Arata The Legend: Volume 6 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Humans and gods coexist in the world of Amawakuni.  High school freshman Arata Hinohara switches place with an Amawakuni boy also named Arata.  Hinohara is chosen to wield a Hayagami (a god in sword form) named Tsukuyo so that he can save Princess Kikuri.  Arata lives on Earth, while Arata Hinohara goes on a life-changing journey.

Masato Kadowaki, the boy who has bullied Hinohara on Earth, is now in Amawakuni.  As Arata: The Legend, Vol. 6 begins, Hinohara, to his horror, discovers that Kadowaki has followed him to Arata’s world.  Hinohara flies into a rage and begins to transform into a demonic enemy.  Can his friends save him?  Meanwhile, Harunawa leaves Amawakuni to take Kadowaki’s place on earth so that he can torment Arata.

THE LOWDOWN:  The thickness of internal mythology and terminology involving this series should not turn readers off Arata: The Legend, even when they discover how large the cast is.  Yep, you have two worlds worth of characters.  The beautiful art by creator Yuu Watase and the involving epic story make this crowded concept worth learning.  There are so many characters that you’re bound to find one to love and so many subplots that you’re bound to find one of those to love, too.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers looking for epic fantasy in comic book form will want to try Arata: The Legend.

B+