Steel of the celestial shadows vol 5 by Daruma Matsuura

Katsuma-san finishes telling the history of Haretake and the evil lurking inside their foe who now has Tsuki hostage. Katsuma tells of Haretake’s goal to unseal the sessho-seki stones and unleash whatever evil is lurking below and the attempt Haretake will make to control the power inside. With this knowledge, Katsuma sets Konosuke, Aki, and his new apprentice Bokutake off and through a jar to go rescue Tsuki. But Katsuma’s jar drops Konosuke off in a gambling den in the clutches of one of the generals of the Tsuchimikado clan. This would-be professional gambler toys with Konosuke, at first lulling him into a false sense of security, but eventually prodding him to gamble with something very high stakes, much more valuable than money.

---

This trip into Haretake’s background has enriched this storyline and finally revealed our big-bad's full motivation, but it has also shed some much needed light on the world and set the high stakes for Tsuki’s situation. Konosuke understands the gravity of what he has stepped into, and to some extend, so does the reader. The mystical world has become much wider than a man with a strange curse against metal with weird people chasing after him, though the allure Tsuki first saw as Konosuke as her source of protection is still a bit of a mystery. Matsuura has beautiful illustrations and world building for those who can stick through the complicated names and the layers it's taken to set this stage.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1*, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4

Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: October 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781974749157 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Magic, Historical Fiction, Surrealism, ​VIZ Media