A stereotypical premise of a series can lead to rolling of eyes and expectations to a manga being a bit ‘meh’ (a valid term in the land of critique, I swear!). Genju no Seiza, which is a distinctive but ultimately difficult to remember title, starts with our main character having a dream. More so, it’s a recurring nightmare that he’s been having for years. So shock, horror then as it turns out he has a bit of flair when it comes to spiritual powers, and even more so when birdman arrives to tell him that’s he’s a reincarnated king of a distant land and must go out and fulfill his destiny! Or something like that… I think we’ve all been here before anyway so I shan’t worry about the details.
It’s too easy to read such a title from a jaded perspective, but what this series does it does pretty damn well. Hero Kamishina thankfully isn’t your typical po-faced hero, in fact he’d rather ignore his powers as all they do is cause problems for him and his mother. The ongoing plot is broken down into shorter stories where he learns more about his powers and fate while solving the personal problems of the people around him. Readers already familiar with the same author’s Pet Shop of Horrors know the score that is the balance of strong fantasy and horror elements kept down to Earth with more typical shojo themes such as bullying, suicide and abuse. Kamishina finds himself on a fine line where he has the power to either save or condemn those around him – not something which he finds much comfort and makes for engaging reading.
All the angst and the unavoidable destiny malarkey are strung along with a healthy bit of cynicism. Kamishina might be accompanied by a great and holy deity, but to anyone else looking on he’s just a squawking bird that ceaselessly follows the poor soul around. This series has that wonderful ability to poke fun at itself which for me pushes this manga above the crowd. It won’t be converting many shonen fans any time soon, but this is a decent entry to the fantasy genre which has a just a little bit of gore and sports a welcoming grin.
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"This is a solid manga that won’t look out of place in any self respecting shojo fan’s collection. "
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