Itsuwaribito: Volume 22 manga review

Itsuwaribito Graphic Novel Volume 22 cover image

Utsuho Azako once told the truth and inadvertently caused an enormous catastrophe.  From that day forward, Utsuho decided he would lie, and he went on to become an unrepentant troublemaker.  He is a self-professed “Itsuwaribito,” a crook that practices all illicit trades.  This teen travels with a large group of misfits including his talking tanuki, Pochi. and a young physician who hates liars, Dr. Koshiro Yakuma.  They all help people, but Utsuho does so by using this talents for mischief and deception.

As Itsuwaribito, Vol. 22 (Chapters 206 to 214) opens, Hikae Nibyo is about to tell Utsuho and company a story about the god named “Nue.”  It a tale of tragedy and woe, concerning Nue's love, “Mana.”  What does that have to do with their search for the treasure known as the “Kokonotsu?”  The answer will be a horror show for Utsuho and company.

THE LOWDOWN:  Whenever I review the Itsuwaribito manga, I describe it as offering a variety of moods, tones, and genres.  From time to time, the readers never know what they are going to get.

Itsuwaribito Graphic Novel Volume 22 is part folk tale and part horror fiction.  This series is often dark and edgy, and creator Yuuki Iinuma delivers a volume of chapters that have a razor sharp edge.  There is some creepy stuff in here, and there are some eerie and scary monsters and creatures crawling around the action.  After reading this, many readers will find that getting Vol. 23 is a must.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of fantasy martial arts and of samurai comedies will want to try the Shonen Sunday title, Itsuwaribito.

A
9 out of 10