Alichino volume 1
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(quoted from the back of Alichino volume 1)
Beautiful creatures called Alichino grant wishes to those in need--but at a price! A young lady searching for an Alichino wants to bring her brother back to life. She meets Tsugiri, a handsome young man who she thinks is an Alichino. Tsuguri turns out to be a mere mortal, but he does have a mysterious connection with these rare creatures--a connection that will bring danger to those around him.
Kouyu Shurei, winner of the prestigious Cobalt Illustrator's Award, has created a striking fantasy series filled with luscious artwork and mesmerizing characters that will engage readers long after the last page is turned. |
Alichino volume 1 contains:
Chapter 1: Alichino
Chapter 2: Death
Chapter 3: Sacrifice
Chapter 4: The Power of "Kusabi"
Chapter 5: Awakening
Storyline:
Alichino are mysterious creatures that will grant any wish to its captor--BUT, at a price! With an introduction like that it is easy to guess that this series definitely has a gothic theme. Even though the storyline has some darker concepts to it, that actually only adds to the appeal. Alichino's stories of human weakness are not only touching, it's honest.
Artwork:
With darker shades and perfectly portrayed characters, Alichino brings the story to life. If you've read The Demon Oronon or other gothic series you'll know what to expect. The only difference with Alichino's art is that it has a bit of a shoujo feel to it, too. Thankfully, the shoujo elements help define the characters better and make the artwork stronger. The only problem was that the characters never seem to have differing facial expressions, but maybe they are just sad?
Characters:
While the artwork and the storyline started off strong, the characters felt like they received the short end of the stick. The first volume managed to deliver somewhat detailed characters but compared to the excellent art and enthralling story, the characters were not as impressive. By the end of the volume they started receiving more attention with some engaging memories, but the fact that they didn't get as much attention as they deserved was a bit of a disappointment.
Summary (Warning: May Contain Spoilers):
Extras:
It looks like Tokyopop is taking a hint from Del Rey fans by adding a few full colored pages and pages from the second volume of Alichino. There is also a short author's commentary and some other fun extras. Hopefully, future Tokyopop releases also get the same attention that Alichino received.
Content Warnings:
-Language: Not Really
-Violence: Yes
-Nudity: No
-Sexual Situations: No
Overall:
A nice start to what seems like is going to be an excellent series. The artwork truly deserves praising and the story is also rather impressive. If the characters would have started off as strong as the other two sections this series probably would have received a higher score, but the fact that there isn't much to them at this time chipped away at the whole experience.
+ Excellent art that fits the feel of the series and the Del Reyish extras are a nice addition to the series.
- Besides being only 165 pages, the characters need some more depth before this series can take off.
Score: 8.5/10
