Kurohime Volume 12 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

After Kurohime, the legendary witch-gunslinger, challenged the gods, they punished her by transforming her into a little girl named Himeko.  Kurohime only regained her original body and powers because of the love of a highly skilled young gunslinger named Zero, who died saving her life.  In order to restore her powers to their fullest, Kurohime must gather the powers of the Four Spirit Kings, but regaining her powers will cost her all her memories of Zero.

In Kurohime, Vol. 12 (entitled Kiss of Death), Kurohime joins forces with the Kurohime Punishment Squad.  This group was formed by the death angel Sword to destroy Kurohime for killing Sword’s lover.  Trapped inside the jaws of Shishijo, a living castle shaped like a giant lion, Kurohime and her enemies take on Marion, the mistress of the castle and the leader of an evil wizard group.  Marion plots to create the ultimate death angel by draining human life and magical power from Kurohime and the other witch-gunslingers.

THE LOWDOWN:  The 12th volume of Kurohime is a breath of fresh air in the series.  Creator Masanori Ookamigumi Katakura suppresses his urge to fill panel after panel with gargantuan boobs squeezed into tight shirts.  Worry not dear reader, Katakura’s vivid imagination is still on display, but the chapters here focus on action created with such wonderful imagination, and Katakura’s amazing visuals never disappointed.  The witch bullets steal the show.  When shot from a witch-gunslinger’s pistol, these bullets can transform into a remarkable assortment of fantastic beasts, objects, or combinations of the two.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of the darker side of “Shonen Jump” fun will want Kurohime.

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