Yurara by Chika Shiomi
Publisher: Viz – Shoujo Beat
Price: $8.99
Genre: Shoujo, Supernatural, Adventure, Romance
Rating: Older Teen 16+
Volumes: 5
ISBNs:
* 1-4215-1350-1
* 1-4215-1351-X
* 1-4215-1352-8
* 1-4215-1353-6
* 1-4215-1354-4
Note: Picture taken with my iPhone from my manga library.
Basic Premise:
Yurara Tsukinowa is a quiet girl who houses a very powerful guardian spirit, also named Yurara. The spirit’s only purpose is to protect Yurara until she can protect herself, but Yurara is more interested in running away from her powers than learning to use them. Her tactics work until she meets Mei Tendo and Yako Hoshino, two young men with abilities much like her own. As they fight along side each other, vanquishing evil spirits, feelings arise. Now Yurara is torn between two loves and her inability to choose is hurting all three of them. But, choose she must before it’s too late.
Review:
This is the second series by Chika Shiomi that I’ve collected. While the other isn’t finished yet, I’m enjoying it much as I enjoyed Yurara. The whole story was a toss up for me. I wasn’t sure who Yurara would end up with in the end. The way Shiomi-san resolved the plot and the relationship issue was completely satisfying.
The series is funny, romantic, heartbreaking and scary. It’s almost synonymous with the struggle most teenagers have with inner demons and learning to trust themselves and realizing that their feelings and emotions are not a separate being but themselves. Or maybe I’m reading too much into it.
I totally recommend this series for all fans of supernatural/paranormal shoujo manga. The story is good, the art is beautiful, and the characters all look different so there is no confusion about who is who.