I picked this up purely because the cover looked so lovely, thankfully it turned out to be just as good as the cover.Summary
Fairy Cube starts out rather scattered. We see a glimpse of Ian's childhood, then we see a fairy murder, and finally we get a little introduction to Ivan before he takes a hit from Rin who was trying to hit a few girls that tried to bully her.
Ian tells us Rin is his dear childhood friend, but he has to pretend he dislikes her because of a certain incident. Rin is rather annoyed at this, but before they can talk too long, Ian's father tells him to hurry to class. Ian's father is a teacher at his school. Then we see another Ian, a much darker and meaner Ian, who berates the first Ian. Ian tells us this is Tokage, his other self, who he has seen since he was little, and who has made his life miserable. No one but Ian can see him.
As Ian is walking home, Tokage pulls his bag away. When Ian goes to pick it up, he sees someone at the scene of a fairy murder. He also notices a talking doll and the fact that the gentleman takes something from the scene of the crime. He follows the man to a shop and is corner. When Ian is corner, he confronts the man about the crime. The man tells him he only took what the lady stole from his shop and gives Ian a cube with a green lizard inside. As Ian leaves, the dolls expresses her regret that he will die soon.
Ian runs to the police station to tell them about the man, but no one believes him because Ian has gained a reputation for telling lies. Just then Rin comes in with her mother. As the police take her mother, Rin reminisces with Ian about their childhood. We get a brief flashback, showing that Rin's mother has always been abusive to her and that Ivan told Rin about fairies. Unlike the other children however, Rin believed Ian and went out early one morning so that he could show them to her. After witnessing the fairies, Ian showed Rin the wings drawn on his back, which Rin found beautiful. However, this little meeting was cut short when Rin's mother and Ian's father find the two. It seems Tokage somehow influenced Ian's father and brought him to Ian and Rin. Ian also remembers what followed, how his father burned the wings on his back, and how he told Rin he hated her in order to protect her from his father.
Before the two can talk much longer Ian's father shows up once more and forces Ian to leave. At home he questions Ian and asks whether he was trying to leave like his mother. Then he checks to see if Ian's wings are still gone so that his son will not be able to fly away. Meanwhile, Tokage is up to his tricks again. This time he takes Rin's bus pass, the one she dropped, and kills a guy from Rin's school who is on the phone with his girl and places her pass near his corpse. His girlfriend, worried, goes to find him and finds Rin's bus pass; she tells a few people, and the next day, a bunch of girls begin to gang up on Rin. They insist that she killed the guy, even though Rin states she lost her bus pass and didn't do anything. Ian comes to help her, but the girls brush him off by saying he is a lair. To save Rin, Ian asks her to trust him like before and takes her hand. Using her power and his, he is able to show all the students fairies. The students are dazed and Rin takes Ian's hand and runs. However, Ian's father sees the two, and just as Ian confesses to Rin that she is precious to him, his father stabs him and Ian dies.
Ian's soul is protected from minor demons by a mysterious person, and when he finally reawakens and goes to the human world, he sees Rin with himself, only it isn't him but Tokage. Knowing that Rin means a lot to Ian, Tokage makes his move on her and asks her out. Ian, infuriated, goes to find the strange man and doll for answers and a way to return to normal. Angry, he attacks the man, but he is stopped when a fairy emerges from the doll. The fairy, in her own anger, looses control of her powers and the mysterious man named Kaito, transports both of them to the other world.
Kaito tells the two how to get back, but they run into trouble on their way home. Thankfully with Ainsel, the fairy's help, the two manage to return in one piece. Ainsel is quite impressed with Ian and decides to help him, but she informs Ian that she is doing all this for Kaito and not Ian. Ian is given the body of Eriya, a young boy and a special amulet that prevents other 'wing people' from seeing that he is one as well. Wing people are fairies who have taken over a human's body.
Meanwhile, a girl transfers to Ian's school, and it turns out she is a wing person as well. She and Tokage eventually have a show down in which Tokage kills her and claims victory. Rin sees this, but she is knocked out by Tokage's attack when he hears her. When she awakens, she believes that what she saw was just a dream, until she notices Tokage's broken amulet. Just then Eriya comes running in to save Rin and Rin finally realizes that Ian is really Eriya. Unfortunately, Eriya dropped his amulet, and by saving Rin, Ian has exposed himself to Tokage. The two arrive that Eriya's house, where his angry grandmother waits, but instead of a lecture, Ian learns that Eriya's grandmother is special and able to see spirits. Hence she knows that Ian isn't her grandchild and she is able to see Ainsel. The volume finishes with Eriya's grandmother telling the group that they will have to hear her story tomorrow.
My Thoughts
Fairy Cube is amazing! I love it. I haven't read a Yuki Kaori manga before, so I was not too sure what to expect going in, but now I know I'll have to pick up her other series available in English, Godchild, Cain Saga, and Angel Sanctuary. I love the beautiful art and intricate story, as well as the multifaceted characters.
Fairy Cube moved at a very brisk pace, but it never felt rushed. The pace was perfect, I felt that nothing dragged on, and nothing was done too fast. Rarely does a manga manage to pace itself so very well; I am impressed. The story itself was very interesting; a lot of mysteries and mysterious characters were introduced. I cannot wait to discover each one's motives and what is really going on behind the scenes.
The main characters are also very interesting and likable. Ian seems rather weak at first, but he is actually rather strong, and grows stronger as the story moves on. On the other hand, Rin seems rather strong at the beginning, but we learn she is very frail, yet even when she is so very frail, she still manages to stay strong. The two main characters have a lot in common (namely their traumatic childhoods), yet both take drastically different approaches in dealing with them. Ian is rather passive, he tries as much as possible not to anger his father (mainly because he knows Tokage's influence causes his father's abusive behaviour), and pretends to be happy. Rin on the other hand, doesn't hide the fact that she isn't happy and tries to cut herself away from her mother's abusive tendencies by going to the police. Both also see in the other the only ray of light in their lives. However, neither is mushy and lovey-dovey, thankfully! Ian, distances himself from Rin for her safety, and Rin isn't blinded by love, she notices the difference in Ian when Tokage takes over. Both characters have weaknesses and strengths, making them more enjoyable to read about and connect with. In particular, I like how neither becomes plain stupid just because they are in love. Countless times there is an interesting lead who becomes stupid because s/he falls in love, so this was very refreshing!
The art is lovely. Yuki-san manages to have a unique art style while at the same time retaining a main stream manga feel to her art. The art is clean and very detailed. Character designs are lovely, especially Ainsel. Actions and gore are also well depicted. The layout isn't the best, but it still works rather well and captures some cinematic feel. Overall, I am very impressed with Fairy Cube volume one and will definitely be continuing with this series.
~Joanna
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