Shaman King, Vol. 27: Encounters in Hell

シャーマンキング [Shaman King] #27

by Hiroyuki Takei

Sati chooses Yoh to become one of the Five Warriors, but first, she needs him to prove he's got what it takes—in Hell itself! He'll have to work his way back to the world of the living before he's strong enough to command the Five High Spirits…and to do that, he'll need to defeat the spirit of his ancestor, Yohken Asakura, who killed Hao 500 years ago. Meanwhile, Team Acala track down Ren, Joco, and Horohoro, intent on killing them before Yoh can make his return!

Part of the comiXology Originals line of exclusive digital content only available on comiXology and Kindle. Read for free as part of your subscription to comiXology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime. Also available for purchase via comiXology and Kindle.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Supernatural, Comics, Action, Shonen

189 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 4, 2003

About the author

Hiroyuki Takei (武井宏之 Takei Hiroyuki) is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of the manga and anime Shaman King. His brother, Hirofumi Takei (武井宏文) is also a manga-ka.

Reviews

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the idea of Yoh discovering the history behind Hao and an ancestor of his is interesting, his fight went by too quickly to really appreciate his evolution, especially as he learns, once again, another new technique. The insertion of the five elemental spirit subplot that might be key to beating Hao is also fun but comes out of the blue. The way Hiroyuki Takei plays with death as if it is meaningless does also take away a lot of tension and interest in ongoing events.

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/

[Siegfried · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best part is by the end: a one shot of Shaman King with Anna as the MC.
Overall, great volume.
Kinda weird that they die to get stronger (specially with what happens later, but ok.)

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too few chapters because of a one-shot in the volume that wasn't added among the scanlations I've been reading....

Yoh gets his new O.S., an armor-type like Chocolove and Horohoro before him. It can generate aura to form a swan, tying into some backstory heretofore unseen about Yoh taking family trips to hot springs and riding a swan-boat on a lake with his mom (Doesn't Yoh's family own their own hot spring? Why would he visit others?). It's interesting, Yoh holds Futunomitama no Turugi in his left hand, around which the base of the new O.S. is formed. The actual sword, Harusame, is held in Yoh's right hand, but seems to form the basis for the O.S.'s own giant magical spirit sword, which Yoh can then throw around as he pleases. The panels of the armor allow better flexibility than the unwieldy Spirit of Sword he's been using earlier, far more efficient for combat than rearranging the constitution of the O.S. to invert the blade as a pogo stick, like the fight against Marco/Luchist.

Yoh can also fuckin' exorcise spirits with his new O.S., which he uses to defeat the spirit of his ancestor in some literal "training from hell." Pretty neat that the ancestor, Yohken, can summon a tengu, and there's a cool page spread of Yoh's new swanlike O.S. versus the giant tengu.

Oh, and the O.S. is more mechanical-looking than previous iterations of Amidamaru, continuing Takei's theme of progressing toward a pseudo-mecha manga. Which, honestly, is what every battle manga should aspire to become. Just like how Shaman King's clearest influence, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, which started getting biomechanical with Stand designs, particularly for villain Stands.

This volume also has one of my favorite tropes in battle manga: when a normally easygoing protagonist coldly, mercilessly kicks a bunch of villains' asses. Son Goku taking vengeance on King Piccolo for Krillin's death is peak shounen-battle-manga. Here, it's Yoh defeating a bunch of oni to avenge his ancestor whose soul was crushed by an oni's hammer. Of course, it's wonkier here, as Yohken is killed plainly for shock-value, to segue into Yoh's brief rampage. The actual oni don't matter at all, at least not as far as concerns the content in this volume. Maybe Vol. 28 will have more oni of greater significance? Otherwise, this is just a disconnected bit of badassery. It's cool to see, but it feels "empty." BUT it also better shows Yoh's relation to Hao, whom we've earlier seen get angry against the X-Laws, so I guess it works out on that level.

Also, Sati is pretty hot for a bodhisattva.

EDIT: Forgot to say, seems to be some minor confirmation that Yoh impregnated Anna when they fucked before he left for America. Pretty progressive for a shounen battle manga, I guess. Fifteen-year-olds fuckin'. Teen pregnancy. Doesn't seem weird, though. I mean, Yoh's head is always in the clouds, he has aspirations of becoming Shaman King, he seeks to kill his brother in his sleep after letting Hao become Shaman King. May as well knock up his teenage fiancee.

[Vikas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was in two parts, the first part is where Yoh is sent to Hell by Sati, and then another journey back to the past and now let's get back to the series and Keep on Reading.

I have always loved comics, and I can and I have. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more. You should also read what you love, and I hope you will always love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I just want to Keep on Reading.

[omar ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read up to volume;
#31; with an average rating of: ★★★☆☆ 3.6/5


going to hell was a wild ride and them reviving every 2 pages takes a bit from the story idek
i wanted so much more hao vs anna
we have finalists! and we are in the endgame now
but knowning that, the fights have been underwhelming tbh
i still don't know how they'll defeat hao

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yoh Asakura not only sees dead people, he talks and fights with them, too. That’s because Yoh is a shaman, a traditional holy man able to interact with the spirit world. Yoh is now a competitor in the “Shaman Fight,” a tournament held every 500 years to decide who will become the Shaman King and shape humanity’s future. The twists and turns mount as Yoh leaves and then reenters the Shaman Fight, and Hao and his minions attack the other competitors both in and out of the arena. Meanwhile, an unauthorized attack on Hao ends in disaster for some X-LAWS. and Sati, the leader of Gandhara, sends Yoh to Hell!

Ever since Amazon linked up with comiXology, so that readers could get comics, graphic novels and manga on their kindles, I have been meaning to check out what they had. Under Amazon Prime Reading you get a number of titles for free and this comiXology original is one such series.

We re-join the action with Yoh in hell for some demonic training. The volume also includes some Asakura family history and a fun little story featuring Anna.

Easy to read and engaging, I enjoyed this and it felt just like reading a paperback manga, even on Kindle, as you have to click through the book backwards. A nice little touch. 4 stars.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yoh is at the gates of Hell! That’s how this volume kicks off and Hiroyuki Takei is running on all cylinders as his art and story keep pushing us forward. While there is a lot left (just adding up how many Shaman Fights remain) you can feel the story and the conclusion moving closer and closer. Yoh is confronted with one of the toughest circumstances yet…and it is what he will do when facing his twin brother Hao. This definitely is an interesting volume with the inclusion of the one-shot story titled “Exotica”. It makes the regular book end on page 125 which makes it the shortest volume of the series so far. Still…good stuff in another volume of Shaman King.

[James Rodrigues · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like Jason Voorhees and Hellboy, Yoh goes to hell in an effort to strengthen his abilities, and become one of the five warriors who'll be able to defeat Hao. It's an interesting tale, but what we get feels like half a volume. The other half gives backstory to Hao, and a look at a previous incarnation of the story where Anna was in the lead. These are interesting extras, but considering we're getting ever closer to the endgame, it isn't wanted here.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yoh is going to need all his wits about him as he trains in the Underworld and battles a warrior who once fought Hao in the past! Takei will amaze readers with a dive into the heart of his protagonist as this engaging entry to the "Shaman King" series races along. All on his own, Yoh will have to make every choice count like never before.

[duniamimpigie Anggi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sudah gak ada terjemahan HxH, kini Shaman King yang jadi terjemahan yang bikin si Gie lelah fisik habis-habisan..... Dialognya banyak banget, gilak... Seenggaknya masi lebih mending dibanding nerjemahin HxH yang sampai nyedot energi kehidupan juga /lebai

Anw! Semakin mendekati ending!

[Melissa]

im honestly not invested in this story anymore but i have the rest of the physical copies so i guess i got to finish strong. i guess there's a reason, though popular at the time, this story didn't reach "one of the greats" tier like naruto or bleach

[Ty Ridgway · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book

[Vanessa Rincon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes. Hell. Very nice. Horo Horo is everything!

[Natalia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[AsianMerr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Death really means nothing in this series, I like the battle with Yoh and Yohken but to have Matamune not confront him was wack, also Yohken dying was fitting but unexpected.

[Gabriela Zambrano A · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️
Solo voy a decir: fue un volúmen con mucha emoción. 🤗

[Rodri · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5: I feel like we are entering the final arc

[Дени ★ Проданова · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ей, голямо умиране, голямо възкресяване, голямо чудо. И от кога в ада има влакове? Ами Рен по лотос (нямаше как да не се отбележи)?
Всеки има своя персонален ад, в който трябва да се бие сам срещу собствените си страхове и да изпита силата на собственото си сърце.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the whole rest of this series, expect a review for volume 32 on the whole series.

[Beryll Brackhaus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Shaman King of this one was 5 stars, but half the book is some other manga which sucks and which I never asked for. Blech.