Fairy Cube Vol. 1

Rating T+ Genre manga Author Kaori Yuki Publisher VIZ Media

As children, we were fed stories of fairies that were depicted as fragile, beautiful mythical beings. They were shy yet friendly and were often thought of as innocent characters in your everyday childhood lore. Fairy Cube Vol. 1 however, introduces a whole new side of fairies that travel way outside the picturesque versions we know.

Fairy Cube Vol. 1 ntroduces Ian Hasumi, a student with an ability to see fairies. The only person who believes in his visions is his childhood friend and newfound love interest, Rin Ishinagi. Rin also has the ability to see fairies and finds comfort in the visions due to her abusive and broken family. Together, Rin and Ian vow to try and join the fairy world in order to escape the harshness of their world.

Trouble begins when a series of murders known as ‘the fairy murders’ occur. The victims’ blood patterns look like fairy wings and people begin to suspect Ian, thinking his ability to see fairies is merely a twisted obsession. When Ian happens to pass by and find a dead body with someone standing over it, he thinks he’s found the killer. However, the figure is only a shopkeeper named Kaito who removes a bizarre object called a fairy cube from the victim’s grasp.

The cube allows the holder to travel to a fairy world. Ian is hoping for a way to get rid of an evil spirit named Tokage that he’s been seeing frequently. But instead the plot gets a little muddy, with Ian being transported by the cube to the fairy world and Tokage possessing Ian’s body on earth. While in the fairy world Ian is provided with a fairy guide named Ainsel who is incredibly powerful. Kaito will allow Ian back to his own world after completing a small quest. However, Ian must return as the form of someone else completely different. Meanwhile, Tokage is using Ian’s body to steal Rin away, as well as aide in forming a utopian fairy state with humans as the lesser being. Ian can see how badly Rin is being treated and vows to get revenge and win his true form back.

Overall, Fairy Cube Vol. 1 is a very interesting story. Author and artist Kaori Yuki has the early stages of a great new manga series and the drawings are incredible. However the plot was a little choppy with the fairy cube explanation and switching of bodies. I don’t fully understand why Kaito sent Ian to the fairy world and the origin of Tokage is a bit fuzzy to me, but I guess this is the author’s way of sparking curiosity for further reads.

Don’t be fooled by the cutesy cover. Fairy Cube Vol. 1 is by no means a lighthearted story. It has somewhat graphic images of violence and is much more suited for older readers. If you can get past the slightly sloppy plotline that eventually smoothes out, Fairy Cube Vol. 1 is worth the time.