Kekkaishi (結界師?, lit. "Barrier Master") is an ongoing
supernatural manga series by
Yellow Tanabe. It is serialized in Japan by
Shogakukan in the
manga magazine Shōnen Sunday, and licensed for an English release in North America by
Viz Media. It was adapted as a fifty-two episode
anime series by
Sunrise, which was broadcast between October 2006 and February 2008. The series is about
Yoshimori Sumimura and
Tokine Yukimura, heirs to rival families of
kekkai (barrier magic) users, who must defend their school from the spirits drawn to the sacred land upon which it is built.
Kekkaishi received the 2007
Shogakukan Manga Award for
shōnen manga.
Plot
According to the legend, five hundred years ago, there was an insignificant lord who possessed a mysterious power; this power draws
ayakashi (supernatural creatures) to him. A demon exterminator, Tokimori Hazama, was called upon to protect the lord and the castle. The lord's power stays on the land even when he had died. Thus, Tokimori founded the Hazama clan, who inherits his techniques, to protect the land for centuries to come. This land is Karasumori.
In the present day, Yoshimori Sumimura and Tokine Yukimura, heirs of the Hazama clan, are the
kekkaishi that protect Karasumori. They are ability users (people who can use supernatural powers) who use a technique called
Kekkai. Kekkai is a form of magical energy barrier which is primarily used to capture and destroy
ayakashi that are drawn to this
shinyuuchi (sacred land). Yoshimori has used an ingenious alternative to plain barriers by creating boxes of energy which can be used tactically as weapons or for making airborne stair steps. Any
ayakashi that stay on the land become stronger. Yoshimori and Tokine are to guard the land from the intrusion of
ayakashi who intend to power up there.
Yoshimori and Tokine suffered a lot of hardships in their responsibilities to protect Karasumori. The
ayakashi they must fight are becoming more and more powerful, but they managed to protect the land with the help from Yoshimori's older brother, Masamori Sumimura, and Urakai. Urakai itself is an organization of ability users that is governed by a council of twelve, consisting of high level ability users.
Later, it's revealed little by little that the legend is full of lies. The real cause of the
ayakashi power up is Chuusinmaru, an illegitimate son of the Hazama clan's founder, Tokimori Hazama, with the Karasumori clan's heiress who was named Tsukikage. Tokimori used forbidden arts to grant his son unearthly power, hoping that his son would grow into a great man who could conquer the world. However, the plan backfired, as Chuusinmaru was granted a power to draw people's life force, killing everybody. Tokimori has no choice but to seal his own son, who has become a too powerful and dangerous existence, in the Karasumori land, but the seal isn't perfect, as Chuusinmaru's power still leaks out, powering up
ayakashi who stay at the land.
Manga
Kekkaishi is written and drawn by
Yellow Tanabe. It has been serialized in Japan by
Shogakukan in the
shōnen (aimed at teenaged boys)
manga magazine Shōnen Sunday since 2003 issue 47, with publication on-going. Serial chapters have been collected in 32
tankōbon volumes as of December 2010. The series is licensed in English in North America by
Viz Media. It is also licensed in France by
Pika Édition,
[2] in Germany by
Carlsen Comics,
in Hong Kong by
Rightman Publishing Limited,
in Indonesia by
Elex Media Komputindo which serializes it in
Shōnen Star,
in Italy by
Planet Manga,
in Malaysia by
PCM Comics, in South Korea by
Bookbox,
in Spain by
Editorial Ivrea,
in Taiwan by
Tong Li Comics,
and in Vietnam by
Kim Dong.
A guidebook to the series called a "teacher's guide"
(結界師 指南之書) was published as a
Shōnen Sunday special on 16 December 2006 (
ISBN 4-09-120710-3).
Anime
Kekkaishi was adapted by
Sunrise as an
anime television series directed by
Kenji Kodama with character designs by Hirotoshi Takaya and music by
Taku Iwasaki. The opening theme for all episodes is "Sha La La (Ayakashi Night)"
(Sha la la -アヤカシNIGHT, "Sha La La (Mysterious Night)") by Saeka Uura. There are four different ending themes: "Akai Ito"
(赤い糸?, "Red Thread") by
Koshi Inaba (episodes 1–15, 38, 40), "Sekaijū Doko o Sagashite mo"
(世界中どこを探しても?, "Looking for Another World") by Aiko Kitahara (episodes 16–23, 39, 44), "My Mirai"
(マイミライ Mai Mirai) "My Future" by Saeka Uura (episodes 24–30, 41), and "Kyūkei Jikan Jūpun"
(休憩時間10分?, "10 Minute Break") by Saeka Uura (episodes 31–37, 42–43, 45). The series was broadcast for 52 episodes in Japan between 16 October 2006 and 12 February 2008 on
Nippon Television,
Yomiuri TV, and
Nippon Television Network System, in the "golden" timeslot of 7 p.m. Monday.
The anime has been licensed in North America by
Viz Media.
which began broadcasting episodes online through
Hulu.com in January 2010.
The series premiered on TV on May 29, 2010 on
Adult Swim.
It has also been broadcast in Taiwan on
TTV and
Videoland Television Network, in Malaysia on
8TV (Cantonese dubbing with Malay subtitles) and
NTV7 (Malay dubbing), in Hong Kong on
Cable TV, in the Philippines on
Hero and
GMA-7, and in Indonesia on
antv.