Daruma Matsuura

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Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 9, by Daruma Matsuura

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

In Yumiko Village, Aki’s hometown, one of the 12 Divine Generals, Toki: The Rooster, targets Aki.

Toki is a scary villain. I think in general, enemies that can puppet your loved ones and allies against you are creepy. We also get to see the time when Toki and Bokutake trained together, and this makes up a big chunk of the volume, bookended by Toki’s attack. She is genuinely terrifying, and I’m a little annoyed that there’s a cliffhanger (spoilers?) without a plan to stop her. Sure it’s the classic “evil child” trope, but it is effective. 4.9 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 8. by Daruma Matsuura

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Konosuke, Aki, and Bokutake need to recover from their battle with Dosuke and Katsu. They rest at Aki’s home village, where there are many people with special gifts live and train. But just because they are there to heal doesn’t mean they are safe.

We also get Bokutake’s heartbreaking back story but fuck this volume for ending on a cliffhanger right when things are getting good. It was the cruelest of endings after all the emotional turmoil! I mean, it’s good, I love where this is going, I love seeing Tsuki as a real part of the cast, but sometimes a cliffhanger doesn’t make you run to the next volume; it feels like a kick in the teeth. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 7, by Daruma Matsuura

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Konosuke and the others arrive at the Sessho-seiki Tsuki just unsealed. The man who kidnapped her, Dosuke, is ready to fight to keep Tsuki to unseal more and Konosuke must face both him and his sister, Katsu to save her.

I gotta give it to Konosuke; he has a fantastic character arc so far. He went from this depressed, hopeless guy to someone who fights so hard against such powerful foes. It’s awesome. So much of this plot is driven by people who are at their lowest seeking powers that come with a terrible price and this volume has some great action, making this very thrilling. I’m looking forward to seeing how this goes, considering there’s some time jumps. I don’t know how that will factor in to the main plot and how diving so deep into the bad guy’s backstories will fit in? Maybe there will be some reincarnation shenanigans? We shall see. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 6, by Daruma Matsuura

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Konosuke, Aki, and Bokutake face off against the gambler: Rabbit Eyed Tenroku.

This volume also includes Tenroku’s backstory of suffering through famine (this was pretty fucked up…) and Konosuke’s powers finally manifest. It’s a little spoilery but I enjoy the idea of having luck so good that it destroys everyone around you. Very Twilight Zone. There’s plenty of plot to chew on with Konosuke and Tsuki’s powers. What hooked me about this series was their relationship and I hope these new revelations don’t negatively impact what they’ve built so far. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 5, by Daruma Matsuura

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Konosuke finds out the extent of Lord Haretake’s plans to unseal the sessho-seki stones. Now he’s out to get the next stone first and rescue Tsuki.

The gambling turn was… Certainly a choice that was made. It takes up a lot of time after getting me invested in Lord Haraetake since we went through the long back story and the major threat in this story. Yes, I know such little jaunts introduce new characters and explore the personalities of the existing ones but it still felt odd. It wasn’t bad just odd. I do hope Takeyama is around more. He is awesome. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 4, by Daruma Matsuura

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Konosuke and Aki are still on the journey to save his wife, Tsuki from the Tsuchimikado Clan. They meet Takayama, who used to work for the Tsuchimikado and shares the grim story of the reason behind Tsuki’s kidnapping.

This volume is mostly flashback but it’s a good story. It never quite went were I expected so I was hooked the whole time. I do wonder how this will factor in with Tsuki and why she was taken. But, I’m sure the next volume will connect the two. I’m dying to know how her powers and Lord Haretake’s powers will work together since the Lord is really damn powerful. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 3, by Daruma Matsuura

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

The Tsuchimikado Clan of fortune tellers has targeted Konosuke and Aki with terrifying masters and lethal techniques.

If you don’t like bugs, you won’t be comfy with the first antagonist, Madara. It’s an interesting fight and drawn really well but yeah, warning for bugs. This story feels like it’s stretching it’s wings to become so much more than a down and out swordsman and his devoted lost wife and I am totally here for it. Not that such a simple premise is bad, I just enjoy having more meat in this case. And Aki brings great energy to the page since Konosuke is finding it hard to just survive to find his lost bride. I think the mystery of what’s the overarching machinations will be fun to find out. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 2, by Daruma Matsuura

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

With Tsuki gone and his memory tampered with, Konosuke struggles to get through the day as he knows he has lost something important. Meanwhile, a traveling medium named Aki has the ability to see a person’s fated death and through a chance encounter she learns her fate is entwined with Konosuke’s.

Now the real story is coming into play with a strange request for Tsuki and her captors going after Konosuke, who of course is going to try and get her back. Aki is a hoot as well as a capable addition to Konosuke’s quest. I did wonder where this was going to go after how the first volume ended and I see a lot of potential in this adventure. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Steel of the Celestial Shadows” Vol. 1, by Daruma Matsuura

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Ryundo Konosuke is destitute, homeless, and cursed to repel any metal he is near so he can’t wield a sword. As his mother wished for him to become a warrior, his dreams seem impossible and he decides to take his own life. However, he is saved by a mysterious woman who offers to marry him.

As the volume unfolds, I managed to get attached to Konosuke and wanted him to be happy. It’s a cute story so far; his new wife is genuine and they get alone well. The art is expressive and the fantasy elements leave just enough unsolved to make you keep reading and find out more. It’s intriguing. 3.5 out of 5.

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