Manga Review: Twin Star Exorcists: Onmyoji, Volume 13, by Yoshiaki Sukeno

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2018

Volumes: 19+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 12. 14.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Exorcists Rokuro and Benio unleash serious supernatural action while purifying the world of monsters.

The “Twin Star Exorcists” are fated to produce the child prophesied to end the war with the monstrous Kegare… But can Rokuro and Benio get along for five minutes, let alone save the world?

The Hadarae Castle Imperial tournament continues! Rokuro is determined to win his match and earn the right to join the hunt for Yuto. Then Shimon faces Tenma. What savage method does Tenma’s family use to determine who inherits their Guardian…?

Review:

Rokuro is amping up his fight with Kankuro. Rokuro doesn't like being seen as less-than, but he also wants to take every opportunity he can to be better and to prove himself. So he doesn't want any opponent to take it easy on him. He will take every fight as far as he can, I think.

In the second half of the volume, Shimon is against Tenma. Both of these fights have a lot to them, including a lot of back story. There's a lot of remembering as each character is pushed and things get dirty.

I've fallen so far back in this series, that I don't really connect with the characters anymore. And these Colosseum battles don't really do much for me, I don't think.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Twin Star Exorcists, Volume 12, by Yoshiaki Sukeno

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2018

Volumes: 17+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 10. 13.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Exorcists Rokuro and Benio unleash serious supernatural action while purifying the world of monsters.

The “Twin Star Exorcists” are fated to produce the child prophesied to end the war with the monstrous Kegare… But can Rokuro and Benio get along for five minutes, let alone save the world?

Review:

 I think I skipped a volume, because we start this one on a competition I was unaware of. We see some exorcists fighting off, split between girls and boys among the different families on the island. We get to meet some of the odd characters, but I don't particularly care for most of them.

We see a couple girl fights at the beginning, which don't really matter to me until we get to see Mayura's. And after that, Rokuro begins his fight. It's all very intense and rather violent, with a little time in between for character interactions. Rokuro's fight stops on a cliffhanger, and it looks like it'll be getting worse, as his partner was going easy on him.

This volume took me a while to get through, as I just didn't really care about the characters in it. I don't really care for the competition plots in general, but especially when I don't know most of the characters, or why they're fighting. Just meh for this one.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Twin Star Exorcists, Volume 10, by Yoshiaki Sukeno

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2017

Volumes: 17+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 7. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Exorcists Rokuro and Benio unleash serious supernatural action while purifying the world of monsters.

The “Twin Star Exorcists” are fated to produce the child prophesied to end the war with the monstrous Kegare… But can Rokuro and Benio get along for five minutes, let alone save the world?

On Tsukushima Island, the front line of the battle with the Kegare, Rokuro learns about the origin of the realm of Magano and is thoroughly humbled by the Twelve Guardians. Then he must choose one of 12 elite families to join. Will his decision save his reputation or further damage it…?

Review:

I've missed most of this series by this point, and I'm starting to want to go back and catch up. This volume had me really curious what happened before this—because apparently Benio lost her powers? Which, what?--and now I also really want to read the next one, to see what happens next.

So, Rokuro is on the island now, after all his training, and he's determined to do what he has to, to defeat Yuto. Only he's not one of the main families, so he's not all that important to them—plus, Benio's family has been pretty much banished after what happened when she was a kid, so his acquaintance with her doesn't help him any. Not to mention that he's on such a lower level than the other exorcists here, it's almost ridiculous.

In the middle of the volume, we get a little history lesson, as Rokuro learns what really happened to create these creatures and why there are exorcists now. It's surprisingly interesting, and is one point that really caught my attention. I almost want to read to the end now just to see how that wraps up.

This is a series that I'm upset I'm missing, so maybe I should change that.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Twin Star Exorcists, Volume 7, by Yoshiaki Sukeno

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2017

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Rokuro and Benio are extraordinary exorcists fated to marry and birth the ultimate spiritual warrior—but can they get along for even one minute?

Rokuro dreams of becoming anything but an exorcist! Then mysterious Benio turns up. The pair are dubbed the “Twin Star Exorcists” and learn they are fated to marry… Can Rokuro escape both fates?

Paradoxically, Rokuro’s Spiritual Guardian appears to be someone it can’t possibly be. Then, despite warnings, Guardian Shimon recruits the Twin Stars to help him rescue a young exorcist in training. Now why does Seigen add his daughter, newbie exorcist Mayura, to their team…?

Review:

After that last cliffhanger, we get more of an explanation for what is going on with Rokuro. We also get to know what Sayo really is, and what that means for her life that the others don't understand.

This leads to the introduction of a new enemy, who are after Sayo, of course. There's a lot of focus on Sayo in this volume. Rokuro even spends a chapter taking Sayo out in town to see some things. I must admit, though, that I'm not a huge fan of Sayo, as a character. She's just meh for me.

Shimon, Sayo's brother, on the other hand—I'm intrigued by his and Mayura's relationship. They only have a very minor plot point, but I like it.

I do rather enjoy this series, more than I expect each time. This was still an okay volume, though.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Twin Star Exorcists, Volume 6, by Yoshiaki Sukeno

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: October 2016

Volumes: 10+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Volumes: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Rokuro and Benio are extraordinary exorcists fated to marry and birth the ultimate spiritual warrior—but can they get along for even one minute?

Rokuro dreams of becoming anything but an exorcist! Then mysterious Benio turns up. The pair are dubbed the “Twin Star Exorcists” and learn they are fated to marry… Can Rokuro escape both fates?

Benio and Rokuro have trained for two years to get permission to go to Tsuchimikado Island to fight the Kegare—but first they have to pass their qualification test. Will their examiner’s crush on one of them make things easier…or more difficult?

Review: 

Now that the two are older, they feel they're ready to complete the challenge and go to the island. Rokuro is particularly eager to go, he can't wait. Benio isn't overly eager, but she's right along with him. Mayura, on the other hand, wants to be right beside them, and yet she doesn't seem to be filling an exorcist shoes correctly. It just doesn't seem right for her, and she's struggling with that.

Rokuro finally meets the person there to test him, but this turns out much differently than anyone expected. She's incredibly interested in him as a person, and then during the test she does something to him that is... unsettling.

I'm intrigued by this turn of events, and want to know what it means. I should really be catching up with this series, because I know I missed a few volumes. I think I would like it more if I had the chance to read more; I really think I could grow attached to Benio, in particular, and I like Mayura. All the characters and backstories are so well done, it's easy to grow attached.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Twin Star Exorcists, Volume 5, by Yoshiaki Sukeno

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 5, 2016

Volumes: 9+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Rokuro is from a family of exorcists, but he'd rather be a singer, a soccer player or anything but an exorcist! He's forced to own up to his own incredible potential when new arrival Benio stirs his competitive spirit. But their rivalry gets a twist when they earn the prestigious title of 'Twin Star Exorcists"- two supreme fighters fated to marry and birth the ultimate spiritual warrior!

Benio and Rokuro are locked in a life-and-death battle with Benio’s evil brother Yuto. Will the Twin Star Exorcists ever reach Tsuchimikado Island, the headquarters of the Exorcist Association and the front lines of the bitter struggle against the Kegare…?

Review:

And the horrible fight continues. The twin stars are fighting her brother, with glimpses of the other characters, who have no idea what the twin stars are doing. We also get a look into Rokuro’s past, what happened at the orphanage, and what happened when he met Yuto for the first time. It’s sad, but it does make me love Ryogo a whole bunch more.

The fight is bad. Horribly painful for everyone involved. And then we move on, where the twin stars have to face the consequences for fighting Yuto in secret. I’m intrigued by Seigen now, and find Mayura to be a sweet girl. There’s a time skip at the end of the volume, it looks like, which makes sense as the two gain a lot of experience and tone their skills.

I’m intrigued to see what happens next. I am slowly following with this series, and do like reading the new volumes.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Twin Star Exorcists: Onmyoji, Volume 4, by Yoshiaki Sukeno

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: April 5, 2016

Volumes: 8+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 3. 5.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Rokuro is from a family of exorcists, but he’d rather be a singer, a soccer player or anything but an exorcist! He’s forced to own up to his own incredible potential when new arrival Benio stirs his competitive spirit. But their rivalry gets a twist when they earn the prestigious title of “Twin Star Exorcists”— two supreme fighters fated to marry and birth the ultimate spiritual warrior!

Benio and Rokuro must work together to wield the Resonance Attack against Benio’s own long-lost brother! Then, when Benio is gravely injured, the Basara who killed her parents offers her a terrible option…

Review:

I missed a couple volumes, but this was still interesting to read. Since I’ve read the first one, I at least knew some things about it.

The twin stars begin a battle with Benio’s evil brother. The two have very little time before the battle begins, but they train hard. Rokuro is still new to being an exorcist, much more than Benio, but he tries hard, and he is strong. Still, Yuto is a stronger opponent.

The battle is violent. It’s really bad, and really cruel, more than I expected. But that also led up to a surprising change for Benio. I liked her decision, both her reason for making it and the way it turned out. It was risky, but I think it was for the better, really.

I’m surprised with how strong the bond between Benio and Rokuro is. I didn’t think that their fate of being married would actually progress into something very fast, but it’s clear that even if they’re fighting their fate, they do like each other and trust each other as partners. I like that. Their banter is cute, too. The humor is pretty good in this series, the moments it’s used when not serious.

This is a surprisingly enjoyable series to read. I can see why it was picked up, and kind of wouldn’t mind reading more, even if I don’t love the battles.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!