Yozakura Quartet

(Volume 1)
by
Suzuhito Yasuda

Del Rey, February 2008, 218 pp.
ISBN: 978-0-345-50149-3

Genre: Comics
Subgenre: Manga
Reviewed: 2/20/2008

Reviewed by: Conan Tigard

Book Cover

Manga Page

Yozakura Quartet manga page

 

Synopsis

Hime Yarizakura is a superhero with super powers, Ao is a demon with cat ears that can read other people's minds, Kotoha Isone can conjure up anything with just a word, and Akina Hiizumi, as the only boy in this group, is just a ordinary human. Together, they from the Yozakura Quartet and are demon hunters. Hime, at age 9, became the mayor of the town of Sakurashin. Now, at age 16, she and her friends watch over the town and protects it from demons and other supernatural threats.

When convicted killer, Kosuke Yoshimura, escapes from the local prison, the quartet must work together to save a young news reporter who is being held hostage by Kosuke.

Then, a little boy, who is a good singer, is depressed. Hime wants to make a CD for the town, and needs the boy's help, so Ao must figure out how to make him happy. Hime finds a lost Welsh Corgi Pembroke who turns out to be a handful as it really is a demon dog. When it transforms, it attacks and Hime must fight it off.

Finally, Kotoha has saved up money to buy a plane ticket to Germany. But Hime needs to do some training first and wants to train with Kotoha. During the massive battle that follows, Kotoha's ticket is ruined.

Yozakura Quartet: Volume 1 is a manga book written and drawn by Suzuhito Yasuda. This collection was Translated by Satsuki Yamashita, Adapted by Nunzio DeFilippis & Christina Weir, and Lettered by North Market Street Graphics. This book contains the following chapters:

  • Sakura Blossoming

  • Waiting for You (Part 1)

  • Waiting for You (Part 2)

  • Face the Risks

  • Your Song

There are also some sections in the book for: A) A Note From the Author, B) Honorifics Explained, C) Bonus Manga, D) Translation Notes, and E) Preview of Volume 2, although the preview appears in Japanese. The book reads from right to left and back to front, just like a book from Japan. This manga book is intended for readers ages 16 and up.

 

Review

Yozakura Quartet: Volume 1 is an interesting read that left me a little confused the first time through it. Sometimes, in big battle scenes, it is very hard to tell what is going on. And then when the dialog fails to fully explain what is going on, I sometimes feel left out in the dark with no flashlight. But leafing back through it for this review, I was better able to understand what was going on.

The artwork is very good and the concept has a lot of potential.

The main problem I was having through this first book in the series is that I couldn't figure out the powers of the three girls. It would have been nice if there had been a page before the manga  explaining the powers of each person.

Since this was the first book in the series, most of the stories were introductions for each of the girls, focusing on their personalities and their powers. What amazed me was how a town would elect a nine-year old girl to be their mayor. Seems highly unlikely to me, even if she does have superpowers. I also wondered why the only boy, Akina, has no powers. Maybe he just hasn't discovered them yet. Let's hope so. Because, darn it, he needs some special powers too! How will he be able to protect himself and keep up with the girls?

Turning a cute little corgi into a demon dog, what's up with that? I have a corgi, and there is no way that my cute little Betsy could be a demon. Could she? Hmmm . . . better keep my eye on her.

Overall, Yozakura Quartet: Volume 1 is a good start to a series that could turn out to be great. I look forward to my next encounter with the group of demon hunters in Yozakura Quartet: Volume 2.

I rated this book a 7½ out of 10.

This site was created and is maintained by Conan Tigard
2008