Grasp the power of possession!
Creative Staff
Story: Takaya Kagami
Art: Yamato Yamamoto
Translation: Adrienne Beck
What They Say
Yuichiro has no memory of his terrifying but temporary transformation into a one-winged monster during the battle for Shinjuku. The widely feared leaders of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, however, take note of his squad’s unusual talent. Despite the unwanted attention, Yuichiro’s resolve to save Mika from the vampires crystallizes as his real training in demon possession and manifestation begins.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
A week after the attack, Yuichiro is still recovering and doing his best to find a way to turn Mika back into a human. Shinoa finds him in this state and gives him a few hints, including that Mika must have been turned by a high ranking vampire, when suddenly our hero finds himself called into headquarters. Shinoa explains that he’s certainly getting summoned by the Hirage family, the heads of the Army and a group that she’s a part of, though she stays distant. On the way, Guren reminds Yuichiro where his loyalties should lay. Finally, he ends up giving a pep talk to Mitsuba, who just got a promotion due solely to her family’s prestige, something that frustrates her greatly.
With all that out of the way, along with a quick test to cut down a vampire, Yuichiro finds himself before the cruel and intimidating Kureto Hiragi. What follows is some trickery, physical shaming, and even a little bit of using Yuichiro’s friends to “motivate” him. In the end though, our hero seems to “pass” and is allowed to go, seemingly no longer suspected as a vampire spy. However, he does end up learning in the process that the Hyakuya sect certainly experimented on him and his “family” in the orphanage, which is why Guren was interested in him.
As the volume winds down, we get a bit more of a look into Guren’s character. Just what are his ties to Shinoa, and is he truly only using Yuichiro? And will our hero be able to master the power of possession and advance to the next level?
In Summary
Though this isn’t a big volume for pure action, there’s still a lot to like here. The big one may well be the appearance of possession and manifestation, which look like they’ll be what will help to differentiate characters in terms of fighting style and really step things up a notch. Furthermore, we get some big players stepping onto the stage, with Kureto proving especially intimidating. We even get a nice look into Shinoa, Mitsuba, and especially Guren, which really helps to flesh out their characters. Considering the actual fights here are virtually non-existent, this volume really manages to excel for a “slow” volume, and is sure to keep readers plenty interested from start to finish.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: June 2nd, 2015
MSRP: $9.99
