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

nabari_2

I really loved this volume, mainly because we have a story here where there is no out and out good guy or bad guy scenario. I also love the way the various characters interact and grow, though I think to much has been revealed to fast, in some places.

The art for this has really grown on me as I’ve been reading it in the anthology. It fits the characters, and the airy light feel the characters get at times is really fitting, especially with Miharu.

I really liked the way the characters have been designed in this series, which I admit is a change from what I though in volume one. The truth is the characters, for the most part, feel more real, and look more human than I was expecting. Especially the head bad guy, he looks more like your average uncle more than the leader of the bad guys hehe.

The other aspect I really liked, was the comical and chibi use. Granted it has a stronger impact on me this volume since I’d just read two volumes of Goong where they’d been badly used. However I found the comic and chibi use in this volume to be awesome, and I couldn’t help but laugh over them.

It’s not all good art however, there are a few times  I found the art a bit weird. Though I think that was due more to the way it was used rather than it being bad. For example the character Yukimi, who looks after Yoite, his eyes really just feel out of place, much like his design in general. It doesn’t really fit with the other character designs.

But I sort of like these odd differences, they give the series that little something extra to set it apart from others.

Yoite is another with a rather unique feel, in both his character design and personality.

Where this series excels and really grabs you though is the story, which is totally mind blowing.

As I said in the beginning there is no real ‘bad’ or ‘good’ guy in this series. While the Grey Wolves were initially portrayed as the bad guys, in truth they’re revealed to be no different that the others. They all have the same objective, and in truth give the same orders to their men.

This really surprised me, and has really gotten me into the story. When there is a clearly defined set of sides it can get a bit uninteresting at times. However when you have a scenario like this, with no clear sides, it’s interesting to see how they go at it. Ultimately one side will be the bad guys, but it’s always fun trying to figure out the changing flows.

This volume clearly showed that perfectly, as a supposed enemy turns out to be something else. I was also impressed by the way we get information on both Yoite and Miharu’s personalities. These two are central characters, but because of the way they were set up in volume one it’s hard to easily reveal information and history without destroying the image we have of the characters

Yuhki does this really well, not only do we get some information, but we also get a glimpse into both Miharu and Yoite. The setting really has me on edge now waiting for the next volume, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Yen Press return for another excellent volume, with no issues with the translation or the editing. Was thankful for a gutter free volume as well. As always I was impressed with the attention to detail that Yen give their releases, and this volume was no exception. Even little things such as browsers and phone call notices were translated.

Another awesome volume like this and ill be adding it to my Essential Read list!!

Where to Buy

  • Share/Bookmark