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Title:  Kekkaishi #6

Author:  Yellow Tanabe

Publisher:  Viz

ISBN:  1421504871

May Contain Spoilers

There’s a new kekkaishi in town!  Mysterious Gen appears on campus, sent by the shadow organization to help patrol Karasumori and protect it from the plague of ayakashi that have suddenly descended on the site.  Instant rivals, Gen and Yoshimori are soon fighting each other as much as they battle the evil spirits around them.  Gen is surprised and scornful after he determines that Yoshimori is weak, and can’t believe that he’s the family heir.  Along with the headache that Gen brings, Yoshimori and Tokine discover a new type of ayakashi that can completely disguise itself as a human!

I like the addition of Gen to the cast.  A tough guy, he has a real problem talking to girls.  While this is hardly an original plot point, it was amusing to watch him totally ignore the ever more irritated Tokine.  The friction between Gen and Yoshimori was entertaining as well, as Gen has Yoshimori so distracted that he can no longer focus on his ultimate goal of sealing the Karasumori site.  I’ll be a little sad when they become buddies, and I’ll miss Yoshimori’s outrage over Gen’s every little slight; Yoshimori waving his arms around in fury was great cause for amusement.

Gen, we learn, is part ayakashi.  He harbors an ayakashi within himself, and while most humans can’t bear to be a host for long, constantly under the threat of being taken over, Gen seems to be in total control.  Gaining superior strength and regenerative powers from the ayakashi, he is in many ways as much of a monster as the spirits he helps to destroy.   I wonder what troubles he’ll cause for Yoshimori down the road if he looses control after being exposed to the power of the Karasumori site.

Masumori is so cool!  If only I could multi-task as well as he!  Battling an ayakashi while engaged in a cell phone conversation with Gen was one of the highlights of the book for me.  Driving while chatting on the phone can be challenging; imagine trying to engage the enemy, using tekkai and an impressive finishing metsu, all the while keeping up a steady stream of words!  I hope he keeps popping up with new and impressive abilities. 

Grade:  B+

Rated for Teen