Monster Soul

Monster Soul (モンスターソウル, Monsutā Souru) is a shōnen manga by Hiro Mashima. It was serialized in Comic Bom Bom from January 2006 to March 2006. In the June 2007 issue the "second stage" started, this second part ended in the September issue. As of July 2007, there are 6 chapters (3 of first stage and 3 of second stage) and 1 takubon volume (consisting of the first stage). Kodansha USA has licensed the series for North American release and published the first volume on May 13, 2014 and the second on August 12, 2014.

Monster Soul
Monster Soul manga, Volume 1 cover
モンスターソウル
(Monsutā Souru)
Manga
Written byHiro Mashima
Published byKodansha
English publisher
MagazineComic Bom Bom
DemographicShōnen
Original runDecember 2005 – August 2007
Volumes2

Plot

The tale of Monster Soul takes place in Elvenland, a fictional land that humans and monsters inhabit. The main characters are a group of monsters called the Black Airs. The Black Airs is recorded as the strongest group of the monster forces in the great war between the humans and monsters.

The first three chapters consist of three stories that do not have a main plot, but the last chapter of the "first stage" reveals a bit of the past.

In the "second stage" the Black Airs travel to Hell to help a human boy save his townspeople who are captured by the evil Tri Command.

Characters

Black Airs (闇の翼)
Aki
Protagonist of the story. On first look he looks like a normal human but under his hoodie jacket hides the two small horns on his head. He changes to his giant S class werewolf form when his emotions overwhelm him.
In the flashback he was weak when he was young and his S class soul is sought after by others. His parents were "killed" by Beluze but on the defeat of Beluze their souls returned and they revived.
His weakness is that he must sleep after he uses up his soul form.
Tooran
She has golem father and human mother. The golems have an unspoken law that says "when rain falls on the desert the golem lives, the golem will melt and die at that desert". Her father and tribe died in the rain (her mother's whereabouts unknown).
She can transform her body to sand, she is seen making part of her body to a sand harp and using sand in auxiliary roles like forming smoke screens.
She claims to be the idol of the Monster World.
James
An android type monster that has a Frankenstein appearance. He has weapons hidden all over his body, a monster sensor built in his eyes. Capable of flight, shooting his fists, changing to an armored knight form which Mummy calls "James Striker System".
It is revealed that he is actually a robot developed to hunt monsters, his meeting with young Mummy in the past developed a strong relationship between the two.
His face falls off very often and he is usually seen looking for his face.
Mummy
The big sister of the group. Wears bandages in a fashionable way. She has blonde hairs. She controls the bandages freely, using them to attack and dress wounds. She carries a giant injection needle that contains healing liquid to help recover from wounds. The group is very close to her. She has a tendency to start stripping for no apparent reason.
In her younger days while she was escaping from her pursuers she came across James in lab. She helped the depressed then nameless James find a purpose in life and the two developed a strong relationship.
The four have been together since young and there was an event where Mummy saved Aki by giving her right eye in place of Aki's soul. However, she is seen to have recovered that eye by the end of "first stage"; it most likely that Aki retrieved from the monster that took it. She often worried for Aki. She is a hellion but she prefer it be kept a secret.
Joba
A rare species of monster highly sought after by hunters. A small monster with an onion-shaped head. Usually its only words is "kpwee".

First Stage characters
Vulcan Brothers
Two poachers who failed in capturing Joba and later Tooran.
Kiyo
An elderly female fairy that the Black Airs encountered in the forest. Part of Bacon's rebellion group.
Bacon
The leader of a rebellion against humans. Brainwashed the monsters in the forest to join him. His parents were killed in the war by humans.
Jenny
A young fairy girl who is against Bacon's rebellion. Daughter of Kiyo.
Garuelf
A three-headed monster who wants the S class soul of Aki. In the past Mummy managed to ward them off by giving them the soul of her right eye. They came for Aki again but was defeated by Aki.

Second Stage characters
Selsh
A boy from the town Driochram. Driochram is attacked by the Drei Kommandos and its people are captured by them. Selsh escaped hoping to find a hero to save his townspeople.
He was found unconscious by a river bank by the Black Airs. He was frighten at first but the Black Airs became the hero he was searching for.
It was revealed in the last chapter of Second Stage that Selsh is the prince of Driochram.
Pooch
The three-headed monster guarding the Hell's Gate.
Jobo
A soldier under the Drei Kommandos.

Drei Kommandos (三鬼游)
Kiriko
A female vampire. Main attack is Evil Cross from her palm. The lips tattoo at her throat is able to extend, becoming a fanged mouth to attack and suck blood.
Blank
Leader of the three. He captures humans by sucking them into jars, he collects souls this way and feeds them to an egg back at their hideout. An agile fighter, able to shoot dynamite sticks from the two holes on his head. Uses the word "Explosive!" frequently in his speech.
Guyna
A bulky being made of rocks. Able to disintegrate into rocks to attack and bind his opponents. His face falls off like James'.
Beluze
The product of the egg the Drei Kommandos were hatching. It also ate all of the Drei Kommandos. A huge black wolf monster which looks similar to Aki's soul form. His first word is Aki's name.
It was revealed in the last chapter of Second Stage that Beluze is a figure from Aki's past. Beluze was once a human Soul hunter and he took the souls of Aki's parents. He used the monster souls he collected and performed the secret technique of racial transformation that turned him into an egg form. With the souls the Drei Kommandos collected Soul Eater Beluze emerged from the egg.

Chapters

First Stage
  • Chapter 1: The Black Airs!!
  • Chapter 2: Monster rebellion!!
  • Last Chapter/Chapter 3: Changing thought to power

Second Stage
  • Chapter 1(4): Helta Race
  • Chapter 2(5): Hell District One
  • Chapter 3(6): Gentle Weapon
  • Last Chapter/Chapter 4 (7): Soul

References

    Monster Soul (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia

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