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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Manga Review: March Story


Among the quiet villages and towns of 18th century Europe, demons known as the Ill hide within the most beautiful works of art, sparked to life by the torment of their creators. Attracted by their jewel-like allure, the unwary find themselves possessed by the Ill and driven to horrific acts of violence. Only the hunters of the Ciste Vihad can dispel the Ill. March is one such hunter, tracking the Ill from town to town to find the antiques that contain the demons before they can possess anyone. If the worst has come to pass, March's full powers are unleashed to battle the fiendish Ill. Born of tragedy, the artifacts all have their own tales to tell, as do each of their victims. But March's story may be the most tragic of all.

Warning: This manga actually has a rating of M, so if you choose to pick this up and check it out, please make sure no little sheeplings are around.

“Things that should not be touched by humans somehow find their way into this world. That’s why you should never, ever touch anything that is foreign.”


Have you ever seen something shiny catch your eye and you wonder how it could have ended up on the ground? And then egged on by pure curiosity you picked it up to get a closer look? Well you're lucky you don't live in this universe because curiosity can be deadly in a very literal way.


March is a Ciste Vihad, someone that "hunts down and destroys" Ills, demons that possess people. Ciste Vihads are people that have the strength to overpower the nature if the Ill and are known by their prominent horns. These horns stay clear or white until the Ciste kills someone, then they turn red. Ills are demons that take the form of
common items (like an earring, a mask, a figurine) and have the ability to absorb human emotions. The Ills then turn against their owners and prey on the humans emotions, ultimately driving them to become psychotic killers.


It probably goes without saying that March Story is not one of those happy cheerful kind of manga, falls more under the dark type. This manga is also unique in that it is set in 18th century in Eastern Europe, rather than more traditional setting such as China or Japan.


The first two chapters of March Story, "The Hunter With Horns" and "Masked Orche", explain what March does and how he deals with the Ill that have fallen into innocent hands. The third chapter, "Memories the Color of Wind-Blown Glass", has a bit of a funny side dealing with a woman who is willing to buy whatever her sons want as long as they are happy. However this chapter is not without its darker side as you start to find out more about March and his backstory, along with a lovely surprise at the end. (This is where the Mature warning starts to show up). The fourth chapter "Black Dream" is the entire back story of March and how March came into possession of an Ill and became a Ciste Vihad. (Warning there is a lot of boobs and blood in this chapter).

Outside of the overall dark feeling to this manga I highly enjoyed it. I was initially enticed by the cover alone, sadly the manga volumes were wrapped in plastic so my little eyes could not see what was inside. I had to purchase my own copy to see what was going on with this series. I also think that the art design of this series is amazing. The outfits and costumes that the characters wear are carefully rendered and the level of detail on the items that could turn out to be Ill, even the bell that March has, I love.

If you don't mind dark story telling and a little blood and boobs won't scare you away I suggest checking this out.


I'm going to give this 4.5 sheep just based on the first volume of the manga, I've had a bit of a hard time getting my hands on the other 2 volumes for now.

~DD~

3 comments:

  1. I love these covers first off. They attract my eye, and that the material is so dark and more "adult" really appeals to me too. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of the rest of this series, sounds like a good read with depth!

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    1. I have plans to get my hands on the other 2 volumes very soon, I heard rumors that there is going to be a 4th volume.

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  2. I'm looking forward to reading those! This seems to be a good series that really hits a more mature audience. :) Love it!

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