Manga Review: Jiu Jiu, Volume 2, by Touya Tobina

Rating (Out of 5): 4.5+

Publisher: VIZ Media (Shojo Beat)

Spoilers?: Minor.

Volumes: 5

Goodreads Synopsis:

Born into a family of “Hunters,” Takamichi’s destiny is to pursue and slay demons. When her twin brother is killed, she is saved from despair by a pair of Jiu Jiu—shape-shifting familiars—in the form of two wolf pups named Snow and Night. Now Takamichi is in high school and an active Hunter. Snow and Night can’t wait to attend school in their human form to “protect” her. But are they ready to go off leash...? Takamichi’s Jiu Jiu Obedience Training Goals

1. Defend your mistress from a pig. Or a child vampire. Or a... What is that thing, anyway?!

2. Defend your mistress from a ghost. Or a... Sigh... Whatever it is that’s haunting the sea resort she’s trying to vacation in!

3. Celebrate your mistress’s birthday—properly.

4. Snuggle.

Reads R to L (Japanese Style) for teen plus audiences.

Available on Amazon.

Review:

I love this series. I’m only two books in and I love it completely. I want more, and every time I finish a volume, it takes me forever to get a review written. And one of the main reasons (aside from me being slow and lazy) is that I never know what to say. It’s just amazing and adorable and I love it, and that’s all I can ever think. Words do not happen when I try writing about this series.

It’s like… like, you know, when something makes you feel so much that you’re left with absolutely no words? Something, be it a book or movie or meme or even a person, that blows your mind so much that you have no words to describe it? Usually in a good way, but sometimes in a bad way as well. Well, that’s what this series makes me feel. I love it so much, and I always want more, and I have no idea how to explain all the things it makes me feel. This series is probably, at the moment, at five stars for me, even if the single volumes haven’t been given that high a rating (although they’re very close, just on the edge of 4.5 and higher). I don’t want to jinx it, though, and give it the chance of turning bad somewhere down the line, since I’ve only just started the series.

Anyway, once again, I am going to try and form words to convince you to read this series. If you haven’t read my first review, in which I also try to do that, here it is.

In this volume, we meet some new characters. First, there’s this little vampire bat boy, Meru, who hasn’t grown into his full powers yet, and is set on biting Takamichi in order to get them. He also turns into an adult form, and starts going to school with the group. Then there’s Lily, a girl who was haunting a house while waiting for her mistress to come back, who later becomes attached to Takamichi.

It really just seems like people are starting to attach themselves to Takamichi, which I don’t really mind.

After that, there’s a fight between Takamichi and Snow, and then there’s a small Birthday plotline, where Snow and Night find out what a Birthday actually entails, and try celebrating Takamichi’s.

There’s also a short at the end, featuring when Snow and Night were younger and unsure of Takamichi’s feelings toward them. They end up talking to Moon, Takamichi’s father’s jiu jiu, who is older and rather blunt and crude. This was a great mix of sweet and funny and sad, which is a rather good example of the whole series so far. This short was five pages and it still had the perfect mix of emotions that Tobina seems incredibly able to put together. It’s just so great.

This series is just so fantastic. I love it unconditionally.

Takamichi is a tsundere, and she’s protective and hard edged. She has a hard time expressing her emotions at first, gets embarrassed easily by them, but always ends up just jumping forward and exclaiming them in some way, which usually turns out sweet.

Then there’s Night and Snow, whom I totally and completely love. There’s Night, who studies and is more quiet and calm, and there’s Snow, who’s more loud and outgoing and high spirited, and they both love Takamichi so much and want her attention and affection. They are both very different, and yet so similar; they are different characters, and I love them both equally. I don’t know which one I prefer at the moment, which is just another thing I love about this series. There isn’t an obvious way to lean, like there usually is. I just fully love them both and want them both to be happy.

Ah, they make me ache inside because I love them so much. It's just... perfect. They're perfect.

Really, though, this whole series makes me hurt inside, in such a good way, because I love it so much and feel so strongly about it and I just… there are no more words. Just nonsensical noises.

Just… just go read it. Right now. Okay?

Now that that’s finished, I’m ready for the next one, immediately.