Gate 7. Vol. 1
(Graphic Novel)

High school student Chikahito is irresistibly drawn to the shrines, temples, and history of Kyoto. When he realizes his dream of traveling there, he meets three mysterious strangers, Tachibana, Sakura, and Hana. However, they are surprised when Chikahito can see them, since they are engaged in a magical conflict with supernatural enemies, which the apparently mundane Chikahito should not be able to perceive. Hana takes a liking to Chikahito and uses magic to draw the young man back to Kyoto, pulling him into their supernatural struggles. Gate 7 is an urban fantasy manga, which uses Japanese spiritual and magical practices and references Japanese historical figures. The spiritual field of combat is distinguished by a heavy black background, and magical combat is illustrated with fantastic swirls, ornamentation, and floral motifs; the scenery of the real Kyoto is rendered realistically with exacting detail. The characters are a mixture of shojo tropes and CLAMP's stylistic androgyny, but the story, which will appeal to CLAMP's fanbase, will also entice readers of shonen combat fantasy, such as Tite Kubo's Bleach. Verdict CLAMP is an established manga creation team with many well-known and best-selling series (e.g., Cardcaptor Sakura), and Gate 7 will appeal to teen and adult, male and female manga readers.-Christine Gertz, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

High school student Chikahito is irresistibly drawn to the shrines, temples, and history of Kyoto. When he realizes his dream of traveling there, he meets three mysterious strangers, Tachibana, Sakura, and Hana. However, they are surprised when Chikahito can see them, since they are engaged in a magical conflict with supernatural enemies, which the apparently mundane Chikahito should not be able to perceive. Hana takes a liking to Chikahito and uses magic to draw the young man back to Kyoto, pulling him into their supernatural struggles. Gate 7 is an urban fantasy manga, which uses Japanese spiritual and magical practices and references Japanese historical figures. The spiritual field of combat is distinguished by a heavy black background, and magical combat is illustrated with fantastic swirls, ornamentation, and floral motifs; the scenery of the real Kyoto is rendered realistically with exacting detail. The characters are a mixture of shojo tropes and CLAMP's stylistic androgyny, but the story, which will appeal to CLAMP's fanbase, will also entice readers of shonen combat fantasy, such as Tite Kubo's Bleach. Verdict CLAMP is an established manga creation team with many well-known and best-selling series (e.g., Cardcaptor Sakura), and Gate 7 will appeal to teen and adult, male and female manga readers.-Christine Gertz, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.