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At Sekiei
Magic Cram School, the only two students in the school are Sorcerer's
Apprentices named Kukuyo and Harika. Their teacher is Top-Ranking
Sorcerer Sekiei. Both Kukuyo and Harika use swords that have their
obsidian stones embedded in the handle. This helps them to focus their
magic and use it properly. Most sorcerers do not require an obsidian
stone, but a few do. Those that require the stone are considered
inferior to those that do not need them. Sorcerers use the powers of the
Yin and Yang to ward off evil spirits. One day, Harika wanders into the
magical forest and is attacked by a creature. With the help of Sekiei,
Kukuyo is able to get by the creatures force-field and save Harika. One
day, while practicing outside, Nekome, a Third-Level Sorcerer at the
Torame Magic Cram School, and an acquaintance of Kukuyo's, shows up.
They get into a fight over Harika until she breaks it up by throwing
rocks at them. One night, Kukuyo has a dream about a moon beetle, and
when he awakens, there is one in his room. He gets up and follows it
into the magical forest. Harika sees him leave the school and joins him.
They also run into Nekome who has had the same dream. All three are lead
into a cave filled with moon beetles and there they find a giant lizard
that has captured the moon beetles' leader, Princess Mayu. Combining
their magical talents and skills, they are able to defeat the giant
lizard and free the princess. Later, Sekiei tells Kukuyo and Harika that
they have both been accepted to take the Third-Level Sorcery Exam.
Before the exam starts, the other apprentice's give Kukuyo and Harika a
hard time about being obsidians. When the exam starts, something goes
wrong . . . something goes terribly wrong. Will Kukuyo and Harika be
able to pass the test even though they may be facing a stronger creature
then they are supposed to?
Haridama: Magic Cram School is written
and drawn by Atsushi Suzumi. This story was
Translated and Adapted by Kaya Laterman and Lettered by Foltz Design.
This book contains the following chapters:
First Period: The Obsidian Complex
Second Period: Game On!
Third Period: Adventures in The
Moonlight
Fourth Period: A Path of My Own
Fifth Period: The Pledge and Moving On
There are
also some sections in the book for: A) Honorifics Explained,
B) Afterword, C) About the Creator, and D) Translation Notes. The book read from right to left and back
to front, just like a book from Japan. This manga book is intended for
readers ages 13 and up.
Haridama: Magic Cram School is
a fun single-shot manga book that I think should be a series. I quite
enjoyed reading it and it ends leaving the impression that there may be
more books to follow. But since there isn't a number 1 anywhere on this
book, it looks like I may be out of luck. I liked all three of the main
characters, but sometimes found the storyline a little confusing. Maybe
this was because of the Translation and Adaptation from Japanese to
English, but I am not sure. The story is fun, though, and I quite
enjoyed the adventures of Kukuyo and Harika as they fight evil creatures
and try to become Third-Level Sorcerers. The artwork is pretty good, but
nothing overly spectacular. I do love fantasy stories filled with magic
and monsters, so this book was right up my alley. But like I said
earlier, it would be cool if Haridama was an ongoing manga series, not
just a stand-alone. Overall,
Haridama: Magic Cram School is
a great manga that I want a lot more of. Too bad, it could have been a
cool series. Still, it is worth picking up and reading.
I rated
this book an 8 out of 10. |
