Title: いけにえもんぜんばらい
Author: Katou Susu
Release Date: April 1, 2021
Publisher: Libre (Byou de Wakaru BL)
This is my first time reading a manga by this manga-ka. I picked it up in the summer because the reviews were good. And I was also looking for a light-hearted comedy since I was dealing with some serious issues at the time. I love the title. “Ikenie” is a human sacrifice, and “monzen barai” means being told to go away at the gate/door. That’s exactly what this manga is about.
Uzumaki Nanao who is the heir of an ancient and honourable family has been raised to become the human sacrifice on the 111st year since the last sacrifice was given to the enshrined god protecting the family. He was given special education to be the perfect sacrifice, yet when he calls out to the god, he is told that a sacrifice is not needed and to go home. Nanao’s sole purpose of life has been to become the sacrifice so he does not give up. He then finds out the god is a giant serpent with a dark and negative personality. The serpent explains that with the advancement of technology and society in general, there is no more need for sacrifices in this day and era. As well, he does not like dealing with bothersome situations In fact, the serpent lives a slow and a lazy life eating junkfood and spending time on the internet. He also tells Nanao that he does not get the urge to eat him since his soul feels empty and unappetizing. This is because Nanao was raised to be pure-hearted and has no greed. But Nanao is stubborn and he decides to live at the serpent’s residence until he is eaten.
Living with the serpent the bright and positive-minded Nanao (and somewhat of an airhead) starts to gain new knowledge and feelings he didn’t know of before, including love . He still persistently pursues his wish to be eaten by using various tactics like showing his special sacrifice dance. In short, this story is about a human sacrifice who wants to be eaten and the god that doesn’t want to eat him. The conversations between the serpent and Nanao are quite witty that it will have you giggling and smiling throughout the manga. Even the beginning starts off with Nanao with a flower crown on his head and harp in his hand introducing himself by song to the god. He surely is a different breed from the god who acts more human and is accustomed to the human lifestyle. As the story progresses you learn of the thoughts Nanao has been harbouring inside. And before you know it, instead of wanting to be eaten, the desire to be with the serpent starts growing strongly. With these new feelings developing Nanao starts to give off the aura of an appetizing meal which the serpent tries to resist. But the more he learns about him the more feelings develops towards Nanao.
Everything about this manga is humourous. And the manga-ka has brilliantly crafted the story making it an absolutely enjoyable and satisfying read. Have you ever read about a god drinking cola and eating instant ramen? And he is a regular at the ramen shop in town. It surely isn’t your typical sacrifice and god story. The two main characters have strong minded personalities which leads to hilarious interactions. With the appearance of the giant serpent’s brother (the white serpent), along with the copperhead, they stir things up which opens up more comical moments. My favourite part is where we see the sheet of paper Nanao has drawn showing which of his body parts can be eaten most deliciously. Little fun things like this are sprinkled throughout the manga that it will have you reading it over and over again. And it’s also interesting that when they are making out, the giant serpent’s bottom half is that of a serpent while his top half is human. It’s an excellent refreshing manga when you need something to cheer you up. I hope there is a sequel to this.
Purchase:
Amazon Japan | CD Japan | Honto | Cmoa | Renta
Cover image from Amazon Japan.