Thanks to barnesnandnoble.com for the image.

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

Ian Hasumi can see spirits, and he remembers his late mother as having green hair and red eyes.  His father, noted novelist Kazumi Hasumi, tells his son that he sees spirits because he has an active imagination.  After the lizard-spirit, Tokage, takes over his body, Ian also becomes a spirit.  With the help of his friend Rin Ishinagi, a teen girl Ian has known since they were children, Ian must stop a conspiracy by the fairy world against humanity.

In Fairy Cube, Vol. 2, Ian learns of the Gotoh Group’s sinister plans and also meets... his Aunt Lise!  After Tokage kidnaps her, Rin doesn’t sit around crying like a helpless maiden.  She begins a quest to leave the fairy realm, where she is imprisoned, so she can help Ian, not knowing Shira Gotoh’s plans for her.

THE LOWDOWN:  Readers who have enjoyed creator Kaori Yuki’s manga series, The Cain Saga and Godchild, are familiar with her moody, Victorian tales that have an air of intense mystery and suspense hanging over them.  Fairy Cube drops the mystery and suspense, but retains the Victorian and gothic sensibilities and is set in a Machiavellian world of warring fairy clans.

The intrigue is high, and the violence is swift and sudden, making this one of the meanest tales set in the world of the Faerie that I’ve ever read.  Sometimes, Fairy Cube seems beset by too many subplots, too large a cast of characters, and a seemingly giant web of conflicting motivations.  The art is good, but not particularly exciting visually.  However, its unique take on fairies, the sinister pagan touches, and a captivating concept makes this an interesting read.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  As part of VIZ Media’s “Shojo Beat” line of manga, Fairy Cube reaches out to shoujo (girls’ comics) readers who want a meal of fairy food that is more pungent than sweet.

B