Series Title: Yukarism
Author: Chika Shiomi
Volumes Reviewed: 4 (complete)
Publisher: VIZ Media
US Release Date: December 2014 - November 2015
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Content Rating: Older Teen (sensuality, violence, quasi-nudity) [see Note below*]
Format Read: Paperback
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase: Azon | B&N | BookDepo | Indiebound | RightStuf
Summary (of Volume 1):
Yukari Kobayakawa, an accomplished author at the age of 17, writes with amazingly accurate details about historical Japan. It turns out he has the ability to travel back in time...to his past life as a renowned courtesan in the Edo period! As he goes back and forth between the past and present, he unravels the karmic relationship he has with his beautiful classmate Mahoro Tachibana...
* * *
Series Notes: This is a 4-volume series. All volumes are released and available.
Yukarism is an odd but engrossing contemporary fantasy of reincarnation and romance. At only 4 volumes, it tells the brief story of teen male Yukari's sudden ability to travel back into the body of his former incarnation - that of female oiran (courtesan) Yumurasaki - and his pursuit to discover how she was murdered. Along the way he is drawn to several other reincarnated souls, including a former frequent customer witch doctor and a favored bodyguard, and when their previous selves start manifesting in the present Yukari must figure out why they are all connected and how to free their overlapping minds - before their past deaths kill their future selves.
The art was somewhat simple but also striking with lush Edo period fashion and settings and compelling scenes of violence and magic. All the characters were unique and engaging, especially when alternate personalities manifested in inappropriate bodies, and although their emotions could become intense there was also a lot of humor and gentleness in the way they handled each other (when the old boys weren't trying to kill one another, anyway). The relationships, romantic and familial, were a tangled mess of obligations and desires that wound up causing more harm than affection, but through the exploration of their pasts the characters are able to be reborn into a hopeful future for a sweet and uplifting end. Recommend for historical fiction, contemporary fantasy, and romance readers, especially those who enjoy historical Japan and reincarnation love stories.
*A Note About Content: Although the publisher rated this series TEEN, I'm more inclined to recommend it for OLDER teens due to the heavier emotional content, time spent in the pleasure district, quasi-nudity, and the fact that Yukari typically visits Yumurasaki's body when she's in the middle of a "session" with Takamura.
For Fans Of: Natsuki Takaya (Fruits Basket, Twinkle Stars)
Yukarism is an odd but engrossing contemporary fantasy of reincarnation and romance. At only 4 volumes, it tells the brief story of teen male Yukari's sudden ability to travel back into the body of his former incarnation - that of female oiran (courtesan) Yumurasaki - and his pursuit to discover how she was murdered. Along the way he is drawn to several other reincarnated souls, including a former frequent customer witch doctor and a favored bodyguard, and when their previous selves start manifesting in the present Yukari must figure out why they are all connected and how to free their overlapping minds - before their past deaths kill their future selves.
The art was somewhat simple but also striking with lush Edo period fashion and settings and compelling scenes of violence and magic. All the characters were unique and engaging, especially when alternate personalities manifested in inappropriate bodies, and although their emotions could become intense there was also a lot of humor and gentleness in the way they handled each other (when the old boys weren't trying to kill one another, anyway). The relationships, romantic and familial, were a tangled mess of obligations and desires that wound up causing more harm than affection, but through the exploration of their pasts the characters are able to be reborn into a hopeful future for a sweet and uplifting end. Recommend for historical fiction, contemporary fantasy, and romance readers, especially those who enjoy historical Japan and reincarnation love stories.
*A Note About Content: Although the publisher rated this series TEEN, I'm more inclined to recommend it for OLDER teens due to the heavier emotional content, time spent in the pleasure district, quasi-nudity, and the fact that Yukari typically visits Yumurasaki's body when she's in the middle of a "session" with Takamura.
For Fans Of: Natsuki Takaya (Fruits Basket, Twinkle Stars)
Scribble Rating:
4 of 5 Scribbles
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