Reviews in Brief: Yuki Shimizu's Ze, Vols, 1-6

I've caught up on Yuki Shimizu's Ze -- volume 6 is out in English, out of eleven volumes total, so there's a lot to look forward to -- and I don't seem to have reviewed it here. That's certainly an oversight.

The basic situation is as follows: Raizou Shichikawa, having lost everything -- his grandmother, his home, even most of his clothes -- lands a position as housekeeper to the somewhat eccentric Mitou family, or at least part of it. This part of the family, composed of Kotoha Mitou, Ouka Mitou, Benio, Konoe and Kon, lives in a mansion that is actually owned by Waki Yoshiwara. It doesn't take long for Raizou to discover the family's secret: Kotoha and Ouka are kotodamishi, sorcerers who use the power of words. Konoe and Benio are their respective kami-sama, dolls given life by Waki, the dollmaker, who heal their masters (kotodamishi has some heavy-duty blowback) and protect them from the worst effects of kotodama. Kon is a kami without a master; Raizou promptly falls in love with him and claims him for his own. (And note that kotodamishi and their kami-sama must be of the same sex, for some reason.)

Volumes 1 and 2 focus on Raizou and Kon, with an added appearance by Asari (who actually appears almost throughout the story line) and Shoui Mitou, his kotodama and the actual head of the family. Volumes 3 and 4 focus on Genma Yashiro, who took his mother's name when his father, Seima Mitou, kicked them out, and Himi, first his father's kami and now his. Volumes 5 and 6 follow the story of Ryuusei Kitamura, a bastard child of the family, and Moriya, who is determined to become Ryuusei's kami -- he does not want to return to hakushi, blank paper -- that is, to die. There are side stories periodically that focus on particular pairs, and each adds another dimension to those characters.

That's one of the chief attractions of this series: as it progresses, the characterizations become more complex, situations become less straightforward, and relationships become more nuanced. And somehow, the drawing, which is very appealing to start with, becomes clearer and stronger.

It's definitely a series to follow, and I can't believe I haven't highlighted it here yet.

It's from 801 Media.