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Black Bird, Vol. 1 (Black Bird #1)

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 10,038 ratings · 246 reviews

R to L (Japanese Style). There is a world of myth and magic that intersects ours, and only a special few can see it. Misao Harada is one such person, and she wants nothing to do with magical realms. She just wants to have a normal high school life and maybe get a boyfriend. All that changes one day when Misao is attacked by a demon. Her childhood friend Kyo suddenly return...more

Paperback, 194 pages

Published August 4th 2009 by VIZ Media LLC (first published January 1st 2007)

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Apr 19, 2013 Natalie rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who want to read about sex

Recommended to Natalie by: no one (unfortunately)

Shelves: manga, book-why-u-no-better, didn-t-bother-finishing, mary-sues, stupid-love-triangle, bad-romance, colorful-characters, comedy, demons, fantasy, has-cliches, insulting-to-women, horrifying, just-written-for-teens-fantasy, no-character-growth, not-bad-just-not-great, ok-book-colorful-characters, something-i-havent-seen-before, why-did-i-read-this, too-frustrating-to-even-get-through, drama, paranormal, romance, unique-fantasy-world

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. When I first read this I thought it was interesting, and the romance was cute . . . I was also 14 when I read it. Now I'm a little concerned on what I liked at that age.

There really isn't a plot in this story nor are there any character development within this manga series. Black Bird in a nutshell is the head of the Tengu clan named Kyo trying to kill anyone who gets in between him and Misao who is the Senka or the Holy Fruit just to get into her pants.

I wouldn't have a problem with this serie...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Marie-Josee Larouche rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was amazing! It entranced and pulled me in from beginning to end! I couldn't put the book down for a second! I just had to finish it! I am ecstatic and cannot wait to buy the second book and read more!

Black bird is about a demon boy (a Tengu), Kyo, trying to get the main character, Misao Harada, become his bride so his clan may prosper. For she is a special human with special blood, and every demon in all of Japan will do anything to have her.

Kyo and Misao were child hood friends and s...more

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Mar 29, 2013 Deborah Takahashi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-romance-manga

Sixteen-year-old Misao has always known what its like to see beyond this realm. All her life, she has the ability to see demons, but none have ever tried to harm her. Unfortunately, the day after her sixteenth birthday, she is attacked by humans possessed by other demons. Although she has no idea why the demons want to kill her, she learns that she is not of this world. Ten years ago, a boy named Kyou asked Misao to marry him when the time is right. After they made this promise, Kyou disappeared...more Sixteen-year-old Misao has always known what its like to see beyond this realm. All her life, she has the ability to see demons, but none have ever tried to harm her. Unfortunately, the day after her sixteenth birthday, she is attacked by humans possessed by other demons. Although she has no idea why the demons want to kill her, she learns that she is not of this world. Ten years ago, a boy named Kyou asked Misao to marry him when the time is right. After they made this promise, Kyou disappeared and all Misao has is shattered memories of him. What she did not know that Kyou is actually a Tengu, a bird-like demon, who not only loves, and desires, Misao, but has claimed her as his Senka Roku, which means "Bride of Prophecy." What Misao doesn't realize is that any demon who claims her will not be granted amazing powers, but her blood, alone, will make any demon invincible. After claiming Misao as his bride, Kyou must dedicate his life to protect her not because of her power, but because he loves her.

Of all of the Shojo manga out there, this particular series is absolutely brilliant since it has a great balance of romance, comedy, drama, and violence. Other than Matsuri Hino's Vampire Knight, the amount of epic battles is almost unheard of in the world of Shojo. However, the best part of this series is the forbidden love between Misao and Kyou. The flashback of their childhood memories are absolutely precious simply because a young boy made a promise to a young girl and fulfilled it. Although I was leery about Kyou's intentions, it is clear that he loves Misao for the woman she is and risks everything to save her. Although sex is a big part of this story (in order to obtain the powers of the Senka one must bed or consume her), there is a hidden moral message about waiting for the right time and the right person, which, for us adults, is better than no message at all. This series is definitely meant for older teens (younger teens will probably be really uncomfortable for the inevitable consummation of the "marriage"). (less)

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Mar 25, 2013 Faye (The Social Potato) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga, smut, romance, series, 1st-in-series, kilig-to-the-bones

Despite being overly predictable, having seen many of the story's elements used in other paranormal smut mangas, I found myself enjoying this as I read it for the second time. The first time I read it, I was using the fan translations, which honestly were very subpar. Maybe it's because I haven't read any mangas for a while, or I'm looking for a light read and this fell under that category (and got lucky since I was in a generous mood); either way, it doesn't change the fact that I was highly en...more Despite being overly predictable, having seen many of the story's elements used in other paranormal smut mangas, I found myself enjoying this as I read it for the second time. The first time I read it, I was using the fan translations, which honestly were very subpar. Maybe it's because I haven't read any mangas for a while, or I'm looking for a light read and this fell under that category (and got lucky since I was in a generous mood); either way, it doesn't change the fact that I was highly entertained.

Unfortunately, regardless of its entertainment value, this volume and story in general (so far) has truckloads of flaws, and joins the huge pile of mangas that are full of tropes that I usually avoid. If you don't like the following, proceed with caution:

* Weak protagonist who is utterly defenceless and vulnerable without the protection of the love interest who happens to be (surprise, surprise!) a jerk, but has a hidden caring and kind side;
* Senseless protagonist who allows the love interest to do whatever he wants with her, as far as permitting him to treat her like an object to be possessed;
* Childhood friends. One suddenly leaves, the other waits. The former comes back as a hot, sexy stud who gives her the cold shoulder sometimes;
* Love interest with a lot of horny tendencies. Also makes crude jokes and sex references;
* Brainless plot. No complexity whatsoever. Girl throws tantrum on love interest, they fight, bad guy appears, girl gets hurt, love interest saves her with matching cliché dialogue ("Even if you hate me, I will protect you!" bullshit), he licks her wounds, they make up, love interest inserts sexual joke/sexual offer, girl goes doki-doki once more. Rehash this every chapter.
* And oh, despite the protagonist being an overall useless character, all the guys seem to like her. Well, that's convenient, huh?

Actually, looking at it now, I don't know why I'm giving it three stars. With such flaws (and many more... just don't know how to put them into words at the moment), I'd have thrown this manga into the dark abyss, never to hear from it ever again.

I guess these positive factors reeled me in somehow:
* It's a light read.
* Official translation is way better than the fan translation. I guess that influenced my perspective.

And I guess that's it. If you're looking for something to pass the time, or you want to see the official translation, try it. Otherwise, I really don't recommend it, especially for those who don't like mindless plots and annoying characters.
(less)

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Jan 20, 2013 Bry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, manga, young-adult, paranormal-romance

Misao is a girl that comes along only once in a hundred years - literally. She is a human who can see demons. And believe me Demons can see her...and hunt her. Because if they drink her blood it will give them a long life, if they eat her flesh it will give them eternal youth, and if they make her their bride it means prosperity for their clan. Only Misao knows none of this until she comes of age at 16 and it becomes open season on her.

This was a great start to a demon/human romance manga. Kyo...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Katie Cody rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

All she wanted was a normal life, but fate had other plans.
I love this series. The setting is beautiful and all of the characters so unique. None of them are perfect, but they do the best they can with what they’ve got. This story is just plain fun and addicting. The lead character isn’t overly cheerful and in fact is pretty average if it wasn’t for her unusual ability to see spirits. Misao is a girl who has always longed for a normal life with her loved ones, but she doesn’t get depressed and w...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Gina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, manga

'Misao is the bride of prophecy whose blood gives power to the demon who claims her. But most demons want to keep her power for themselves- by eating her! Now Misao is just trying to stay alive.' Kyo, her childhood friends returns to save her when a demon attacks her. He was Misao's first love but she never realised he was a Tengu, a winged demon. All she wants is a normal highschool life and maybe get a boyfriend but it doesn't look like this will happen.

Although the concept of this books is st...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have read volumes 1 - 14 so far. But it seemed pointless to repeat myself in a review of each volume.

So this took me completely by surprise. I have searched and searched for a manga that could fill the whole in my heart since Fruits Basket ended *sobs* but my gosh! I think I've finally found it.

Fruits Basket, Vol. 1 (Fruits Basket, #1)

The Good Bits

The artwork is gorgeous! Very much in the soft, sweeping style that Frutis Basket caught me with. Beautiful characters, and such clear and clean story boarding. There's no thick or wonky l...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Amy Escalera rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've always been a nerd for Japanese comic books, manga and anime are a very large part of my reading. I really loved Black bird from the start. It's hilarious, serious, romantic, suspenseful, thrilling. It's a long series, I'm up to book 14 right now and so many things have changed. I really love this book because it's something I can have fun with, I love reading and I always read other things, but I have my manga and Japanese comic books as well as graphic novels to fall back on. Their my "br...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Katy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: once-was-enough, read-ks4, manga, protagonist-facepalm, feminist-facepalm, reviewed

Good fun if you're twelve and think that love excuses everything. But once you get older, you'll start to realise that this isn't romantic. This isn't romantic at all. This is abuse and, as is sadly often the case, Japanese mangaka seem to be condoning it, because your boyfriend is controlling your life, and, well, isn't that just so gosh-darned sweet of him?

The only difference between the actions of Kyo and all the other men who target Misao is that Misao is in love with Kyo. The fact that she...more

8 likes · like · see review

Apr 25, 2012 Shazza Maddog rated it 2 of 5 stars

Misao is a high school girl with the ability to see demons (yokai and the like). She's considered clumsy by her friends, as the demons like to trip her, make her drop her books, etc., but when she was a little girl, she had a good friend, Kyo, whom she loved. He protected her, and they played together, but he's been gone for a very long time.

When Misao comes home one evening, she realizes the house next door, where Kyo used to live, appears to be occupied again - and an attractive young man appe...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Emy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: shoujo-manga, 2012

I'd forgotten how much I liked shoujo manga. Give me romance and drama any day! To be honest, if it wasn't for some glaring problems, I'd have given this book five stars.

The premise of Black Bird is a bit weird. Basically, 'Misao is the bride of prophecy whose blood gives power to the demon who claims her. But most demons want to keep her power for themselves - by eating her! Now Misao is just trying to stay alive...' There is also a demon called Kyo who was Misao's first love when they were sma...more I'd forgotten how much I liked shoujo manga. Give me romance and drama any day! To be honest, if it wasn't for some glaring problems, I'd have given this book five stars.

The premise of Black Bird is a bit weird. Basically, 'Misao is the bride of prophecy whose blood gives power to the demon who claims her. But most demons want to keep her power for themselves - by eating her! Now Misao is just trying to stay alive...' There is also a demon called Kyo who was Misao's first love when they were small children, and he has returned insisting he wants to marry her.

So, lots of potential for drama, smut (Kyo heals her by licking her wounds... yep.) and romance, and Black Bird certainly delivers (if we hold off on the 'romance' part for now; it's a little early in the series). I really found myself sucked in by the story, and I liked Misao as a heroine. Sure, she can't really stand up for herself against demons and cries a lot, but she has no problem slapping Kyo when he gets too handsy. Which, you know, he deserves. XD

Obviously, there are some issues with the plot because what Kyo is doing could very easily turn into sexual assault, but he does seem to be determined to get her consent before actually 'making love' (in his words) to her. To be honest, it's a fine line and I think Sakurakoji is just on the right side of it. We'll see how long that lasts (though the fact Misao is crying on almost all of the covers makes me inclined to believe it won't /cynic hat). I'm a bit wary of any book with the potential to trigger bad memories, so I will stop reading if it gets too, well... much.

There are also some issues with scene transitions. Sometimes it's too choppy and it made me feel like I'd missed something (not helped by the paranoia I have because some pages in my copy are loose ;_;). I also want to know more about how Misao's been coping with being able to see demons, as we only get some brief flashbacks (and they're mainly to do with Kyo).

Aside from that, I love the artwork and the style. There are moments of drama and, thankfully, humour, which I hope continues through the series as it promises to get quite dark.

Best of all, the characters are developed and few enough that I don't find myself confused. I particularly like Taro, a cute little child Tengu in Kyo's service. :) Kyo is also rather pleasing to look at (as is Kuzunoha, a kitsune), but his personality is not that desirable. Hopefully he'll grow as a character or it will be very disappointing.

I'm going to read the rest of the series, because I really enjoyed this first volume, so I'm hoping that a) the line is not crossed and b) Sakurakoji gets better with the choppy scene transitions.

Anyone who loves shoujo manga should at least give this a go, but be aware it's rated for older teens and up due to some erotic moments and blood. Sometimes together. o.o(less)

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Mar 07, 2012 Kaitlin rated it 1 of 5 stars

worst book ever when i got later into the series it was exactly like twilight heres how and the main character is just like bella a totally selfish person! no exaggerations

*no glittering vampires instead the demons have bird beaks
*kaikoh is in jacobs part only he means well more than jacob but is treated worse and she misoa knows what he's going through and still criticizes him
*sho is like the varden so what if he saved you everyone elsa would have too yet you care for him even though he tried t...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Megan rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: abandoned-for-good, awsomely-bad, manga, not-quite-horror, paranormal, teenage-drama, violent

The 'relationships' in this book are gross. The whole premise is that this girl is super-power for demons. If they eat her, drink or blood or marry her they get stronger.

She gets no power out of this. She is inept at anything and is constantly being hurt by even minor demons. She has no real power to stop the human looking heads of clans that come to marry her. One of the demons 'loves' her enough that he is protecting her and has not tried to force himself on her physically (much) but he comes...more

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Jan 10, 2012 Tasia rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga, japan

I've read more than this one, but the series is just so... smutty. The main character seems to be incredibly dim and refuses to defend herself in any way, while the main male is so blatantly sexualized that everything he does can be seen as kinky. I got tired of this. Just peruse these comments from other reviewers:

"Anime News Network's Casey Brienza commends the English edition of the manga for being "amusing and sexy. Good if you want to put your critical sensibilities into neutral with someth...more

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Sep 26, 2011 Cornerofmadness rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really wish there were more supernatural manga that wasn’t flat out shojo because way too much of that genre is far too stupid-romantic for me. I knew that going into this, but like always I held out hope. I have no idea why. This is a cookie cutter shojo paranormal romance with a heroine who spends all her time blushing and being rescued. Sigh. And it doesn’t help I’m reading at least three other manga with this same plot (though mostly sans the romance).

Misao Harada can see spirits. Naturall...more

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May 29, 2011 Destiny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: black-bird

Well every time I went into the bookstore and I drifted toward the back where they keep the manga or as they call them graphic novels. I would see this series. I was hesitant to pick it up because of the cover. I don't know what I was thinking, but I digress. So on my latest excursion to the bookstore with my card in hand. I picked it up and let it be known that I did some damage that day. They didn't even have a big enough for all my purchases. But anyway, I brought my books home and arranged t...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Lex Marie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, books-i-own

I didn't know what to expect with this manga at all. I knew I'd seen it in stores before but I didn't know the synopsis until I started reading it. This is unexpectedly now one of my all-time favorite mangas.
First off, the story is very entertaining and well thought out. I couldn't stop reading for the life of me - it was too compelling. The legend of the Tengu is a new twist on a love story that unfortunately seems to hold some similarities to that of Twilight (both in its portrayal of fatal co...more

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Sep 14, 2010 CJ - Secret Charm rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Midnight Secretary, Night of the Beasts and Her Majesty's Dog

Shelves: manga, want-to-own-complete, demons, shojo

This is another interesting story however, to me, it suffers from the aggressive Alpha Male with a soft side and the non-aggressive female who may or may not love him.

It incorporates the supernatural pretty well and it is a pretty 'sexy' manga.

Misao is a 16 year old high school girl who can see ghosts and demons and recently they've been plaguing her something awful, causing her to hurt herself by tripping, falling, 'being pushed' and just general non-goodness.

Her blood is special though. If a d...more

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Aug 22, 2010 Trinessa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: demons, japanese, romance

Like many shojo series, Black Bird is filled with high school drama, angsty love, and some perverted slapstick humor. It's set apart by the introduction of Japanese monsters such as tengu and kitsune in addition to quite a bit of blood. The main character is often attacked by demons and her wounds are healed by having Kyo lick and suck them. It's been a few years since I've read manga so I was a little surprised by the pervy levels that that aspect was taken to. It's rated T+ (for older teens) a...more

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May 22, 2012 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga-graphic-novels

Black bird is about a demon boy named Kyo, who is trying to get Misao Harada (main character), to become his bride so that his clan may prosper. Misao is special. She can see demons and other ghostly creatures, and it seems these demons want her blood and will stop at nothing to have it.

To be honest, I didn't think I would enjoy this manga at all! The plot seemed very generic, but I decided to read it anyway (and so glad that I did!). I like kyo's personality. He is sometimes arrogant and gross,...more

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Oct 16, 2011 Vicki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, manga

Misao Harada just wants to be a normal teenaged girl. However, all her life she's seen and been terrorized by magical creatures. Everything in her life gets a whole worse one day when she is attacked by a demon. Once Misao's 16th birthday hit it declared open season on her. However, there is one demon who's prepared to protect her, in return for one thing - she becomes his bride.

So I don't know why, but I really, really enjoyed this. There's just something about it. The writing is interesting a...more

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Aug 14, 2011 Kristen Kimball rated it 5 of 5 stars

I only bought the first volume of this book because, while the plot attracted me, some of the reviews made me hesitate. However, having read it now, I want the rest of the series. It's dark, intriguing, mysterious, and just a bit steamy (well, maybe more than a bit?). I would probably characterize this as a guilty pleasure. The plot, so far, isn't too complex or original, but it is well executed. The art is quite pretty, better-than-average imho. If you're looking for a fun, thoroughly enjoyable...more

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Feb 06, 2013 MissAnnThrope rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to MissAnnThrope by: Sara

Shelves: 2013, demons, fantasy, library-book, manga, naughty, shojo

06 February 2013

No! I mean, YES! But, no! Ohh, yes! NO! I love you! NO! I hate you! The anguished tears streaming down my face mean “yes, sir, may I have another?” Sighhhhh.

Black Bird, Volume 1 is silly and has your typical shôjo high-school love elements. The premise is interesting in that the lead character, Misao, sees yôkai and she happens to be in love with one. She discovers that her childhood love, Kyo, is a yôkai and the leader of the Tengu Clan. What throws a wrench in the long-lost-lo...more 06 February 2013

No! I mean, YES! But, no! Ohh, yes! NO! I love you! NO! I hate you! The anguished tears streaming down my face mean “yes, sir, may I have another?” Sighhhhh.

Black Bird, Volume 1 is silly and has your typical shôjo high-school love elements. The premise is interesting in that the lead character, Misao, sees yôkai and she happens to be in love with one. She discovers that her childhood love, Kyo, is a yôkai and the leader of the Tengu Clan. What throws a wrench in the long-lost-love fairy tale is her discovery that her blood is advantageous to demons, so she can't trust her demon-love's true intentions.

Misao is forever in tears and needs constant rescuing. This is one of my major beefs with the majority of shôjo manga. The girls are usually weak and utterly hopeless. Not only that, but if their love interest is abusive it must mean that they truly love them. This makes me want to bang my head on a wall. Scratch that. It makes me want to bang the character's head on a wall.

Kyo is a total domineering ass. I don't care how much he saves Misao, the guy truly needs to learn boundaries. He's intrusive, bull-headed, and possessive. Where's the romance, dude? None of the male characters have been all that likable so far. Well, I take that back. One of the characters I really did love was Taro. Could he be any cuter? I loved when he turned on the waterworks. So adorable!

Given all of that, I strangely still enjoyed it. I think the risque elements were so odd they were hilarious. Kyo's perverted tendencies and all of the licking was so ridiculous and strange, I couldn't help but laugh. The story did feel more like a young-adult vampire book, rather than a story of a powerful winged demon. In fact, Misao is quite clumsy and helpless, bringing to mind a character from one such book.

On a side note, when I first opened this book, I thought “Hey, it's Karasu-Tengu from Nura.” He is one of my favorite yôkai in that series, so it was kind of fun to get more of the folklore on him here. I really enjoy the artwork. Everyone is drawn so prettily, including Kyo. I like my male characters more masculine, but I still appreciate how pretty everyone was.

So here's hoping Kyo's brashness is simply his over-excitement in being reunited with his love and his urgency to protect her from harm. He does have a certain wicked humor that I enjoy, so I'm looking forward to him becoming more likable once the fire in his pants cools down.(less)

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Jan 29, 2013 Emma rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

This manga was entertaining enough and I zoomed through it, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth. It was very easy to read, and I had been looking for a fantasy based in reality manga, so this one which is about demons and magical realms and draws from an old bird mythology (I don't remember and I've already returned it to the library) seemed to hit the mark. Unfortunately, none of the characters were really drawn out, and then we come to the much more problematic issue of consent. The main...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Laura Ashlee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, manga

http://www.owltellyouaboutit.com/posts/black-bird-volume-1/

Black Bird is another product of my library browsing in manga section. I need to stop doing that because I’m now invested in something like five manga series. Oops. I should be able to keep it all straight in my mind though. This one will be no problem because it has a lot of fantasy elements that the manga series I’m reading don’t have. Black Bird includes demons and prophecies and it should be a good series to mix things up a bit.

Misao...more http://www.owltellyouaboutit.com/posts/black-bird-volume-1/

Black Bird is another product of my library browsing in manga section. I need to stop doing that because I’m now invested in something like five manga series. Oops. I should be able to keep it all straight in my mind though. This one will be no problem because it has a lot of fantasy elements that the manga series I’m reading don’t have. Black Bird includes demons and prophecies and it should be a good series to mix things up a bit.

Misao has always seen spirits and sometimes they can hurt her. On her sixteenth birthday she sees more than she ever has before. They just won’t leave her alone! Misao is the quintessential damsel in distress. She’s all big doe eyes and fainting. I’ll admit there’s nothing she can do about the spirits and demons, but she’s an extremely passive character. She’s only known one other person who could see spirits and she hasn’t seen him in ten years. On her birthday when the spirits seem to be getting out of control, he shows up again. Kyo arrives just in time to save her from a demon that wants to eat her. It turns out she’s like candy for demons. They can drink her blood, eat her flesh, or marry her. Any of these three will give them powers. That’s when she finds out Kyo is a demon too, but he doesn’t want to eat her. He wants to marry her.

After the discovery of Kyo’s demonic nature and his intentions, the manga slides into a typical plot of Kyo trying to convince Misao to marry him and her saying no because he’s just doing it for his clan. More demons show up and more chaos ensues. I don’t normally read manga with this big of a paranormal or fantasy element to it, but I rather enjoyed this first volume and I plan to continue. I do hope the relationship between Misao and Kyo gets to more of an equal ground though. What I did like about this is that I understood what was going on the whole time. When I’ve given up on fantasy mangas in the past it’s been because I had no freaking clue what was happening. It was too confusing, but this is pretty straight forward so I like it.

This is a decent first volume. All the paranormal/fantasy elements were explained well and the basic plot was lined up. I’m ready to see where things go. I recommend this to manga readers who like a dose of paranormal.(less)

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Sep 17, 2011 Kereesa rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 16+ shojo fans.

Recommended to Kereesa by: Nicholas Cyr and Jay

Shelves: 2011, demons-magic, manga, manga-english, manga-shojo, paranormal-romance, paranormal, urban-fantasy, young-adult, we-are-never-getting-back-together

Misao is a normal girl. Well not really. (When are they ever?) Misao can see the demons and magical beings that the rest of the world luckily can't, and is plagued by them night and day with their tricks. Until the day she gets seriously attacked by her demons tricksters. Luckily for Misao, an old childhood friend Kyo shows up to fend off the evil demons, and tend to Misao's wounds with his demon tongue. Misao soon learns that she is part of prophecy that if killed and eaten brings strength to t...more Misao is a normal girl. Well not really. (When are they ever?) Misao can see the demons and magical beings that the rest of the world luckily can't, and is plagued by them night and day with their tricks. Until the day she gets seriously attacked by her demons tricksters. Luckily for Misao, an old childhood friend Kyo shows up to fend off the evil demons, and tend to Misao's wounds with his demon tongue. Misao soon learns that she is part of prophecy that if killed and eaten brings strength to the demon that does so, but brings prosperity to the demon clan that takes her for marriage. But can Misao really love and marry a demon?!

So Black Bird has a lot of typical shojo stuff. Submissive female, dominant male couple. Childhood friend lover. Demons. Lots of sexually charged scenes :D. Predictable love story outcome.

But, but, friends, Black Bird has got something. I don't know what is, but Black Bird was beautifully, wonderfully addicting, awesome, and just plain worth the effort and time to read, daydream, and buy.

So the plot is pretty simple, Misao gets in trouble, Kyo saves her, and there's lots of conversations and scenes that develop both the love story and characters. Nothing really shows up in terms of an actual arc, but since this is the first volume I'm willing to give it some slack.

I'm also kind of, sort of, in love with it, so I'm utterly biased as well.

The characters, Misao and Kyo really, are both captivating and mysterious at once. Misao, besides the fact that she is that typical submissive shojo heroine-which I was okay with, though I hope she'll become a little stronger-was very cute and you can't help but love her in spite of her frailty. Then again, biased. Then again, demons. So, yeah. Anyway, Kyo is very sweet, but has an edge of danger to him as well, which makes me wonder about his darker side quite a bit. I really like the fact that the manga doesn't give you very much information about either of them, though, and am insanely curious about their backgrounds/histories/etc...

The art is beautiful, but not to the point of too-perfect-to-be-real. Which I appreciated, since so many shojos have too beautiful heroines/heroes, and don't have slightly flawed ones-which surprisingly I like more. The art is also really sexy for the sensual scenes between both Misao and Kyo, and works wonderful for that sexy/blood gore stuff the mangakan plays with.

All in all, Black Bird is typical, yet utterly captivating and addicting. It's one of those guilty pleasure reads, with both beautiful art and story. A lovely 4.5/5(less)

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May 11, 2012 Miranda rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

The cover pretty much accurately describes the inside of this book. Really smutty- bordering on falling into the pit of hentai, but yet not showing anything technically. Just really provocative. Not my style, but I picked it up at the store because it was recommended to me.

Okay, so Misao is always getting hurt and having to get licked by Kyo in order to get better. Others are always either trying to kill her or screw her. She draws demons to her or something because she is basically demon crack....more

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Jul 10, 2011 Emily McDaniel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Manga Choice - Winner of the 54th Shogakukan Manga Award - Original Post

It takes no time at all to read an entire manga book, but the downside of that is that you only get 1/3 of the story - or at least that was the case with this one. After struggling to understand the directional flow of the book, once I figured it out it was smooth sailing. Misao is a young girl who has held feelings for her old neighbor boy who moved away many years ago but promised he'd return for her. In the mean time, Mis...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, manga

"Black Bird" is an original telling of the typical "the heroine is a once-in-a-lifetime girl" and the boy must possess her in order to save her. Misao is the bride of prophecy. For the demon who drinks her blood, he gains strength, for the demon who eats her flesh, he becomes immortal, and for the demon who makes her his bride, his entire clan will prosper. Kyo, a childhood friend of Misao and head of a clan of Tengu demons, has returned to claim Misao as his own, but he will have to fight not o...more

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Black Bird, Vol. 1 (Black Bird #1)

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