Comics / Manga

Kekkaishi: Volume 27

By Leroy Douresseaux
August 13, 2011 - 09:39

Kekkaishi Volume 27 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com

Rated “T” for “Teen”

By day, 14-year-old Yoshimori Sumimura is just a student, going to high school with his pretty 16-year-old neighbor and friend, Tokine Yukimura.  Both of them are kekkaishi, demon hunters that specialize in creating magical barriers around their prey.  The natural enemy of the kekkaishi is a race of demons known as the ayakashi.  Their families fight over which of the two will be a true practitioner of the art of the kekkaishi.

As Kekkaishi, Vol. 27 begins, Yoshimori and Tokine continue their battle against a powerful witch and her comrades who have attacked the Karasumori Site, which is under the protection of the Sumimura and Yukimura families.  The witch wants the site’s power, and she is willing to destroy the surrounding town to get what she wants.  Yoshimori and the Night Troops are fighting a losing battle, and Yoshimori’s pal, Soji is connected to the attackers.

Meanwhile, Yoshimori’s older brother, Masamori, has been invited to help revamp the Shadow Organization, but the meeting with the leader, Hisaomi Yumeji, yields dark secrets.  The questions that Masamori asks will help solve a murder and reveal an ugly feud at the heart of the Shadow Organization.

THE LOWDOWN:  Every time I read the superb Kekkaishi, I think of Steve Ditko, Harry Potter, and Shonen Jump magazine.  I do think this series has some of the best elements of Ditko’s Doctor Strange, the Harry Potter novels, and Shonen Jump titles like D.Gray-man, Bleach and Naruto.  Intrigue, great fight scenes, super powers, and magic aplenty added to excellent characters, compelling soap opera, and dark conspiracy make a manga that you will want to read every chance you get.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of VIZ Media’s “Shonen Jump” action manga will like Kekkaishi, because it’s so damn good.  That’s it – so damn good.

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Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12