Creative Staff:
Story/Art: Hiroshi Shiibashi
Translation: John Werry
What They Say:
The yokai Hagoromo-Gitsune gives birth to the new reincarnation of Nue, also known as Abe no Seimei, ancestor to the world-killing Gokadoin clan. The fight to stop the birth lost, Rikuo and his allies must now not only stop Hagoromo from killing them, but also find a way to neutralize this new being that could signal the end of all things!
Content: (please note that the content portion of a review may contain spoilers)
We finally reach the birth of Nue, Hagoromo-Gitsune’s son, with this volume, and that obviously means some big battles. Rikuo faces off against Kidomaru, one of Hagoromo’s servants, and uses his new ability to equip Kurotabo. Having done this technique with Rikuo’s father, Kuro is able to teach Rikuo new aspects of Equip (in the midst of battle, because that’s a convenient time to learn). But even as they defeat Kidomaru, Hagoromo-Gitsune appears, and Nue is born — as a giant, seemingly clay-encrusted baby. Still being vulnerable, the group decides to attack Nue, but then Tuschigumo appears; wanting to fight and defeat Nue himself, he’s not about to let him get sealed away yet. Rikuo and Yura manage to get into a position to fight Hagoromo, so that Rikuo can use his sword, Nenekirimaru, and Yura can attack with her ultimate shikigami, Hagun.
As the battle continues, we get a hint at something deeper with Hagoromo-Gitsune. It begins with Rikuo’s memory of her killing his father, which we’ve see in earlier volumes, but he also tries to figure out who Hagoromo’s human personality, the person who’s body she took over in this incarnation, is. Nurarihyon, who is still hanging around in the sidelines, also makes some mention of their being more going on than they all understand. As Nue’s birth is finally completed, Hagoromo is suddenly showered with human memories. While it’s not much, it’s enough to imply that Hagoromo as a human was also somehow connected with Rikuo’s father.
Amidst all the action there are couple of funny moments, like when Awashima is running to catchup with Rikuo with a bunch of little yokai clinging to her back. But mostly, all the funny moments come at the end with a couple of bonus chapters, mostly revolving around Rikuo figuring out that all the “school mysteries” are just Nura yokai hanging around where they aren’t supposed to be, so he has to go tell them to knock it off. It’s not clear where this is supposed to take place in the continuity, either before or after the Kyoto arc, but it’s still a nice break, and a good chance to see more of the diverse yokai.
In Summary
As the big final battle in the Kyoto arc finally starts happening, there’s quite a bit of action to keep track of. With all the characters popping on and off screen, it’s hard to keep tabs on everyone and remember where they are or even what their doing. And while Shiibashi’s detailing is generally welcome, with the heavy action scenes it becomes just a smidge more difficult to follow along. Despite that it’s a pretty exciting volume, made the more so by the sudden complication that’s implied about Hagoromo-Gitsune’s human self. It may wind up feeling like something that was suddenly cooked up and tacked onto the story, like the previous sudden memory of Rikuo’s father’s death. But that bit only made the manga more layered and appealing, and I can hope that whatever this new secret winds up being, it has the same effect.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released by: Viz Media
Release Date: June 4, 2013
MSRP: $9.99
