I’ll confess, I picked up Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi by HaccaWorks & nanao because I have a fondness for kitsune. The manga is very pretty, and I’m enamored of several of the (alas, minor) side characters—like the fellow with extra arms and those gossipy goldfish. But the story is so busy being cryptic, the pacing suffers. I’m a patient reader, but there’s such a thing as being too coy.
Volume 6 is the latest installment, and we’re finally wringing a few answers out of this murky tale. I’ll report back when the series finds its resolution.
FORTHRIGHT 