Kekkaishi (3-in-1 Edition) Vol. 1Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: May 2011
Price: $14.99
Creator: Yellow Tanabe
Format: 576 pgs., B&W; Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4215-4029-0
Age Rating: Teen
ICv2 Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: May 2011
Price: $14.99
Creator: Masahi Kishimoto
Format: 600 pgs., B&W; Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3989-8
Age Rating: Teen
ICv2 Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
Yoshimori is a junior high school student more interested in baking cakes than fighting supernatural monsters but unfortunately his family are Kekkaishi, a kind of demon hunter. But to make things worse it’s starting to affect his friendship with his pretty next door neighbor Tokine who belongs to a rival clan of Kekkaishi. There a lot of manga about juvenile exorcists but Yellow Tanabe has grounded his supernatural story in reality by populating it with relatable characters and situations.
In Konohagakure village lives Naruto, a goofy troublemaker with a strange secret who’s determined to not just get through Ninja Academy but to become the greatest ninja ever. At first he alienates his fellow students but after a while they learn to appreciate not just his skills but his sincerity and determination. Mashaki Kishimoto’s Naruto is incredibly popular for a reason; it’s a wonderful blend of action, humor and soap opera that turns the ninja genre on it’s head.
Because manga pacing is frequently so slow sometimes its hard to judge a manga from just reading the first volume. At first Naruto is almost exclusively about the antics of it’s cheerful screw-up hero but quickly becomes more about all of the Ninja Academy students. And as Kekkaishi progress the more we learn about the characters backgrounds the deeper their relationships become. Plus it can be expensive to catch up with an ongoing series, especially a long-running one (like Naruto). Which is what makes these handy Viz 3-in-1 omnibus editions so valuable.
--Steve Bennett: Writer and retail services consultant.