By Kanoko Sakurakoji. Released in Japan by Shogakukan, serialization ongoing in the magazine Bessatsu Comic (“Betsucomi”). Released in North America by Viz.

I had considered making this review simply one word: “No.” But I don’t want to be that kind of reviewer, and in truth there is stuff I have to say about Black Bird. I will also freely admit that, being a 36-year-old male, I am not the intended reading audience of this teenage shoujo manga.

That said, you know what you’re getting into when you look at the cover. I’ve disliked each cover for this series, and this is the worst one yet. I think it’s supposed to convey a supernatural sort of sensuality, along with a lusty predatory gaze that teenage girls find appealing. Unfortunately, I keep seeing it as ‘watch me rape this young girl now’. Buying this manga after looking at the cover feels like I’m participating in a crime.

The inside doesn’t really relieve that feeling. Throughout the manga, the plotline overall seems to be “Why won’t she understand this is for her own good?” I have a fondness for strong, spunky shoujo heroines in general. (They all seem to be utterly clueless as well, but I accept that as the price I have to pay.) Misao is the opposite, a girl who has low self-esteem, doubts everything told to her, and feels ashamed whenever she’s with the one she loves. I read shoujo to see girls grow up, find love, and become strong. This heroine is being told “Shut up and let me protect you, or you will be raped or worse.”

And then there’s our hero, who is the brooding and sullen type. Yes, it’s clear that much of his behavior is due to worry over the various rival demon elements that seek to take Misao’s power for themselves, but that doesn’t really hold up when you realize that he went through a whole double bluff before informing his enemies that their powers are virtually useless against him in his domain. And then KILLING one of them in front of Misao. To teach her what her new life is like. And she watches the killing, as he’s doing it for her sake.

And then he licks her wounds in the bath to heal them, whereupon they kiss and grope naked on the wooden floor. Did I mention this title won a major Japanese manga award last year?

There is a certain element of fiction that is very popular at the moment. Twilight was the explosion, but probably not the impetus. In manga, the best example would be Vampire Knight. Vampire Knight, however, at least treats its heroine with respect (mostly), and its hero’s ‘I am aloof and uncaring for you’ attitude doesn’t last long. This Betsucomi version of that, however, is simply repulsive. It’s trying to be dark and sensual, but it merely feels utterly creepy. I tried to give it three volumes to see if it might change, but enough. I can’t in good conscience recommend this title, unless you know beforehand that you are the audience for this sort of thing.