Kamisama Kiss Volume 13 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Nanami Momozono found herself abandoned and homeless after her father left town to avoid his debts.  Then, Nanami saved a strange man, and he generously offered her a place to stay in his home.  Nanami later discovered that the man had tricked her into taking his job as the kami (local god) of the Mikage Shrine.  To make matters worse, her shinshi (or familiar), is Tomoe, a fox yokai who keeps Nanami from enjoying her youth.  Her second shinshi is Mizuki, the incarnation of a white snake.

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 13 (Chapters 73 to 78) opens on the eve of a special marriage.  Nishiki Ryori, Prince of Inuaki Swamp, wants to marry Himemiko, the ayakashi (yokai) ruler of Tatara swamp.  Himemiko is actually in love with a frail, human boy named Kotaro, but she does not believe that he could accept her true form, as she is the incarnation of a catfish.  She wants to avenge the wounds Nishiki gave her human sweetheart.  However, Himemiko has been engaged to Nishiki since they were young.

Meanwhile, Ryu-oh Sukuna, ruler over the seven seas, and Kotaro plan on crashing the wedding.  So where is our heroine, Nanami, who is acting as host to this wedding?  Well, she’s not quite herself...

THE LOWDOWN:  The Kamisama Kiss manga always deserves credit for being imaginative, as I always say, because each story arc offers some strange new place or weird and wonderful new creature, being, or person to meet.  I’ll give creator Julietta Suzuki credit simply for turning inland waterway fish into interesting fairy tale and fantasy creatures and characters.

Kamisama Kiss Volume 13 presents subplots of star-crossed love, love triangles, and assorted tumultuous romances.  The center of this story is the sweet tale of Himemiko and Kotaro, which makes this volume worth reading.  Regular readers of the series will also enjoy Nanami’s predicament.  Once again, Suzuki’s deft use of misdirection, misunderstanding, and misidentification makes for high-spirited comedy.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of fantasy and yokai-themed manga will like the Shojo Beat title, Kamisama Kiss.