Black Bird 11

Kanako Sakurakoji – Viz – 2011 – 14+ volumes

Guys. I don’t know about this. Part of me still remembers what a guilty pleasure this series can be. When it’s good, it’s fairly steamy, and part of me can’t help but get caught up in all the hot and heavy drama between Misao and Kyo.

But the other part of me just read this volume.

Now that… certain things have been taken care of on the Misao/Kyo side of the story, the plot shifts gears into a full-out war in the supernatural world. This is largely due to the efforts of Sho, Kyo’s evil brother. Not only is he fighting the other supernatural clans, he’s attempting to rally the village against Kyo and Misao, since Misao possesses the Senka Maiden blood that can cure all their ailments and Kyo insists that she is not to share it.

The problem is… Sho is out in the open, and the way the story goes, he’s not a bad guy. He just believes in chaos. Misao cries when she learns this, as if this explains why he would turn the village against his own brother. For some reason, the characters accept this as a valid course of action, and are upset because it goes against their goal of, you know, peace and whatnot. There’s also a lot of Misao crying about lots of other things, too. Sick villagers she can’t help. The way everybody gangs up on Kyo. The whole Sho situation, which again, is ridiculous. Misao isn’t doing a whole lot except stirring up controversy by just being there, and it doesn’t quite make sense that all the villagers do is congregate around her and glower, either. I was pretty tired of her just crying and being upset the entire volume.

Misao does have one great moment where she depreciates herself in order to make Kyo look better, and I thought that was interesting, but unfortunately, that doesn’t come up again in the conflict with the villagers and senka maiden. That would have been way more interesting than all the tears.

Part of the problem may be that the story is moving too fast through these parts. If more time was taken to develop this stuff, I bet I could believe it was happening. As it stands, everybody appears to be working themselves up again and again over the same stuff, and all Misao can do is cry. There are a couple scenes with her and Kyo that are a bit romantic, but it’s nothing like the previous volumes, and again, I think the story is setting the romance aside for awhile.

Unfortunately, while it still uses some folkloric references (I liked the casual reference to a han gon resurrection spell), it doesn’t really dwell on these things. This is just something that happens, or the way the world is, and not a whole lot of time is spent on it. That’s a shame, because the folklore is one of the more interesting things about this book, and it’s glossing over it in favor of some sort of chaos/war plot that is not going so well right now.

I’m beginning to worry that the series has lost it’s groove. I’m going to keep reading for another couple volumes to see how things go. But… I don’t know. I just haven’t been feeling these later volumes.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.

Black Bird 10

Kanoko Sakurakoji – Viz – 2011 – 14+ volumes

As much as I’ve liked this series all along, this volume made me realize I’m starting to grow a little tired of it.

The story is still… okay. Misao and Kyo are still in peril. Sho, Kyo’s evil brother, is back. He does something that… I can’t tell if it’s to gain support of the Tengu clan, or if he did it because he’s a psychopath. There’s also a subplot about the Tengu clan going to war.

The main event in this volume is the flashback we see about Kyo’s past, though. Kyo’s father, Yoh, reappears. There’s a strain in Kyo and Yoh’s relationship, and Misao sticks her nose in until Yoh tells all. There’s a sad story about the past, one of those stories where you’re lead to believe the character is a criminal, but they didn’t actually do anything and their “criminal” activity is the result of their conscious. I tend to hate stories like this for having cop-out endings. As you can imagine, the story between Kyo’s parents is both romantic and as drama-tastic as possible. And afterwards, back in the present, there’s lots of semi-terrible scenes where Misao tries to get Kyo to admit he loves his dad.

Maybe it’s because the main relationship is resolved now, but I feel like the veil has been lifted and the drama-tastic lens that the series uses to view everything is becoming increasingly apparent. Everything happens for maximum tragedy, and it’s just not working for me anymore. Or maybe I’m just seeing the rest of the series for itself, since there’s not a whole lot of Kyo/Misao scenes in this volume.

Either way. I’ll continue to buy new volumes, but this volume has made me slightly wearier of things to come.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.

Black Bird 9

Kanoko Sakurakoji – Viz – 2011 – 13+ volumes

Hmm… I was pretty curious how things would turn out after the Big Event at the end of the last volume. I thought it would be a game-changer. I was pretty disappointed, then, when Kyo and Misao spent a good portion of this volume apart because Kyo just loved Misao too much. That’s always a terrible reason for couples to split up, and one that only exists in shoujo manga. I don’t care if you are a demon that’s going to eat your girlfriend. Whatever.

The story was shortened this time, due to a two-chapter side story about Jiro and Taro in the back. I’m not a big fan of extraneous characters in any context, and the 8-member datengu guard around Kyo is almost impossible for me to keep straight, given the relatively… shallow nature of this story. I just can’t be bothered to remember personalities and backstories for characters with almost no facetime. Granted, the guy with the wife and the three triplet children are the most distinctive among them, and they are usually the only ones that get story time. That doesn’t mean that I want to read side stories about jealous brother issues.

On the plus side, Jiro and Taro are very cute, and it’s neat to see them both with their tengu wings.

Anyway, with the side story in the back, there wasn’t a whole lot of time to recover from the stupid split. The story gets a whole lot darker, with a rival clan manipulating Misao by possessing humans and making them kill other humans. This makes Misao feel very, very guilty, and the issue then becomes whether she decides to stay a human and sever all ties with demons, or choose Kyo and leave humans to this suffering.

Kyo “recovers” from pushing Misao away by… pushing her away even harder, then making it look as if he does terrible things to her against her will. This scene was pretty hard to handle, and pushed even my limits for dark drama/slightly smutty shoujo. The book ended on this note, and I’m not entirely sure… what Misao thinks of all this. I’m a little worried. And confused.

This volume is definitely a bit of a rough patch, but I enjoy this series so much that it’s hard not to imagine that I’ll fall in love again when they make it past the current crisis, especially since Kyo and Misao are… so much closer now.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.

Black Bird 8

Kanoko Sakurakojo – Viz – 2011 – 13+ volumes

This is such a horrible guilty pleasure, but I enjoy every volume so much! It pours the bittersweet doomed romance on thick every time, and I just can’t resist. Again, one of my weaknesses is the devoted couple together through thick and thin, and Kyo and Misao fit the bill nicely. Especially in this volume.

Misao is growing increasingly sure that she wants Kyo to make her his bride 100%. And by that, I mean she wants to have sex. The only reason they haven’t had it yet is that they’re not sure what will happen to Misao when Kyo takes all her demon bride essence or whatever, so they’ve abstained. Kyo continues to do so, even when Misao pressures him at the beginning of this volume.

But the two have more to worry about than that when Raikoh, the demon slayer, starts living with Misao. Through a long series of events and trickery on both sides, Kyo winds up in a position where he has to take Misao’s demon bride essence in order to survive.

I can’t say anything more than that without spoiling it, and I can’t really… get more critical than that, either. Black Bird is what it is, and it’s quite good at melodramatic romance and action. Is there more to the plot than meets the eye? Not really, but it’s a wonderful ride for those who like that sort of thing. And I definitely do.

What I will say, in its defense, is that the scene at the end of this volume is one of the most artfully done of its type I’ve ever seen in a shoujo manga. It was honestly beautiful.

The cliffhanger it leaves in its wake, however, is wicked. Do I think anything bad will come of it? Not with another 6+ volumes available after this. And I’m hoping for… unusual repercussions. I’m guessing that won’t happen, either. But I still want to know very badly what happens after the end of this volume. And that’s why I keep coming back for more. That, plus the fact that Black Bird is now like a goth version of Sensual Phrase for me.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.

Black Bird 7

Kanoko Sakurakoji – Viz – 2011 – 12+ volumes

Yes, I am still ridiculously addicted to this series. What can I say? It’s got mythology, lots of romance, and lots of angst and darkness. And none of the characters are actively irritating. These are all things I enjoy in my shoujo. The main character is some sort of demon, too, which is almost a guarantee I’ll like it.

Is it good? Well, at this point, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the plot isn’t… well, isn’t really heading in a steadily forward direction, and it’s rehashing a lot of old ground. What seems like a serious issue turns out to be a feint with no consequences, something that just stirs the characters up. Normally I would hate this, but Misao and Kyo get along so well that I love watching them needle each other light-heartedly like that, no matter how serious things seem. The question comes back around to the two of them not being able to have sex, despite wanting it badly. Then, surprise surprise, having sex may actually save Kyo from a terrible fate when a demon slayer shows up to live with Misao and wants to purge the world of Kyo and every other demon.

Do I think that those two are ever going to do the deed? No, this is a pretty tame series, despite some seriously steamy overtones. And when I say “tame,” I mean… it does get pretty… spicy at times. In this one, Misao buys Kyo chocolate frosting for Valentine’s Day, then coats him in it and licks it off. It’s one of the most erotic actions I’ve ever seen performed in a shoujo manga. It’s even got Sensual Phrase beat at the moment. But Kyo and Misao don’t have sex, and actively put it off again and again. I do like that they are aware of the sexual side of their feelings and are discussing it, but in this context, the magical barrier makes for a terrible excuse not to indulge.

The mythology elements aren’t really going anywhere, but I still like them. The dragon business didn’t go at all like I thought, and we might get to see or hear about other demons now that the demon slayer has entered the story, but something tells me that we’re just going to get a lot more Misao and Kyo.

Which is fine, honestly. I like both of them, and I like reading about their relationship. It may have started to circle back on itself, but the angst and drama, combined with their genuine affection for one another, is balanced pretty well here, and with all the steamy non-sex business, I think a lot of teen girls will probably eat this up. I know I do, and likely will continue to do so as long as things don’t get too over-the-top dramatic or ridiculous.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.

Black Bird 6

Kanoko Sakurakoji – Viz – 2010 – 11+ volumes

Okay, so reading two volumes of this back-to-back is a bad idea. The overdose left me looking at the bare bones of the plot, and it wasn’t pretty.

Basically… Sho, Kyo’s evil brother, locks himself in a storehouse with Misao, then tries to have sex with her. Poisonings and bloodlettings commence, as does a tragic flashback to childhood. At the very end of the volume, there is a plot twist where… if I’m reading this right, a being so magical that human blood will poison it asks Kyo to have sex with Misao, then have sex with his daughter to share the maiden’s/Misao’s “essence,” thus curing the daughter.

Yeah.

Again, I do like the shallow naughtiness/trashiness of this series. It’s very earnest and serious without being angsty most of the time, and though there wasn’t a whole lot in this volume, it gets away with a lot of the sex talk between Kyo and Misao because those two are genuinely passionate. The romance elements are good, and the plot is very dark, which is what I like about it. And on some level, I love that Misao has it in her to poison a captor, who then turns the tables by helping himself to her magical healing blood. Yes, it’s kind of stupid, but I still like it. It makes for a lot of suspense and a pretty cool gimmick.

Alas, the characters are also rather shallow, and their best sides are not on display in this volume. The naughtier side of Kyo is M.I.A. lately, and that seems unlikely to change given the fact that the two are in the middle of some sort of sex taboo right now. And… yeah, Misao doesn’t really have a good side, she’s mostly just a damsel in distress.

One really nice thing in this volume is that the folklore elements are starting to play a larger and larger role in the story, and if that develops more it could get pretty exciting. Aside from the Tengu clan, the Tsuchigumo spider demons play a role in this volume, as do the shirohebi snake people in some small part. We don’t see members of either clan, but their powers come into play, which is the most important part (honestly, seeing another episodic story with a member that was somehow involved in the past of the characters would keep me away for good, so it’s better this way). At the end, we get to meet a member of a godlike race of dragon people. I am very excited about the possibilities of seeing more of said dragon people, along with any other godlike magical beings the story cares to present.

The bonus pages are also great, with a brief story about how Sakurakoji threw a party for her mangaka friends, then revealed she just wanted them all over to help with her bonus pages. They were all pretty recognizable shoujo artists too, from Setona Mizushiro to Shoko Akira to Hinako Ashihara. “Yasuko” was the only one I didn’t recognize.

Basically, this is not good, but it is my kind of not good. Even with a mediocre volume like this, and the promise of more dancing around the characters having sex in the future, I’m still kind of looking forward to the next volume. I do like the mythology elements, and yeah, the trashiness is the flavor I enjoy. What can I say? It’s a guilty pleasure. Not one I can enjoy frequently, or in large doses, but still.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.

Black Bird 5

Kanoko Sakurakoji – Viz – 2010 – 11+ volumes

This series is one of the more… er, trashy, maybe, that I’m really into right now. Reading it, I know in some ways it isn’t good. For instance, the first half of the volume is mostly about whether or not Misao and Kyo can or will have sex. Then it switches gears, but sex is never far from either of their minds, nor do people around them ever stop talking about it.

I’ll freely admit to liking characters like Kyo, who have no problem with sexual flirtations around their special lady. Kyo’s toned it down a lot in this volume, since now he “can’t” have sex with Misao, but he’s the same type of character as Domoto from Butterflies, Flowers. Neither is flirtatious in a sleazy way, but still off-putting to the girl on the other end and a little funny. It works better in Butterflies, Flowers since that series is less dark and, frankly, better, but seeing it here on occasion still makes me smile.

This volume is still pretty drama-tastic, what with the sex agonizing and the fact they can’t have any affecting Kyo’s “leader” status in the Tengu clan. He’s also getting hit with a lot of pressure from home to seal the deal, so to speak. He does take Misao home with him, but mostly to settle the rights to the leadership position once and for all.

Hm… fun new characters this time around include Ayame, Sagami’s wife. She’s great, a very sick lady that still loves her husband very much. Her cheeriness is very welcome in the series’ world of dour, beautiful men. It’s a shame that the series has such a huge cast that goes mostly unused, though. I do hate it when stories like this have such a huge cast, because you don’t need more than a few core people to move the story, and having an entourage of eight men just seems excessive. Part of that problem is solved by having three members of the entourage played by young triplets, who are cute and/or mascots and don’t really need to be distinguished from one another, but there’s still a lot of faceless bishounen wandering around.

And the story… yeah. They, uh… have to have sex. But can’t. And that’s the gist of it. Make of that what you will. They are “settling” things with Kyo’s brother, currently, which will probably involve a lot of blood and fighting and angst.

Despite all its bad points, I still find myself ridiculously addicted. I do like the relationship between Kyo and Misao, which turns away from its hero/victim mechanics from the early volumes and becomes more sincere and earnest here. Plus, being a girl, I like romantic angst, regardless of context. I also love folklore-based stories, and although the magical parts still don’t really play a part, the fact that Kyo is a tengu demon is still extremely cool. I know that most people dismissed this series, and that’s fair, but there’s something about it that’s appealing to a die-hard shoujo fan that doesn’t like to think too hard about the story. Plus… I’ll be honest, the sex stuff is usually glossed over in most series like this, and it’s a little refreshing to see it out in the open. Even if I did just trash FY for doing it so excessively (in my defense, it was because multiple characters were trying to rape Miaka for, like, three volumes. Kyo and Misao’s situation is different).

There are better series out there, but Black Bird has just the right mix of my favorite things to make me look forward to every new volume. I just got volume 6 in the mail, so I’ll probably be reading that today or tomorrow.

Black Bird 4

Kanako Sakurakoji – Viz – 2010 – 9+ volumes

I know I say this every time, but I really do forget how much I like this series between volumes.  It’s not exactly a compelling story (the plot is still just Misao and Kyo angsting about whether or not they can be together), but its one of the best series I’ve seen for living in the moment, and there’s just the right balance of steam, angst, and bits of violence to make it a really compelling shoujo series.

The documents that Kyo’s clan made off with aren’t all that helpful in trying to figure out whether Misao will be “spirited away” if they marry, but they do determine that the love-making parts are a-ok.  So the story turns steamier as Misao wrestles with her conscience and libido about whether or not she should have sex with Kyo.  These parts are pretty well-done, for being about a teenage girl trying to figure out if she wants to have sex with a bird demon.  Her character rings pretty true, and Kyo does his part as well.

Then a problem comes up in the kitsune clan, and it turns out the new head is Kyo’s best friend for years.  Of course, they are destined to kill each other for Misao, so they are no longer friends, a fact that hurts Kyo and Misao deeply.  Twisting the knife a bit, Misao meets another girl who can see spirits who turns out to be the kitsune’s girlfriend.  Lots and lots and lots of angsting through these parts.  There is a climax at the end of the volume, but someone out for Misao also implies that the parts of the Maiden legend Kyo is unfamiliar with reveal why it’s a bad idea for demons and humans to be together, so there is still trouble, and the two again have a reason not to have sex.

The plot is slow, and not terribly original, but again, it’s the characters, the steam, and the fights that really make the volumes fast reads.  Another thing is the perfectly placed humor to break the monotony.  This volume has the single best scene that was never in a yaoi manga, where a young Kyo and kitsune demon bond over a shared teenage love of porn, complete with nonsensical porno title “Pirates of the Lesbian.”  I have to wonder if that scene inspired any doujinshi for this series.  It probably did.

Anyway, great stuff.  The plot isn’t such that it leaves me wanting for the next volume, but I’m certainly going to pick it up and enjoy it when it comes out.  It’s pretty good mature shoujo, for what it is.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.

Black Bird 3

Kanoko Sakurakoji – Viz – 2010 – 9+ volumes

Hmm… maybe I can keep going with the “Black” theme tonight.  Do I have another new volume of anything that starts or contains that in the title?  Let’s see.

Anyway, Black Bird.  I like this series way more than I think I should, but again, it just pushes all the right buttons for me.  It’s super-dramatic, but from the standpoint of outside forces affecting the couple rather than the couple continuously doubting each other.  There seems to be a constant real threat to both Misao and Kyo, though I know this is a shoujo manga and neither are going to really die.  More surprising is when someone else does, something that is quite uncharacteristic… normally this type of series is all about making friends of the enemy.  And again with my weaknesses.  Kyo is a tengu demon, and a kind of ruler among them at that.  I just love my demons.  I also love stories about demons/Gods who take brides, of which there are surprisingly more than a couple.

I liked that Misao and Kyo grew even closer in this volume.  Most of Misao’s doubts about their relationship disappear, and the only thing left is the lingering dread about what will happen when she finally agrees to be Kyo’s bride.  I do like that the “marriage” is an inevitability now, and I have that to look forward to.  Other types of demons, vying for either Kyo or Misao, are still trying to separate them, though after the display at the end of the volume, it seems like the story may move past that.

The downsides… hm.  I would say it’s not terribly ambitious.  There are a lot of really great things about it, including all the stuff I mentioned above, but the characters and plot have very little going on outside the broad strokes.  If you like the ideas, and you like a cute shoujo romance that’s well-done, than you’ll like this, but there’s not much to draw anyone else in.  It’s pretty shallow, but very fun, and I’m finding myself more and more drawn in.  One thing it does do well is its atmosphere and the use of its magical beings.  I’m still having trouble keeping track of all the primary members of the Tengu team, but it’s not that important.  When they fight against magical barriers and fox demons and snake demons and whatnot, it’s all good.  Not… super-good, it’s not the best at demons and mythology, but it still effectively sets a mood, and I do like her art.

I think it’s a great series for shoujo fans to pick up, and it’s pretty easy to get into after a couple volumes, but be aware that it doesn’t try to dig at the deeper issues or anything like that.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.

Black Bird 2

Kanoko Sakurakoji – Viz – 2009 – 8+ volumes

I remember thinking the first volume as being kind of lukewarm, but I started reading this… and I remembered it was ridiculously suited to my taste.  Demons?  Brides of demons?  Silly plot devices involving licking wounds until they are healed?  Childhood loves?  A little smut?  Oh, it has everything I want in a shoujo manga!

The story improved quite a bit in this volume.  I think the biggest difference was that Misao is finally coming around to Kyo, and having the two of them together, treating each other relatively well, is pretty exciting, mostly because it opens the series up to silly smut possibilities.  There’s lots of ridiculously romantic dialogue, followed by lots of making out.  It’s also got surprisingly raunchy humor for a shoujo manga like this, everything from lines like “my little tengu is raising his head” to jokes about one of Kyo’s vassals having an STD… the levels of raunch are unprecedented.  They talk about sex all the time, and there was a rather dangerous scene where one of the villains very nearly… er, “ravished” Misao, but sex doesn’t actually happen.

I wouldn’t say it’s one of the greatest works of shoujo manga ever, and I wouldn’t really compare it with my favorites.  I often say that certain medicore manga series are excellent when they strike just the right fancies in the reader, and this may be a case of that for me, though I still think this might be slightly better than medicore even wthout all the extra fun stuff.  It’s a little too cheesy and cliche, but it keeps a pretty tight reign on its hokeyness, and with all that other stuff for me to pay attention to, like the romance and the demons and the taking of the brides and whatnot, I am 100% satisfied with pretty much everything I got in this volume.  And next volume promises to be just as good, since the cliffhanger is something along the lines of Misao worrying about being “spirited away” by the Tengu prince.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.