Kekkaishi follows Yoshimori and Tokine, the two inheritors of the Sumimura and Yukimura families, tasked with the job of protecting the powerful and mysterious land Karasumori. Karasumori has the ability to attract ayakashi or demons and if these ayakashi are neglected, they grow stronger with every second they stay in Karasumori.

The whole series starts off in an episodic manner, every chapter is a fight with the ayakashi, however even in these fights, the characters grow. They mature and learn to improve themselves mentally, as mental strength is the fuel for the Kekkai technique. Yoshimori, initially starts out as a impulsive and ignorant kid, his only goal in mind is to protect his childhood friend. He doesn't care much for his duty to the land nor understands fully the responsibility he's been tasked with. However he changes, he starts to sympathize and connect more with all the characters around him and realizes what he must do in order to truly protect those around him.Tokine, by no means is weak. She is smart, calm and collected and serves as a foil to Yoshimori's brash and reckless nature.

I really loved this manga. Yoshimori's cake loving attitude and quick temper make him a really good source of comedy in this manga. The art, creativity and panel approaches, really set the scene and atmosphere and make the manga really enjoyable. The characters, I felt were all thoroughly developed. We understand why every character takes the actions that he or she takes, and can empathize with them. The characters aren't just "powered up" in their power abilities. Rather, a series of mental trainings and maturity is what leads to growth and true strength in this manga.

A lot of people were complaining about the ending. For me, the ending was fitting to the story, Yellow really did finish it all alright. The ending did have a bitter taste to it, and it seemed as if the goofiness that was in the first half simply vanished during the second half- it was occasionally there, but those instances were just simply too rare. But even so, I think that just ended up intensifying the approach of the end of the story. So I liked the ending too.

... Last updated on April 12th, 2013, 10:35pm

Definitely different from your average shounen manga. I kinda felt that the second half or so was somewhat less enjoyable than the start, but it ends up wrapped nicely.

All in all, Kekkaishi is most definitely a manga that you won't regret reading.

The ending was great. I thought it really suited the overall feel of this manga.

And, now that I have got that off my chest, I would just like to say that Kekkaishi is definitely, without a doubt, one of my favorite shounen mangas. The plot is original and unique, though still with that quality of spirit and energy that make shounens, well, shounens. What really sets this manga apart, though, is its characters.

All of the characters are unique, with their own distinctive personality, all the while having a "down-to-earth" quality that is more realistic than typical shounens. (Apparently, Yellow Tanabe created characters by making them foils of each other. A pretty neat way to do so, I think.) And, none of the major characters are static characters. All of them steadily change and develop as the plot continues. Really, Yoshimori, Tokine, Masamori... all of them experience some truly fantastic growth that aren't just limited to them powering up physically or what have you.

Oh, and, as for the plot, it truly begins to take off after the Gen arc, so if you can hold out until then, you'll definitely be rewarded.

The concept of the story was really interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the story...at least until the end. Almost all of the characters were likeable and most of them were developed well. The author gave each character their own problems and used them to facilitate the character development of the main character.

However, near the end the author just dropped the ball... The final sealing and everything just really put me off. With the ending it seemed like the entire development of Yoshimori pitying Karusamori and attempting to find an alternate resolution was wasted. Yoshimori's pity was such a defining part of his character and personality yet in the end it was all wasted.

The whole coupling with Tokine was never a major part of the plot and it didn't bother me so much that they weren't defined as a couple in the end of the story. I actually felt that it was an appropriate end for them because the love between them was never really developed and a sudden jump into a relationship would have made me question whether it was just a forced ending to pander to the readers' wishes.

Though the plot falls off near the end the entire development of the story was both interesting and entertaining. I would recommend it but be prepared for a bit of an unsatisfying ending.

... Last updated on September 9th, 2011, 1:46am

I found this to be an excellent manga. It kept me interested the whole way, and I found the plot easy to follow, with layers of stuff that you could look into. I saw a lot of comments ragging on the ending and I seriously do not understand that. The ending was quite acceptable considering how the story worked. People who complain about the ending clearly invested too much into the story and should realise there are no perfect endings, and that while the main characters did only get 3 pages, considering that the side cast was just as important, it made sense that they got space as well.

I don't usually like to rate just moments after finishing, but this was another one of those mangas that you can't put down. Unfortunately, it has many shortcomings, especially towards the end. I, too, feel like ending was a bit of a let down. I don't care about the coupling issue, I am speaking of the so-called resolution to everything. It made it seem like everything that had been built up in the previous chapters was for nothing. Further, when writing science fiction/fantasy, it is essential that you establish rules for the unnatural. Yet, at the end, the rules were simply tossed out the window for the sake of drama. The problem with this approach is it breaks the suspension of disbelief. Why did Yoshimori not simply resurrect Gen and bring him into the real world? He certainly had the power to do so before the sealing. What could actually stop Yoshimori from using his power to re-enter the new Karasumori? If not Yoshimori, then Tokine certainly could have, she had the ability to breach any kekkai. Those really bugged me, and were not adequately explained. Another issue is that the story simply got too convoluted after Yoshimori started the mu training. Don't get me wrong, I love stories involving strategy and politics, but it just seemed like the intrigue in this story lacked focus and direction. I don't blame Tanabe completely, since it is strongly hinted in the author notes and the omake that her hands were forced by the editor. You could tell she was not happy about the whole Gen plot direction and purposely tried to insert a near clone later on in the story. One can easily deduce that either she was cajoled to go in that direction. Hell, it even is said in one of the contests that Gen was the character she liked most. It is not unexpected, since I have always suspected that the editorial oversight at SS was extremely heavy handed. I wonder what the series might have been like if she was given more artistic freedom? Would gen be allowed to actually state he did not feel attraction to women? Would a more satisfying ending have been allowed to develop? Yes, it seems like I demand a lot, but it is quite disappointing to see a wonderful idea for a story not live up to its fullest potential. Don't get me wrong, this is far from being a bad manga. Even with my complaints, I would still say it is a good read.

The ending was okay.. but a kiss would have been even better.. it was clear that she said yes to his not so direct confession... but i get the feeling it was not complete.. im talking about the ending..

Despite what everyone says, I don't think it was very rushed. They built up towards the ending 20'ish chapters before (which is pretty much a whole volume or two {?}), and a few chapters before the last, it was clear what Yoshimori's role was. All you gotta do is actually read what the characters say to each other.

It took a bit of a dark turn near the end, but as far as mangas about youkai, ayakashi, and spiritual powers go, it was a pretty mature finale. Pretty depressing in some ways, but good all the same.

As for anyone who really doesn't know how Yoshimori and Tokine's relationship turns out, honestly, just read between the lines. Hell, even the side-comment that u have to read vertically gives out a huge hint. It's not that hard if you actually read into it a bit:


Granted, it kinda sucks that the main characters only got about 3 pages, but it pretty much wrapped up any unclear feelings between them.

Not the greatest final chapter, but it was decently planned ending overall, compared to many shounen endings out there. Just gotta pay attention to the foreshadowing.

Wow, after 345 Chapters this manga ended - IT HAD AN ACTUAL END ! Well- it felt a little bit rushed and I would have wished for more romance -

But it felt concluded and open ...

A really good manga.