What will Sho do now that his plans have begun to fall apart?
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Kanako Sakurakouji
Translation: JN Productions
What They Say:
Sho’s plans to plunge the world into chaos continue as he targets the Eight Daitengu, hoping to strip his brother Kyo of all his protectors. And now Sho has Hoki, whose secret past makes him easy prey. Can Hoki stand up to Sho, or will his efforts to aid Kyo backfire?
Content:
As Hoki begins fighting with Sho, everyone else begins to worry about the young tengu, and rightfully so. Every time Hoki strikes down Sho, it turns out to be nothing but an illusion. Even so, Hoki continues proclaiming his loyalty to Kyo, prompting Sho to decide to dice off Hoki’s limbs in order to make him nothing but a hindrance. Fortunately, before Sho can commit the deed he retreats, and a shield kido appears around his compound, allowing Kyo to retrieve the wounded Hoki. Hoki begins to break down, but Kyo simply tells him to stay by his side.
Afterwards, Zenki awakes and becomes furious at Hoki. Fortunately, the kids soon arrive and calm him down with their smiles. However, it isn’t long before the villagers appear before Kyo, demanding Hoki and Zenki be held accountable for what happened. With simply his overwhelming presence, Kyo is able to silence the complaining villagers and bring the situation to a peaceful close. Immediately afterwards, though, things take an unexpected turn for the worse as the kido randomly connects to Misao’s door, taking her right to Sho.
Sho appears weak before Misao, apparently a side effect of his revival. As it turns out, even the shield itself is now outside of his control. It soon becomes clear that Sho’s new life is running out, and he’s left rapidly dying before Misao. He begins to insanely ramble about power and how nobody loves him, prompting Misao to cry for him. With this he realizes that he’s actually been in love with Misao all this time, and says that he wants her to live with him. When Misao begins pushing him away, he says that according to the Senka Roku, Kyo will end up killing her, something that he would never do.
Misao rejects him once more, and he prepares to head out, only to collapse. Though she realizes leaving him to die will end the fighting, Misao is unable to do so, and gives him her blood. Sho then flies off with Misao, who realizes she has betrayed her beloved Kyo and promptly passes out. Kyo and company prepare for a fierce battle with Sho and his affiliated clans, only to find the other demons fleeing. Sho appears before them and gives Misao back, and it becomes clear that he had actually been cleaning up his mess instead of preparing for war. Even so, Sho continues to play the villain and challenges Kyo to one last match.
In Summary:
This volume makes for a surprisingly intriguing read. Instead of simply continuing on with Sho’s plans, we get to see him grow as a character. Meanwhile, we are treated to Kyo’s growth in parallel, creating an interesting dynamic. By shaking up what was a more or less black and white relationship, the book becomes a good bit more intriguing than in the past. Of course, Misao continues to tread the line between being caring and whiny, but even so this book remains a solid entry in the series.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A
Package Rating: A
Text/Translation Rating: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released by: VIZ Media
Release Date: March 6th, 2012
MSRP: $9.99
1 thought on “Black Bird Vol. #13 Manga Review”