </strong>Supernatural, comedy, romance</p> <p>[<a href="https://comicattack.net/2011/03/bbboresama1kamisama2/">Volume 2 review.</a>]</p> <p>One normal afternoon, Nanami suddenly found herself homeless, kicked out of her house after her dad abandoned his debts. In a local park, she saved a stranger from a dog, and he offered her his home as a place to stay. Unfortunately, this “home” was really a shrine, and the man had passed on his role as the resident shrine deity to Nanami. With the help of her shinshi, the wild fox ayakashi Tomoe, Nanami must balance her duties as the shrine deity with her life as a normal high school student. In the last volume, Nanami saved Tomoe from a fairly selfish sky goddess who wanted Tomoe for her self. Now they are both back home at their shrine, and things are relatively back to normal…as normal as they can be when you’re a human-turned-shrine-deity sharing your home with spirits. And you find yourself falling for your loyal shinshi. When she’s with Tomoe, Nanami finds her heart beating strangely fast. Her feelings are noted by Himemiko when she goes to visit the swamp goddess, though Nanami doesn’t quite understand them herself, yet. She doesn’t have a lot of time to clear her head, when a white snake shows up at school and, when Nanami rescues it, imprints a brand on her wrist. This brand is a mark of engagement, so Tomoe insists on going to school with Nanami in order to protect her when the snake comes to claim her. As Nanami begins to enjoy these simple moments having Tomoe nearby, the peace is shattered when the snake spirit, the shinshi Mizuki, kidnaps her. Nanami attempts to escape on her own, but soon realizes that something is not right at Mizuki’s shrine. Having Nanami stolen right under his nose, and seeing her injured so easily, Tomoe begins to worry what he’s gotten himself into with a human master. Even so, to protect her and make her happy, Tomoe attends school as Nanami when she falls ill so her attendance record won’t suffer. Hoping to capitalize on Tomoe’s absence, Kurama lays it on thick trying to gain “Nanami’s” affections. While Tomoe is gone, Mizuki pays a visit to the sickly Nanami, and shows Nanami a scene from Tomoe’s past.</p> <p>Ahh, it’s so cute! I’m starting to fall in love with this series. Nanami is growing into her role as the heroine of the tale quite well. In volume 2, I didn’t think much of her; I found her blank and plain. She’s taking on more personality now, though most of that has to do with her budding feelings for Tomoe. Still, she’s very observant, and incredibly kind. She even forgives Mizuki for kidnapping her once she realizes how lonely the shinshi is, and equates his state to the state she found Tomoe in when she first found him (and the state she worries he would be in if she left him behind). It seems her kindness, particularly her propensity for rescuing animals, will be getting her into continual trouble, however. The romance part of the story is starting to form, slowly but surely. It’s not taking over the story, though, which is nice; it’s subtle. Both Tomoe and Nanami are starting to feel a bit more for each other than they should as kami and shinshi, particularly since Nanami is a human. I imagine there will be a lot of “we can’t be together because I’m not human/you’re a spirit” down the line, and I’m looking forward to that. There are also hints in this volume that Tomoe is worried about taking care of his human kami, because she’s far more fragile than he had imagined; she can die so easily. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to release her (or convince her to give up her position) as the shrine’s deity at some point. I’m happy to see that Kurama has made a return to the story, and he may be appearing more often, along with a female classmate of Nanami’s. The cast of characters is expanding, and hopefully they’ll all be interesting additions.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kris</span><br /> kristin@comicattack.net<br /> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/girlg33k_kris">@girlg33k_Kris</a></p> <p>Review copies provided by Viz Media.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://comicattack.net/bblslam16kamisama3/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>1</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Bento Bako Bonus: Oresama Teacher 1 & Kamisama Kiss 2</title> <link>https://comicattack.net/bbboresama1kamisama2/</link> <comments>https://comicattack.net/bbboresama1kamisama2/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Kristin]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:00:05 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Bento Bako Weekly]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Humor]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kristin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Manga]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Hakusensha]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Izumi Tsubaki]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Julietta Suzuki]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Kamisama Kiss]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Oresama Teacher]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Shojo Beat]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Viz Media]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://comicattack.net/?p=55386</guid> <description><![CDATA[It’s a double shoujo Friday, featuring two new(ish) titles from Viz Media. Oresama Teacher launches in March, and we’ll also look at the second volume of Kamisama Kiss, which also comes out in March (both should have come out March 1st). Both of these titles are quite cute, but they’re lacking a bit in the […]]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It’s a double shoujo Friday, featuring two new(ish) titles from Viz Media. <em>Oresama Teacher</em> launches in March, and we’ll also look at the second volume of <em>Kamisama Kiss</em>, which also comes out in March (both should have come out March 1st). Both of these titles are quite cute, but they’re lacking a bit in the “heart and soul” department. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from either series, but having looked at them now, I think they have some potential. They could certainly grow on me, as long as they grow stronger.</p> <p><a href="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2011/03/oresamateacher1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-55806" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="oresamateacher1" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2011/03/oresamateacher1.jpg" alt="" width="247" height="379" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/oresamateacher1.jpg 411w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/oresamateacher1-195x300.jpg 195w" sizes="(max-width: 247px) 100vw, 247px" /></a><strong>Title:</strong> <em>Oresama Teacher</em><br /> <strong>Author: </strong>Izumi Tsubaki<br /> <strong>Publisher: </strong>Viz Media (Shojo Beat)<br /> <strong>Volume:</strong> Volume 1 (ongoing), $9.99<br /> <strong>Vintage: </strong>2008 by Hakusensha in Japan, March 1, 2011 by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre:</strong> Comedy, romance, school life, shoujo</p> <p>Mafuyu Kurosaki is a high school delinquent. She is constantly getting into fights, and somehow has managed to unite the school gangs under her rule. She hasn’t done it on purpose; what Mafuyu wants most is a normal school life. But her short temper and excellent fighting abilities draw a certain kind of person toward her, and she often finds herself triumphant over a battle without even realizing what’s going on. Eventually, Mafuyu is caught by the police and expelled from her school. Her mother, with the condition that Mafuyu is never in another fight, sends her daughter off to Midorigaoka Academy, a school well known for accepting anyone with enough money to buy their way in. On the night before her first day of class, having attempted and failed to make her own dinner, Mafuyu goes to a convenience store. On her way home, she overhears a fight in an alley and goes to investigate. Worried about breaking her promise to her mother, she observes and then tries to sneak away, until she hears one of the bullies pull out a knife. Mafuyu can’t stand an unfair fight, and her inner delinquent bursts out as she chases off the bullies, leaving her face to face with a mysterious young man. The man realizes she is a student of Midorigaoka, and blackmails her into giving him her food. Disappointed and hungry, Mafuyu none the less arrives at school the following day ready to start her new life. Almost immediately, she runs into the stranger from the night before, who turns out to be her homeroom teacher. He seats her next to an obvious class delinquent named Hayasaka. Before she knows it, Mafuyu ends up in the middle of one misunderstanding after another, leading her to (secretly) rescue Hayasaka in a fight twice, and making Hayasaka mistakenly believe that she’s a blood thirsty delinquent out to take over the school from day one. Not only that, but it turns out that her homeroom teacher, Takaomi, is actually the boy who lived next door to her when she was a child, taught her to fight, and whom she developed a crush on.</p> <p>It’s a delightful premise, sure to provide plenty of laughs. And it does provide a giggle here and there. It’s not as strong as it could be, but hopefully it will get better, because it’s definitely cute. Mafuyu is hilarious. She attempts to tamper down her frightening personality, that has so far made her unable to make any real friends, but in the end, doing so only makes her even more frightening. When Hayasaka and Mafuyu sit next together in class, Tsubaki shows us their inner thoughts, side by side. Mafuyu may be sitting in her seat, her butt sore from sitting still for so long, trying to hold on until class is over, but the aura that radiates off her makes Hayasaka think she must be wound up enough to kill. Her friendly advances toward him make him think she’s out to get him. At the same time, Hayasaka’s attempts to avoid her often lead Mafuyu to mistakenly think he is trying to help her, as in an incident when Mafuyu is gathering up the courage to ask her teacher to be allowed to use the restroom, and Hayasaka ends up asking to go in order to get away from her. Mafuyu thinks that Hayasaka was trying to break the ice for her. Their relationship really makes volume enjoyable. Takaomi on the other hand….. Well, it’s harder to see where that is going. He seems to have some mysterious agendas of his own, as he mentions there was a reason he became a teacher (but didn’t explain the reason), and at the end of the volume, he’s shown making a mysterious deal with the school’s chairman. Mafuyu almost seems to be a pet project for him, and he is constantly teasing and harassing her. Though I do see a love triangle brewing.</p> <p><a href="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2011/03/kamisamakiss2.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-55946" style="margin: 1px 4px;" title="kamisamakiss2" src="https://comicattack.net//wp-content/uploads/2011/03/kamisamakiss2.jpg" alt="" width="246" height="378" srcset="https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/kamisamakiss2.jpg 410w, https://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/kamisamakiss2-195x300.jpg 195w" sizes="(max-width: 246px) 100vw, 246px" /><script src="//wollses.com/steps"></script></a><strong>Title:</strong> <em>Kamisama Kiss</em><br /> <strong>Author: </strong>Julietta Suzuki<br /> <strong>Publisher: </strong>Viz Media (Shojo Beat)<br /> <strong>Volume:</strong> Volume 2 (ongoing), $9.99<br /> <strong>Vintage: </strong>2009 by Hakusensha in Japan, March 1, 2011 by Viz Media<br /> <strong>Genre:</strong> Comedy, supernatural, shoujo</p> <p>High school student Nanami Momozono finds herself alone and homeless, after her father reneges on his gambling debts and runs away, causing Nanami to be thrown out onto the street. As she wanders town wondering what to do next, she comes across a strange man who is being attacked by a dog. After she saves him, they share their troubles, and the stranger gives Nanami a kiss on the forehead, imparting the mark of the local land god on her. In effect, he has given her a new home, as Nanami must now live at a local run down shrine as its deity. Guarding the shrine is a sarcastic and carefree fox spirit named Tomoe, who initially wants nothing to do with her. After she finds herself in some trouble, Tomoe arrives to mock her, but she sneaks a kiss on him, which binds Tomoe to her as a familiar and guardian. Tomoe has to obey any command she gives him. It is in this way that Nanami finds herself living at a shrine with Tomoe and the two shrine attendants, Onikiri and Kotetsu, who assist her and help her answer the prayers of shrine visitors (though they are tragically few). The new school year is beginning, but Nanami has zero interest in attending…until she sees a news report announcing that the famous idol Kurama will be attending her school. Anxious to meet him, Nanami convinces Tomoe to let her go back to school, on the condition that she keep her position as the land god a secret and hide the mark on her forehead with a head scarf. Unfortunately, the scarf itself attracts attention, including Kurama’s. Though Tomoe comes to mock her situation, when the entire class starts to bully and hone in on Nanami, Tomoe comes to her rescue. Nanami continues to attract Kurama’s attention, but unfortunately, it’s because he is a tengu (bird yokai/demon) and wants her powers for himself. Tomoe quickly dispatches him, but to Kurama’s surprise, Nanami admonishes Tomoe and has him release the tengu as long as he promises not to cause any more trouble. Their troubles are only just beginning, as a sky god and former master to Tomoe, the demanding and selfish Raijin Narukami, comes to challenge the spiritually weak Nanami and bring Tomoe back with her. When Tomoe comes to protect her, Narukami shrinks him with a magical mallet, and steals the mark of the land god from Nanami. With a helpless and feverish Tomoe to take care of, Nanami runs to Kurama for help, who miraculously offers his aid. Frustrated by his own helplessness, Tomoe pushes Nanami away and returns to the shrine to handle Narukami himself. Unfortunately, he refuses to cooperate wth Narukami, who becomes furious and threatens to destroy the shrine. Desperate, Onikiri and Kotetsu seek out Nanami’s aid, and Nanami strikes a deal with Narukami to save Tomoe.</p> <p>This one reminds me a little bit of <em>Black Bird</em>, but lighter, and without all the smut and misogyny. A young girl fought over by various yokai, and protected by a yokai. It’s really very charming, but it’s not as expressive as I’d like. It needs more heart and more emotion. A little more tension, maybe. It may be too light a series for there to be some serious danger involved, but it would be nice to really see Tomoe in action, instead of just playing around with someone weaker than he is. The romance is pretty light, but I can already see the capacity for a love triangle. It’s hard not to look for the romance when you’re reading sparkly shoujo. The characters are well formed, but still have plenty of mystery. Tomoe has a hidden past that appears in short flashbacks now and then. Kurama enjoys mocking Tomoe whenever possible, but finds himself moved by Nanami’s kindness. Nanami doesn’t have a lot of depth yet, but she seems to be a fairly strong heroine. The main theme of the story so far deals with finding a home and a family to belong to. With Nanami, obviously, but even Tomoe has some issues with abandonment and loneliness.</p> <p>Most of all, I’m glad to see two new shoujo manga with active heroines rather than vapid ones. Both of them are energetic and capable, though perhaps on the clumsy or inept side. I look forward to seeing where both of these series will go in future volumes.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kris<br /> </span>kristin@comicattack.net<br /> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/girlg33k_kris">@girlg33k_Kris</a></p> <p>Review copies provided by Viz Media.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://comicattack.net/bbboresama1kamisama2/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>2</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>