Many thanks to Yen Press for providing a review copy
About the Mangaka
Kamatani Yuhki has only done two works to date, this Nabari no Ou, and a single volume work titled Liberamente. Nabari no Ou was her debut work, and is still currently running after ten volumes. She maintains a blog, but bear in mind it’s all japanese.
About the manga
I’ve been chopping and changing my mind over this series as I’ve read it in the anthology. Yet I find myself changing it once again while reading in tankobon format.
Reading the series in anthology format, and reading it in tankobon format give off completely different feelings. In the anthology form (as in reading it in Yen Plus) I found myself floating from liking the series, to apathy.
This is because of the way the story flows, we get chapters of fun or action, that really make you like the story. Then we get chapters of nothing, that really leave you wondering what it was you just read.
Reading it in it’s tankobon form however you come to realise that the chapters of nothingness are essential for breaking up and relaxing the series. Otherwise it would have become bog down by it’s own action scenes.
Art wise, I do tend to flip (yeah I’m really indecisive at times!!) again between liking and disliking it. The cover art, and the colour panel are amazing, and the cover really does show of Miharu’s apathy towards life in a great way.The colour page is equally stunning, but I’m biased as hell cause Raimei is in it 
Sadly the art within the manga itself is rather inconsistent, and tends to go from great to awful. However I tend to be more forgiving since this is her first work.
My main issue with the art is the way she can draw really well one moment, but in a few panels it’s horrid. True some of these are done deliberately to emphasise the scene, but others I don’t know, they just look bad.
However where this series really grabs me is on the premise, flow, and consistency. Ninja stories have been done to death, but this time we have a different twist (or different for me at least). Taking a secret art and hiding it in someone is a interesting turn of events that really makes reading interesting.
I was especially happy with the characters, they were all well fleshed out and interesting. Miharu and Raimei are by far my favourite because their personalities are so well established. There are several twists in the plot that I really thought were awesome.
The twists and turns in this volume aren’t as interesting as what’s to come (naturally), but what we are treated to is a perfect stage setting volume. All of the characters are introduced in such a way you can’t help but like them.
The star of the series is of course Miharu, his apathy and devilry are on an epic scale. I just love the way he manipulates people to get them to do what he wants, or the way he changes suddenly.
The other aspect of the story that has really got me intrigued is the Shinra Banshou. While it’s hinted that secret arts are books of, well, secret techniques, that each village holds and guards. The shinra banshou however seems to be different, in that it’s sealed within a persons body (in this case Miharu), yet is also sentient and alive. Several time in this volume it’s hinted at.
Personally I can’t wait to see just how sentient it is, and whether the girl he see’s is the secret art, or someone from his past.
Yen Press did an excellent job on this, the translation is smooth and consistent, and while I’m not overly keen on their font choices for some of the text, the fonts they picked do fit. As always they leave all honorific’s intact, and include a glossary of japanese terms.
My only minor grievance this volume is on the acronym MEXT, it’s dropped on the reader with no explanation for it, leaving the reader having to hunt the glossary for it. It would have been nice to have it on the panel border, just to help the ease of reading and understanding.
As it stands right now I’d add this to my Essential Read list, however I want to wait for another volume or so to be published before I make my mind up fully. It is possible (and has happened in the past), that the story could take a nose dive. thankfully this is a series of average length (10 volumes), giving plenty of room for the series to grow and breath.
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