▪	RELEASED BY:		VIZ MEDIA
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		YELLOW TANABE
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / BW
		▪	PAGES:		191
		▪	RATING:		T
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		08/21/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		08/05/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		CHRISTOPHER SEAMAN

In times of crisis, you really know who your friends are.  History, art and literature are full of stories about friends who must fight terrific battles together, and the selfless acts they must commit to achieve success.  KEKKAISHI by Yellow Tanabe, and published by Viz, is written largely about friendship and what people who are close to each other will do to preserve the trust, and yes, love they share when the chips are down.  It is one of many qualities that has made this manga a solid offering full of action, the occult, and likeable characters that may have fantastic supernatural powers, but also have some down to earth hassles and heartaches to deal with.  It seems in the end, not all demons in this story exist in the school grounds…

Just to fill you in, a kekkaishi is a demon hunter with the ability to cast restricting spells around his quarry, neutralizing their power and making the non-magical world a safer place for everyone to live in.  Yoshimuri Sumimura, our hero in this story, is joined in his battles by Tokine Yukimura and Gen, a demon who works with humans against his kind.  He is powerful, but is not trusted by many because of his nature.  Every battle against another demon risks unleashing the monster within, and if that happens, Gen is in for a very bad time.  These young adults have to balance their nocturnal activities with their daytime lives as high school students.  Gen in particular has had a hard time doing so, and in Volume 10, faces the greatest crisis in his life as he struggles to find inner peace.  Should he stay with his friends, or should he listen to demons who are trying to coax him back to their side?

The action in the volume begins early as the Kokuboro ayakashi, powerful, intelligent and dangerously resourceful demons, launch an all out assault on the Karasumori shrine, source of vital energy needed to revive their ailing princess.  To succeed, they must wipe out Yoshimuri, Tokine and Gen who, despite their relative inexperience, are left to defend the place when more experienced elders take off on them to gather forces needed for a much anticipated final battle.  Unfortunately, as correct as the elders are in predicting the combat, they actually help bring down the enemy onto the heads of our young heroes. 

If you have been following the story up to now, you know this has been coming.  Well…now it’s here, it does not disappoint.  Add to the action the struggle of Gen, who has been nursing an egg since the last volume presented to him by a particularly crafty demon.  Told that once it hatches, it will reflect his true soul, Gen resists the common sense that tells him to destroy the thing and lives, like the reader, in anticipation of what will come out of the shell.  Is it a real creature?  Is it a symbolic manifestation?  No one, least of all Gen, knows for sure.  But as the demons descend and literally, all Hell breaks loose, the mystery of the egg and the fate of Gen and his friends is about to be decided in the battle that dominates this volume.

Volume 10 reads fast, blending expertly action and mystery into the plot to engage the reader and sweep them up in the tension of the moment.  This story is really enjoyable, and easy enough to follow, with artwork that is cleanly drawn, especially in the action scenes.  Thus it is possible for readers to follow the dynamics of the combat without being assaulted by fancy manga drawing tricks and wild sound effects.  While humor has often been used to break the tension in the past, this volume differs in establishing and maintaining a dramatic seriousness from the beginning.  You can sense that it’s all coming together here, and this battle is going to be a whopper of a clash.  One cannot say more here about the outcome without spoiling the book.  Suffice it to say if you have followed the series up to this point, don’t stop now.     

EXTRAS:
Viz has included a short “Additional Episode” at the end of the story, along with ads for other Viz manga, and a short note from the author/creator.  A useful story synopsis is available at the beginning of the manga to get readers up to speed.  But don’t use it as an excuse to jump in on the adventure this close to the end.  Go get all the volumes and read them.  You won’t regret it.

IN SUMMARY:
KEKKAISHI Volume 10 puts you in the front row of one helluva fight- literally.  The stops are out.  There is no holding back.  In this story, every frame on every page notches up the action as the biggest battle yet begins.  Don’t miss it.