Yoki Koto Kiku – Manga

Another manga released by the now shut-down Broccoli Books. I found this in a bookshop a little while back and I had to pick it up! Whilst there are some character design similarities to other works of Koge-Donbo, the setting is definately unique, taking a much darker tone to any book he has released before.

Artwork

All that can be said about the artwork is… wow!  Just before I go into the positives, I must mention that white backgrounds are apparant in this manga, but to a much lesser extent then I have seen usually, even if it is just slightly decorated, it is fine which this manga has done quite nicely. As stated above, character designs are similar to other works by Koge-Donbo with Koto and the shinigami similar to Kazune in Kamichama Karin and Yoki similar to Himeka from the same series. While this does seem to be a common trend with some of his more common manga (The character design for Kazune has been used in each Kamichama Karin, Yoki Koto Kiku and Kon Kon Kokon), there are several more well designed characters which have much to be desired such as the designs for Kiku, Tamayo and Phantom Thief Red. Designs for everything else are really in high detail, as to be expected from a one volume manga, Koge-Donbo has apparantly put a lot of time into the artwork and it has paid off big time.

Characters

There are four main characters in this manga, the eldest daughter of Nekogami family Yoki who aspires to be a musician, Koto who is currently dying of a heart condition, Kiku who is the youngest of the Nekogami children who aspires to be a performer and finally Tamayo who is not only maid to the family but the to-be wife of the eldest Nekogami heir. With their last relative dead, one of the four is set to recieve the fortune if the eldest son does not return from war within 6 month.

The three close relatives, much to the heartbreak of Tamayo fight each other, through attempts of murder and poisoning to earn the fortune. Despite all dying right at the start, their ambitions prevent them from dying. Definately an interesting character overview with each of them not only fighting each other but trying to keep the family safe from harm. The three triplets get a good lot of character development as each of their lives are portrayed in a very effective manner, with each of their life problems and their friends playing a major role in the storyline. Looking at it, there isnt really one ineffective character.

Storyline

To be honest, I had to read this manga a couple of times to really understand the whole storyline of the series. To best effectively describe the storyline, it is best to quote the one given on the book.

In the ancient House of Nekogami, sibling ribalry is a game of life and death.

The Patriarch of the Nekogami family is dead and his grandson Sukekiyo is the rightful heir. There is just one problem – Sukekiyo is away at war, whereabouts unknown. Only one person can get the goods and the triplets Yoki, Koto and Kiku aren’t going to let Sukekiyo’s fiancee, Tamayo, walk off with the prize.

With a fortune at stake, it’s kill or be killed as the Nekogami family goes up against demons, thieves and each other to protect the family and the cash!

So basically, it is three siblings and an unknowing maid going against each other in order to recieve their inheritance over the other. However, this is not the only aspect of the story which is focused on, with each of the siblings own lives focused on with, for example, Koto’s friend trying to rid him of a shinigami which has been following him around, manipulating events trying to kill him with no success. It is a manga I think you have really got to read in order to grasp the storyline instead of trying to read a summary.

Extras

The following extras are included:

• Character List
• Colour First Page
• Thanks from Tamayo
• Afterword by Koge-Donbo
• Translation Notes (Was surprised by the double meaning of the title – The names also being the title of the weapons used by the three twins)
• Exclusive preview of Kon Kon Kokon
• Advertisments
• A Trade in Voucher for a Dust Jacket, which of course, can’t be used anymore.

Personal Opinion

I have to get this one little thing off my chest as honestly, I couldn’t think of anywhere else to put it. The book itself has been designed so… carefully (??) that I cannot open the book without fear of breaking it, as usually I can just open a book all of the way and then just begin reading, but as soon as I opened this one, I felt like I should keep it closed. Of course, if I did that, then I wouldn’t have a manga to review. Now to the main opinion, I quite liked this manga, it was interesting and they made good use of all the space with no useless sections but I do feel that it went far too fast and could have been made as a whole series, but I guess the quality of this wouldn’t have been as good. Who knows, might be adapted into an anime series (or OVA series) which I think could have potential

Overall Review

Artwork: 10/10

Characters: 8/10

Storyline: 13/15

Extras: 3.5/5

Personal Opinion: 8.5/10

Total: 43/50 (86% – A)