Reviews for Koori no Mamono no Monogatari

first of all, this is one of those manga which grow, getting better as the story evolves. it starts off light-hearted and somewhat silly, but as the story comes along, more serious topics are woven in,(e.g. discrimination, selfsacrificing, keeping up appearances) important characters are added and it gets more complex. though it does have a few flaws, overall enjoyment was good, i found myself laughing quite a few times even while rereading. now in more detail: it's light shounen ai, (they kiss and express their love for each other, nothing more), but a tiny bit more obvious than silver diamond, the authors other major work. the comedy isof mostly of the slapstick kind and relies on silly answers as well as the main characters being (incredibly) slow on the uptake or acting contrary to what's expected of them considering their position.

it didn't really bother me, but it's worth criticizing that sometimes commonplaces/ stereotypes which didn't fit into the medieval world as the setting were used for jokes (such as reference to an all girls high)

Story:

in the beginning i had the impression the artist wasn't really sure where he wanted the story to go, resulting in some slight inconsistencies before it does kick off (like characters knowing about things without an explanation why they would or demons (/blood) not knowing about some things it'd be more sensible if he did)

it consists of one main story line and a couple short stories, mainly backflashes on some of the characters pasts, more or less integrated into the main story (about rapunzel and wild, blood, ishuca, ishucas grandmother and the demon kaiser)

the storyline seems rather simple at first, a classical adventure plot: boy meets demon, they go on a journey, meet all kind of people and get involved in their business, get caught up in stuff happening due to what took place in the past and as they try to deal with it, others they met start to get drawn into it all too - resulting in a more and more complex interaction, since even people of the same factions (temple vs. demons) have different motives and each work on their own goal.

in my opinion, this is what makes this overall a good, interesting manga and what kept me reading despite any other shortcomings!

i really like how it's not just good vs bad and you can't clearly tell for everyone from the beginning who is - or might be in the future - on whose side

Characters:

there are the main two pairs of demon x boy, (Blood and Ishuca, Rapunzel and Wild) both based on the concept 'cunning, adult' (demon) vs. 'cute, innocent, strongwilled' (boy) which at first seems flat and cliché, since it's commonly used in yaoi/shounen ai. though they do grow throughout their adventures, this basic concept is never abandoned, perhaps because it's needed for a lot of the comedy interjected every now and then

however, as the story progresses, other characters appear, with a more complex personality which develops as well (e.g. the monk Sellghi), thus adding to the story and making it far better than with just the main characters

Art:

the quality varies throughout the manga, most times it's welldrawn, occasionally the bodys feel a bit misproportioned (too large hand/ feet), so i rated it down to a six

as i said, overall i enjoyed it quite a bit and i'm still looking forward to every release - naturally i recommend reading if this review got you a bit interested and you like fantasy/ adventure stories and don't mind shounen ai

Did I come to this expecting some good (or at least cute) couple lovey dovey nonsense with fantasy settings? Yes. Was I disappointed? Somewhat. I didn't realise the fantasy setting would become such a prominent feature of this series.Don't get me wrong, the minute I understood "oh, so there is going to be an actual fantasy story and it's not just going to be an excuse to get these boys together?" I said, Ok, cool, I can get behind that. Props when they are due: the story is quite good and the ending battle/monologue/all of that jazz was satisfying. However, that doesn't mean I forgive the romancestopping completely and unfortunately it kinda does. Yeah, we get some little snippets of couple interactions (and they are great 10/10) but I wanted a) some progress in these interactions, some kind of development and b) more frequently please and thank you.

The characters are wonderful, you really learn to root for them and grow to love them. Their designs? Not as much. There were several points throughout my read that I mixed up characters because as much as I love the authour (she seems so cute in those tidbits we are given to read) Sugiura has two default character designs and she uses them quite frequently. There's a point she has to make one of her characters cut his hair so we can distinguish him from another guy, and that ain't great.

As already said, characters really are lovely and their interactions (not even romantic ones, I'm talking friendships, I'm even talking about passing talk with random npcs) delightful. Made me grin like an idiot in some parts by the charm this series oozed.

That's it's best selling point: the charm this story holds.

I discovered this was finished translating (by fans, I love you all!!!) two days ago, after waiting nine hundred years because it kept being passed around from group to group. I just finished marathoning it for two days, 24 volumes, and I can't tell you how empty, sad and just overwhelmed, mind blown and how I wish it would have never ended. This is one of the best shounen-ai series I've ever read, and that I've finally been able to finish it when others like Ze, Dark Descendants, Loveless, Love/Sex Pistols haven't, is... I don't even know how to express it. I just have a lot offeelings right now, but it surprised me, endeared and reeled me in just as much as the first time I read it, and though it didn't make me cry like Silver Diamond (by the same author) it was equally great.

I cannot extol her as much as I wish I could. 90's manga is everything to me, most of my favorites come from the 90's, and even the aesthetic is so appealing to me.

I cannot tell you how many times I laughed with them, how much I grew and learned from Ishuca and Blood, both main characters with so much depth and hearts. Such big hearts, so much to learn from them. I cannot tell you the depth of my feelings, but I will try either way because I feel this deserves it.

I don't end up feeling empty, like I never want to leave or for it to the end, all that easily, I'm tough to please to that level. I'm pretty skimpy with my 9's and 10's too in MAL, because they have to impact me and this story so did.

I'm always surprised by the warmth and feelings this author infuses in her stories. Silver diamond was another heartwarming series that talked about subjects like the heart, mind, what is evil, what is good, and so did this one and just as flawlessly, and in different ways.

I will admit this: I am in love with the author, and with her works. You cannot believe how refreshing it is to see characters develop, grow, and become more and more human, and gain a heart, gain a soul, and with it also develop awareness and feelings of romance. There is no instant in-love between the two main characters (though there is humorous one-sided ones) but it is there slowly, and it isn't so light you could pass it as "friends", which I like. It leaves no ambiguity to their feelings, while not having to thread to the smut area (tho mind you, I wouldn't mind. Blood and Ishuca are truly works of art :Q____ )

I will also bow down to the author and say that her art is amazing, Blood is so gorgeous and sparkles, and is so goddamn striking, just take me away demons if you're that beautiful 😂

My sense of feeling too full yet empty at the same time hasn't passed, but let me tell you it is both the best and worst feeling. I don't think I will be able to reread this one anytime soon, it is so fresh and crippled me so hard, but I will no doubt reread it once I've forgotten just how beautiful, how much it impacted me.

If you haven't read it, let me assure you it's one of the prettiest BL mangas out there from the 90's (alongside X/1999), and the plot, story and characters are amazing. You will love them, you will fall in love with them, and you will get impacted each time things go wrong for them, but it is such an awesome journey to make with these two beautiful beings. I couldn't have wished for a better twist, or ending to this story, and I don't have enough words to describe why it impacted me without going into spoilers.

I also really like that the author challenges the black & white mentality of her characters, and of us as readers, about characters and where the story is going, and let me tell you: it is worth it. If you haven't read it, make yourself a favor, and do it. I promise this: you'll love them too, and there's no better feeling in the world.

I'll start by saying that I absolutely loved this. I dropped it because at some point I stopped reading manga and now I'm just trying to finish the manga I had started but didn't finish, but I have too many chapters left on this one to do it. Even so, I still love it. I also wanna say that if you are looking for hard-core yaoi romance that focuses mostly on the relationship and the romance around it, that's not the place. This manga is both about the story, about the journey and drama that comes with it, and about love. It focuses on characterdevelopment and the hardships that come with love, and what each individual sacrifices to be with the other. But that's not the only focus, you see it trough the story but it's not such a primary objective; so, if you wanna read it you have to not expect romance at every single corner, but to be aware that it also focuses a lot on the journey and fantasy part.

I'm not gonna say much about the story cuz it's said enough in the synopsis (and I already said a lot in the previous paragraph), but I think it's really worth it if you're into stuff, especially yaoi, with bad demons that regret their past after they found a person they love (specifically a human), that give up everything to protect them, and also just fantasy in general, with a journey where the characters meet a lot of new creatures and all that stuff. 10/10

The art is really good. 9/10

Characters? Honestly they excel. There are some tropes, I guess (big bad demon falls in love with kind human) but they're done in such a way that make them seem realistic, the character development is brilliant. Along the way they also meet interesting characters, as such the man who can talk with snakes, and the human MC's character is also one a complex one that was very well-written. In all honestly, the author is awesome. 9/10

Enjoyment, duh, 10/10, and overall the same.

In conclusion, give it a try. You really won't regret it.