Nura: Rise Of The Yokai Clan Vol. #02 Manga Review

Intriguing yokai power struggles are occasionally interrupted by school drama and hot springs.

Creative Staff
Story and Art: Hiroshi Shiibashi
Translation: Nabe Watanabe, Cindy Yamauchi
Adaptation: Mark Giambruno

What They Say:
When the Kyuso yokai clan kidnaps Rikuo’s classmates Kana and Yura, Rikuo transforms into his yokai form to save them. But the plot is far from over. it turns out Gyuki, a top officer in the Nura clan, secretly masterminded the attack! Unfortunately, Rikuo learns of this deceit just as he’s embarking on a camping trip to a mountain renowned for yokai activity. Is Rikuo walking into a trap?!

The Review:
The rat yokai Kyuso has kidnapped Rikuo’s friends Kana and Yura, and will only release them if Rikuo vows to step down as leader of the clan. Not even wanting the job, Rikuo is more than ready to give in – but his grandfather, and the rest of the clan, aren’t about to let him. Rikuo begins to have a change of heart when a distant clan member reveals the truth of the rats: they devour young girls, and will only kill Rikuo’s friends once he steps down. Still, he’s not able to do something until night falls, and his powerful alter-ego takes over.

Rikuo storms the rats’ hideout with his clan, and while it’s an interesting fight scene it’s a bit wasted. There are so many unique yokai battling, that they only get a panel or two to themselves to show off their stuff. It’s a little frustrating, but it allows the story to move at a faster pace.

The next couple of chapters brings the rest of the Paranormal Patrol into the story, and that’s where the manga gets back to being dull. Rikuo is ill after using so much demonic power, and the club shows up unexpectedly to check on him. It’s also when Kana notices that Yuki-Onna (the yokai passing as the girl Tsurara to keep an eye on her master) is awfully close to Rikuo, and her jealousy glares through. After, the ill-advised (and completely unnecessary) leader of the Paranormal Patrol Kyutsugu takes the club on a trip to the mountains to find yokai. Just as Rikuo and Yuki-Onna realize there really are yokai on the mountain, the rest of the clan discovers that the incident with Kyuso was no accident – there is a traitor within the clan, and he wants Rikuo gone.

While the girls relax at a hot spring (of course there’s a hot spring scene) Kyutsugu goes off to get captured by a demon – he can’t be the only one not to be rescued by the leader of the yokai, after all. As Yuki-Onna and Rikuo split up to protect their classmates, Yuki-Onna is attacked. She lets her guard down and gets injured, and who should come to save her but Rikuo, still in human form! He becomes stronger as he fights, until he finally transforms, and it’s unclear whether he’s actually become fully aware of his other self and is able to control his powers.

Meanwhile, Yura, as an onmyoji (exorcist) has to protect the girls when they’re also attacked (and obviously, being in a hot spring, she’s naked). But just as things get tough, the karasu-tengu (crow demons) save them. They’re looking to save Rikuo from the traitorous Gyuki, but Rikuo has already found him. Gyuki is determined to kill Rikuo, certain it will save the clan – can Rikuo stand against that?

In Summary
This volume of Nura suffers from the same clunkiness as the last one. Rikuo as a human is still wishy-washy and bothersome, and you can’t help but wish that his alter-ego showed up more often. The varying yokai are still the most interesting things to look at, but they keep showing up in cluttered messes, and aren’t given enough time to really shine. Even with Yuki-Onna, a main character, her fights are too short; she isn’t given enough time to do much, and despite her strength just winds up as another girl to be rescued.

The story becomes more exciting as Rikuo’s personality blends with his alter ego’s. His battle against becoming the clan leader is becoming redundant, so hopefully as his understanding deepens this simply stops happening. And as yokai politics become more complicated, Nura gets more intriguing. Despite weak points in plot and characterization, this manga, while certainly not great, still has the potential to be fun to read.

Content Grade: C
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B
Text Translation Grade: B+

Age Rating: 13_
Released By: VIZ Media
Release Date: April 5th, 2011
MSRP: $9.99

Angela Sylvia

http://diaryofabookworm.wordpress.com

Angela has been writing about anime, manga and comics for the past few years, and her work can also be found on Manga Bookshelf and Creative Screenwriting. She recently received her MFA in Creative Writing for Young People from Lesley University.

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