SENGOKU YOUKO (VOL. 1), from TokyoPop on 4/12/23, visits an era of magic and monsters. Tama, a fox spirit, and her older brother, Jinka, travel the land to hunt monsters called Katawara.
The Details
- Written by: Satoshi Mizukami
- Art by: Satoshi Mizukami
- Letters by: Satoshi Mizukami
- Cover art by: Satoshi Mizukami
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $13.99
- Release date: April 12, 2023
Is It Good?
SENGOKU YOUKO (VOL. 1) explores the differences between love and hate, good and evil while blurring the lines between all four. The themes in this volume are challenging, but it’s that challenge that makes this story a mature, thought-provoking tale with lighthearted charm.
Satoshi Mizukami’s story follows a fox spirit named Tama and her human companion, who she treats as an older brother, Jinka. The two travel the land to kill monsters who create havoc and destruction for innocent townspeople. Tama and Jinka’s quest takes an unexpected turn when they find a monster who was once human and the human priests who transformed the human into a monster for selfish purposes.
Mizukami created layers of emotion and motivation with a pair of adventurers who travel and work together toward the same goal while acting out of completely different motivations. Tama likes humans and wants to see the evil that harms them eradicated. Jinka hates humans but hates humans even more. Together, their relationship looks and feels symbiotically simple, but the layers mask a complex backstory for each that makes their journey all the richer.
Mizukami’s story is easy to follow, contains a playful dialog between “siblings” who have supreme confidence in each other’s abilities, and a fair bit of emotional drama when they encounter a farmer with a sword who wants to protect people but lacks the power and strength Tama and Jinka possess. The farmer, Shinsuke, acts as the reader’s surrogate as he first encounters and learns more about the unusual “siblings.” It’s through Shinsuke’s courage to follow the duo and learn from them that the emotional heart of the story begins to take shape.
The story is further elevated by Mizukami’s rock-solid art execution. The monsters, called Katawara, are grotesquely weird, Jinka’s magical attacks feel epically big, and the little emotional reactions pop.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with Jinka and Tama encountering a group of bandits on the road. Jinka handles the bandits single-handedly with an Earth spell, but the fight ends too quickly for Tama to interrogate the bandits about the location of their leader. While the brother and sister rest and regroup, Tama detects a watcher in the woods, and she throws a rock at the watcher to force him out.
The watcher, Shinsuke Hyoudou, apologizes for snooping, but he can’t help but marvel at the strange brother and sister. When Tama tries to shoo Shinsuke away, he pleads to come with them and learn their ways in exchange for showing them the location of the bandits’ base camp. The strange two are now three, and they set off to find the bandits’ camp.
When the trio reaches the camp, they find the bandit leader is not the human he appears to be at first glance. Jinka stops the bandit leader’s attack with the help of a special drink that only Tama can provide. We conclude the volume with a monster who isn’t a monster, helpful monks who aren’t truly helpful, and a vengeful attack.
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Final Thoughts
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SENGOKU YOUKO (VOL. 1) is a quirky fantasy tale about an unusual brother and sister who travel the land to hunt monsters. Their “sibling” relationship is surprisingly complex, and the challenges they face in this volume flip basic concepts of who’s good and evil on their head.
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