This is one dinner party no human wants to be a part of.
Creative Staff
Story: HaccaWorks*
Art: nanao
Translation/Adaptation: Jocelyn Allen
What They Say
Yue makes for the shrine to rescue the captive Tsubaki. But there, he is met with the past of the man calling himself Sagano. Once upon a time, shrine master Mikoto herself saved Sagano’s life when he went by the name “Akashi.” But as a result, Sagano lost everything dear and had to stand by as his body became the vessel for Shin, the leader of the ayakashi. Now intent upon vengeance, Sagano raids the shrine and challenges Mikoto to a duel! Meanwhile, Yue decides on the path he must take! As the humans and ayakashi clash, the vagaries of fate accelerate…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Are you ready? This is the moment where Ayakashi stops being coy and lays out everything it has. It’s about time! It was long past the moment where the lack of information was driving the plot and lost in a confusing mess of motivations. That all gets set straight throughout this volume.
First of all, Shin did steal Sagano’s body. He told the Miko that he devoured Sagano’s soul but that isn’t the case. Not exactly. Sagano’s rage meant that he was locked away in darkness until the ayakashi song sung during a soul ceremony lured him out and gave him a second chance for revenge. Sagano isn’t just a nobody from the local village, he’s a member of the Tsubaki family from generations past.
For many volumes, Shin was portrayed as a quiet, calm spirit looking out for Yue’s well-being. Now we know the truth that his actions in the past, even after placing the barrier over the town, were far from kind. He looked after his own kind at the expense of humans and went and did something that is the very definition of adding insult to injury. Not only did the Miko turn Sagano into a monster, Shin stole his life and took his girl! Sagano, or should I say Akashi Tsubaki, is completely justified in his desire for revenge.
Unfortunately, that target for revenge is trapped inside Yue and is a part of him. Despite all of the explanations for who all these characters are and how they came to be, we still don’t have a good explanation for Yue himself. Where did his personality come from? Is it just the natural amalgamation of all the other souls?
It may not matter. When Yue asserts he won’t eat his friend Tougo Tsubaki, the ayakashi inform him that if he won’t eat then he’ll become the meal. They’ll force Tsubaki to become the next host and devour Yue’s soul. All of his former friends seem to be actively working against him, and after seeing the dog-eat-dog politics of the ayakashi world this shouldn’t be much of a surprise, but it is. I feel like the story was carefully trying to portray this group of spirits as simply animalistic, but their actions are harsh and Shin’s past actions feel extremely vindictive. Their precious Shin is a monster to the humans and his overfed fellows are becoming more violent.
Not all ayakashi are against Yue though. Kurogitsune is still hiding for fear of hurting Yue, and Tsubaki’s little sister Hina reveals her true identity and purpose. Still, it makes me wonder why they are protecting the Tsubaki family. Is it simply because Shin once had a connection there and they treat them like beloved pets instead of livestock? Or perhaps prized livestock.
This volume ends on a tense moment as Yue and Akiyoshi rushing to rescue Tougo while trying to avoid the rest of the ayakashi. The next volume should be the conclusion, but I wonder what sort of a sacrifice will have to be made.
Yen includes multiple opening color pages in this book, and a preview of the next volume as an extra.
In Summary
This volume of Ayakashi finally clarifies all of the body swapping, possession, and who everyone is in relation to everyone else. In doing so it immediately shadowed the ayakashi characters as the villains even more than they had already been portrayed as. Yue is in a tight spot and risks becoming a victim himself as he frantically tries to save everyone without really knowing how to prevent another terrible tragedy. I can’t really see a happy way out for everyone, and at this point, I don’t think the ayakashi deserve a happy way out. Now that things are clearer and the stakes defined I’m eager to see how the story is going to resolve this war between wronged beings and captive souls.
Content Grade: B +
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B +
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: $13.00
MSRP: June 20th, 2017
