Kekkaishi, Vol. 01

By Yellow Tanabe

Students by day, demon hunters by night

By night, teenager Yoshimori Sumimura is a "kekkaishi"--a demon-hunter who specializes in creating magical barriers around his prey. By day, Yoshimori's got other demons to battle: an addiction to sweets and a seriously crotchety grandfather Yoshimori's pretty neighbor and childhood friend, Tokine Yukimura, is also a kekkaishi, but their families are feuding over who is the true practitioner of the art.

Yoshimori couldn't care less about catching demons...until he realizes that his apathetic attitude is taking a toll on his friendship with Tokine. Just as he decides to take matters into his own hands, a couple of amphibious demons and the pesky ghost of a pastry-chef show up to complicate matters

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591169682
• ISBN13: 9781591169680
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Viz Media
• Length: 190 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Currently one of my favorite manga series.

The author, Yellow Tanabe (nice name, eh?) mentions that when he was a kid, he and his friends would play a game in which they pretended to create invisible walls. Their declaration was, "I stretched the barrier from here to there!" And if someone walked into the area, they would get the cold shoulder, as if breaking the most important law of life. From this imaginative game comes the making of Kekkaishi. In the first volume, we learn that in order to make a barrier, called a kekkai ("protective ward"), a Kekkaishi must perform three acts: (1) say the word "Hoi" to designate a target, (2) say "Joso" to position the Kekkai, and (3) call out "Ketsu" to create the barrier. Once that is established, the user has the option to either say "Kai" to let their prey go, or "Metsu" to destroy it. Since the first volume is so filled with content--more so than most manga--my brief overview only covers a little bit. So just keep this in mind. Story overview: Where a Junior and Senior High School stands, there once towered a castle. Buried deep below the school is the spirit of the master of that castle, who was from the Karasumori clan. He possessed a power that to this day attracts nasty beings called ayakashi. If they spend any significant amount of time in the school grounds, they will grow bigger, more powerful, and dangerous. Two children, who have special Kekkaishi powers passed down from generation to generation, are designated the guardians of the school. Since ayakashi are creatures of the night these guardians must lose out on a lot of sleep. If that wasn't enough, it just so happens that their families are in a feud over who should be the true successor. This puts both Yoshimori (age 14) and Tokine (age 16) in an awkward position, as they so often end up working together. When Yoshimori was nine years old, his naivety lead to the scars on Tokine's arm. To this day he has two major goals: (1) never allow someone to get hurt in front of him again, and (2) make a castle cake big enough to live in. His dream to build the cake is constantly being overcome by his crotchety grandfather, lack of money, and fighting off ayakashi. As is the case when he finds out that one of Tokine's teachers happens to posse inhuman powers, and the two of them must put a stop to it. My thoughts: The characters are wonderfully designed, the artwork is top rate, and the story is brilliant. A page turner for sure. This is currently one of my favorite manga series. James D. Maxon [...]

A great manga

I first found out about this manga from one of the manga fliers at the bookstore... you know, the kind with the editor's picks and promos... but in it was an excerpt from this book, and it interested me. I went out and bought it not long after, and fell in love with it. It has a lighthearted "fun-ness" about it that I just love.... and yet, there's the part where Yoshimori tries so hard only to protect Tokine... they really are two great characters, and I can never wait for the next one to come out!

by day junior high student by night yoshimori is a kekkaishi!!

kekkaishi is about yoshimori a kekkaishi (a kekkaishi is a demon hunter).well any way the manga was great and cant wait for no. four to come out!!the manga kekkaishi is also rated teen and in my perspective it shouldn't.kekkaishi has some vilonce but nothing offensive and there is demons but its not like there all freaky(like the one in the manga deatnote ugg)but its suitible for ages 10 through your age.i loved the manga and cant wight to see what yellow tanabe dishes out next!!i found this manga in borders i desided to try something else than what my friends told my to like naruto and shaman king thats how i found this manga.who knows maybe you could try something new like ohhh ummm let me see umm KEKKAISHI!!!! ^_^

kek- uh, kek- o? kek...

why am i always first to review these books? oh well, this book is pretty cool, regardless of how freakin' hard it is to pronounce the name. it's about YOSHImori, a fourteen year old who has the ability to create barriers out of thin air. He becomes friends with this pastry chef guy, who died thinking about a really lame vegetable. (poor guy) And, of course what manga wouldn't be without a love interest? (hey, read the book. it could happen*eventualy*) Tokine is yoshi's 16 year old neighbor. She, like yoshimori, is a kekkaishi (barrier master) and both of their families are feuding over who's really the true practitioner(don't know what that means, either)of the art. this book gets a five outta five, because, for now, i can't tell whether it's gonna freakin rock (the highest compliment i know) or whether it'd just be ok. read it for yourself. if i didn't think it was worth reading, i wouldn't have reviewed it, so it's definetly a good way to spend an hour, if nothing else.