Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 1 (1)

It's only twenty-five volumes but this story has a lot of depth and makes sure you don't feel short changed at the end.'Nurarihyon no Mago'/'Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan' is one of my favorite manga series, so I had to get hard copies even though I read the entire series free online before I even knew it would be released in English officially.I'll leave the detailed summaries to other reviewers and just say that the plot over the entire series is a simple coming of age/proving Rikuo (the reluctant 12 year old main character) is strong enough to be the next leader of the Nura Clan's yokai(youkai)/one hundred demon night parade (hyakki yakou) and protecting both human and yokai(youkai) with loyal subordinates helping him and higher up old-timers trying to overthrow or kill him.Overall, like I said, I loved reading this series translated by fans so I had to get the hard copies. I am disappointed on one major aspect though: typos. Major typos. A lot of words left out or just plain changed (ex: he/his). When words are recalled by a character that were spoken not five pages before an extra word or two was added that should've been there in the first place. Example: Kurotabo: "The ones who are lost are you." Awashima (a few pages later recalls what Kurotabo said): "The ones who are lost are you two." ...and then she realizes that someone else was considered lost/important. The series starts well, with decent editing, but it becomes noticeably worse by the time the characters arrive in Kyoto. The lack of editing detracts slightly, since I had to decipher a part of a conversion or two while reading. Though not horrible like many, many otherwise good books (probably due to it being a manga and being more visual) it felt like Viz said, "Let's put a team on this manga that doesn't really care much about quality so we can get it out fast." I mean, it's a manga, come on supposedly professional people in Viz! Where is the quality this series deserved?The only reason this story still gets five stars from me is that the characters and story itself has a great amount of charm that keeps me picking up a volume to read it again and again.

It was in good condition and it helped complete the collection of shibashi sensei work

I love this story

A great read for those who love action and storys about ghosts or yokai

Bought this for my son.. He really liked this manga. It was shipped on time. It also was in great condition and match the image perfectly. We got what we expected and are very happy. Thanks.

just how my niece expected

Rikuo Nura's dad died when he was a young boy, but he does not feel the loss so acutely because he has been raised by such a large family. There is one little wrinkle, however: The Nura Clan are yokai! Yokai are supernatural beings straight out of Japanese mythological tradition, but in the present age it's not as if Rikuo can just tell his classmates about, say, his latest game of hide and seek with the Yuki-Onna (Snow Woman). Talk about embarrassment. Worse still, it turns out that his Grandpa Nurarihyon is a yokai boss, and Rikuo himself is one-fourth yokai.In this volume, Rikuo discovers his yokai heritage, and the rest of the Clan discovers that being one-fourth yokai means that Rikuo can become a leader worth following precisely one-fourth of the time. The other three-fourths of his life he is just an ordinary schoolboy who is intent upon denying his destiny as the future head of the Nura Clan. Unfortunately, he soon discovers upon starting middle school that his friends are arguably more obsessed with yokai than he is...and that he it will be awfully hard indefinitely hiding the truth from his friends.Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan is creator Hiroshi Shiibashi's first major work. He got his start in the manga business as one of Hirohiko Araki's assistants. The stylistic influence of the master upon the onetime apprentice is palatable, and the Nura shares a measure of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's quirky yet charismatic artistic detail. This, combined with the classic Shonen Jump fantasy-action formula, has produced a surefire hit worthy of the likes of other SJ blockbusters Naruto and One Piece. The animated adaptation, also available in English adaptation, will only further cement its popularity.Some shounen manga ease into their creative rhythm gradually, with the first few volumes fumbling about trying to find that sweet spot halfway between durable momentum and renewable suspense. This is not one of those titles. Nura hits the ground at an all-out sprint, and all of the most important tropes are in place before the end of the first volume. The effect is as admirable from the standpoint of a critic as it is engrossing from the standpoint of a casual manga reader.Thus, Nura's translation/adaptation was a bit of a surprise. Most Shonen Jump titles published by Viz Media seem to have been adapted with the widest possible audience in mind. This manga, however, reads as if it has been written by fans, for fans. For example, there is a reference to "the sakura tree in our yard," and the Japanese word sakura in this context means "cherry," as in "cherry tree." There is no conceivable reason why this word should not be translated, save that many manga fans are already familiar with the word in Japanese. The jury is still out as to whether hailing the fans so brazenly is a winning strategy, but there is not the slightest doubt that this manga is sure to accumulate legions of fans. Highly recommended.-- Casey Brienza

really loved the story of this manga I love ancient lore of Japan and China looking forward to reading more

I ordered only the first volume and the second came for some reason. I mean everywhere it says it was Vol.1 but Vol.2 came instead, so that's kind of a mix up

It arrived weeks earlier than expected

The manga arrived quite quickly and it was in good conditions. I like it and I am really happy with my purchase, thank you!

Son loves it