Nabari No Ou, Vol. 1

by Yuhki Kamatani

Apathetic schoolboy Miharu Rokujou is content to meander through life in the sleepy village of Banten. But his quiet existence is shattered when the Grey Wolves of Iga, a powerful ninja clan, attempt to kidnap him in broad daylight. Only then does Miharu discover that the ultimate power of the hidden ninja realm - a power that can do both great good and great harm - is sealed within his body. As battles erupt among rival ninja clans seeking to control...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0759530033
• ISBN13: 9780759530034
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Yen Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 16 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 11 and higher

Customer Reviews

Excellent!!

I’ve been a fan of this series for years now unfortunately everywhere I looked to buy the first volume it was $50+ so to see it here for such a low price I didn’t hesitate to buy it, and I wasn’t disappointed!! The quality was absolutely perfect and it arrived much faster than expected (ordered April 19th, expected deliver was May 13th recut today April 30th) I’m so pleased!! Thank you x

Good Read

I loved this first book so much I bought the second one!

An excellent Manga

I bought this after seeing the anime. It was amusing to see the differences between the manga and the anime. Miharu learns to defend himself in the manga. He's not just carried along as in the anime and the changes in his personality are much more pronounced. The apathy begins to disappear as he learns to use the gifts that are an intrinsic to him. I can't wait to get the next volume to find out what happens next. I'm hoping that the end of the manga will be slightly different than the end of the anime (no, I'm not going to spoil anything for the person that hasn't seen the later).

A smart action series where humor and seriousness go hand in hand

Miharu has always gone through life ignoring everything around him. He doesn't get involved with anything, ever. So far, he's even resisted his teacher's attempts to get him to join a school nindou club, where members learn the ways of the ninja. He's just not interested in that type of thing. But when actual ninjas begin attacking him, and when the students around him are revealed as ninja themselves, Miharu finds out that his body hides a dangerous secret. He is the Shinra Banshou, "the secret art with which it is said one can rule not only the world of shinobi, but the surface world as well." Now Miharu's apathetic nature is challenged as the hidden power within him fights to take him over. Kamatani's manga is naturally going to be compared to Masahi Kishimoto's mega-popular series Naruto, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Both series feature ninjas, both have strong plots building toward an ultimate battle of good vs. evil, and both feature orphaned young men who have to overcome a dangerous force within themselves in order to become the most powerful ninja possible. But Kamatani has created characters who are unique enough to stand up for themselves. Yes, they do share similar character types with Naruto, but those are also character types that are prevalent in a lot of fiction. Miharu is fascinating as the main character. His apathy makes for an interesting change from manga that are usually about determined, driven people. You can't help but laugh at the means by which he gets out of situations, using his cute, young, helpless looks to make people bend to his will. When he does finally join in a battle, he throws that cuteness back into the faces of allies and enemies alike. By the end of the book, however, his apathy is in danger from a new awareness of how much people are sacrificing for his sake. Readers will look forward to the second volume to see how he begins to change and to accept who he is. I predict that it won't be as smooth a transition as it might be with other characters. Miharu is the type to fight for his right not to care. Other characters are equally compelling, though most of them are merely presented in this volume and aren't fully developed yet. Kumohira, Miharu's teacher, is shown to have a painful backstory of loss and danger that is somehow tied to Miharu's past. It might be a family connection, but it is hard to tell at this point in the series. Kamatani keeps Kumohira from being annoyingly over the top with his protective instincts by giving him a slightly off-kilter personality, as if he hasn't really mentally left the shadow world of the ninja and the "real" is merely an annoyance. His reaction to public transportation--and Miharu's way of dealing with it--is one of the many funny moments Kamatani adds to the story. But even with the humorous elements, when it comes time for action, Kamatani doesn't hold back. People are killed and seriously injured and she doesn't hesitate to show blood. This serious

Not bad!

I'm always skeptical of manga such as this. Much like the other reviewer, I'm not that much of a fan of ninja. They're just too overdone in today's manga. Everywhere you turn, there's some new manga or anime coming out with the same 2-3 plotlines. But I decided to give this manga a try because I figured that it would be wrong to typecast this series. The plotline follows Miharu, a somewhat normal but apathetic teen who just wants to inherit the family okonomiyaki business in peace. Unfortunately for him, he has the secrets of everything trapped inside of him & several different factions of ninja want those secrets to either be used or hidden away. If it were up to Miharu, he'd continue to live normally, but the powers within him want to be used & will not be denied! I actually rather liked this manga. The plot isn't entirely new, but there are a few nice new twists to it. I like that Miharu is extremely apathetic (on the surface, anyway) about everything & that he often uses some of his latent talents (cuteness, ect) to his own devices. He provides a good chunk of humor in the series, which is definitely a bonus. The artwork is nice & I like the manga's pacing. We get a pretty good look at the developing dynamics between the characters & there's a nice plotline going on. The only thing I'm worried about is that while there's a chance for the plot to grow into something truly wonderful, there's also the potential for this to develop into horribly bogged down plotlines ala Naruto. Still, this is a pretty good start to a series, so I'll be picking up the next volume to see if the good plot & pacing continues.

Perfect Ninja Manga for People Who Don't Like Ninjas

I hate ninjas. I really do. Despite that, this particular ninja manga is very dear to me, mostly because it often makes light of the fact that it is a ninja manga, (it can be very genre-savvy, with often hilarious results), and because the main character himself is rather displeased with the fact that he is a ninja. What really attracts me to this manga is the characters. There are a multitude of characters that are easy to become attached to, all for different reasons. One complaint I do have for this manga is that I've never been particularly fond of the artwork. Something about some of the faces is just off, and some character's limbs look like twigs. Regardless, as the series progresses you become used to it and the style even begins to fit. This first volume starts off the series pretty well, though it is kind of exposition heavy, as many first volumes tend to be. We get into some serious action very quickly, and by the end of the volume, most of the major players in the story have been at least seen, though there are some more left to come and a plethora more to discover about each character. All in all, a great manga for anyone, whether they like ninjas or think they are ridiculous. This series is very popular already, (with everyone from yaoi fangirls to your average boy), and I hope it sells well in the U.S.!