Print Review: Kekkaishi volumes 1-4

Review Kekkaishi volumes 1-4Written by WarpshadowRating good/ very good

As shonen adventure manga go this is a pretty good one and I will say this, I will never look down on someone who has magical barrier powers ever again, unless they are much lamer than the barrier powers here.

Yoshimori is the son and heir of the Sumimura family. They are a clan of Kekkaishi, a type of magican that can capture and destroy demons inside a square barrier called a kekkai. The clan and Yoshimori are tasked with protecting Kasumimori Junior High which since ancient times has granted power to demons simply by being there. Yoshimori also has a childhood friend named Tokine who is also a Kekkaishi but is from a family that has been at odds with the Sumimura’s for generations.

Kekkaishi is a fairly good example of a ghost busting type of shonen adventure. While this isn’t an amazing story all of the element flow together well. Most importantly the two main characters are put together well being a fairly average but not annoying hero and a competent and believable heroine. While having all the action scenes take place at the same location may eventually become tiresome it hasn’t dragged down and of the first four volumes. The powers of the Kekkaishi are more flexible than one would first imagine meaning that battles aren’t repetitive just yet either. Overall I found Kekkaishi to be an interesting and entertaining but not outstanding shonen adventure series but one that that is worth picking up if you are into that genre.