Print Review: Shaman King volumes 1-4

Review Shaman King volumes 1-4Written by WarpshadowRating good/ very good

While This manga is nothing revolutionary by a long shot this manga is still a good and fun take on the shonen adventure genre.

At first glance Yoh Asakura is nothing more than a slacker with a propensity to stare of into the night sky. Yet as Monta learns one night in a graveyard Yoh is in fact a shaman with the ability to speak with spirits and integrate with them to gain their abilities. Even though he has a laid back personality Yoh takes the job of being a shaman very seriously and that job contains various dangers as Monta will soon find out.

Shaman King is a shonen adventure manga to it’s very core as many things including the massive tournament arc that kicks off in volume four will show you. While it is a genre piece to the hilt there is something about the characters, particularly Yoh and his fiancée Anna which keep the story engaging to some extent. Even though themes common to the genre such as the power of friendship are in play the setup of the shaman powers explains it a bit better than your average manga. The artwork is also pretty good, not only in quality but in having a slightly different style to it. Overall a few neat things here and there make Shaman King a bit more interesting than your standard shonen adventure manga.