It’s maintenance time for the kami who serve the kotodama users of the Mitou family, which provides an opportunity to introduce some members of the extended family. Volume three dealt primarily with the couple of Genma and Himi, an arc that carries over into the first few chapters of this volume. Himi, who had once been the kami of Genma’s father, protects his new master … [Read more...] about ZE 4 by Yuki Shimizu: C+
801 Media
ZE 3 by Yuki Shimizu: C+
From the back cover: When a kotodama-sama dies, his or her kami-sama—a healer made of living paper—typically chooses to die as well, returning to a blank state as "hakushi." But when Himi's master passes away, a deep sense of obligation forces him to choose another path. Instead, Himi becomes kami-sama for his master's estranged son, Genma. Genma is everything Himi's former … [Read more...] about ZE 3 by Yuki Shimizu: C+
On Bended Knee by Ruri Fujikawa: B-
On Bended Knee is a collection of short stories featuring professional adults (pediatricians, chefs, professors, et cetera) linked together by, as the back cover points out, the common theme of learning to accept one’s true feelings for another. Although too brief to achieve greatness, each story is a pleasant enough read and all are free from the nonconsensual scenes that … [Read more...] about On Bended Knee by Ruri Fujikawa: B-
ZE 1-2 by Yuki Shimizu: B-
When Raizou’s beloved grandmother dies, he leaves the country home where they had lived and moves to the city, where he enrolls in culinary school and takes a job as a live-in housekeeper at a mansion. There, he meets the members of the Mitou family, who wield the word-based power of kotodama, and their kami-sama, human-like creations made from paper who heal the wounds caused … [Read more...] about ZE 1-2 by Yuki Shimizu: B-