“As Miyo is fixed to be a permanent part of the group on their journey to Mount Katsuragi, En properly assumes the role of master and teacher, beginning with the basics of reading and writing. The unfamiliar characters are a struggle, but when another divine instrument forces an unexpected detour, Miyo's mastery of them — combined with a bold strategy — may be her only hope of rejoining the others!” (Yen Press)
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“Togue Oni: Primal Gods in Ancient Times” has been an intriguing series to follow. It started on a solid note in its inaugural volume, successfully blending folklore, horror, and fantasy, only to falter in the second, where Kenji Tsurubuchi struggled to incorporate abstract and surrealistic storylines. The third volume sees the series hitting its stride, landing slightly between the two releases before it, yet it will still leave conflicting views on the work.
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The third volume returns to the more episodic structure of the first, with the trio of travelers encountering all manner of gods and evil spirits, offering a perfect mash-up of genres. Moreover, this release leans heavily into comedy, which was present but vastly underutilized. This makes two stories—a mini-god that shrinks people and an ancient water god with peculiar speech and abilities—notable highlights in the series thus far. Consideration is still given to character development, with the origins of half-demon child Zen and traveling priest En-No-Ozuno getting attention. “Touge Oni” Vol. 3 is the most well-rounded and engaging book in the series thus far.
However, this leaves the realization that the story works best in this episodic format and will likely only succeed through indulging in various folk-inspired stories instead of creating a grander story. This is a pleasing space to occupy, but there is undeniable disappointment in the series falling short of its first impression. Still, for those who want to add a book to their more casual reads, “Togue Oni” is still perfectly palatable, especially considering the art.
Visually, Kenji Tsurubuchi's art is the one element that has stayed impressively consistent. While there are moments where the character designs can feel slightly simplistic, the book knows how to give these grand reveals to absurd or fantastic gods or monsters that are perfect in their execution. Every new deity or monster revealed, of which there are several per volume, draws the eye into the finer details, and one can spend a lot of time lingering on a single panel. Yen Press made the ideal choice by offering a larger-sized release for this series, as the physical volumes are worth owning for the art alone.
It is difficult not to feel slightly disappointed in the direction “Togue Oni” has taken across the three volumes, and it does fall short of its initial strong impression. Still, the title has plenty of charm, and there is no fault in consistently entertaining without offering deeper substance. Can this change in the coming volumes? There is a slight amount of pessimism about how contrasting the quality of the manga is when having fun versus trying to weave a complex story. However, with the series still ongoing, there is always the chance the work will become more significant than what it has showcased thus far.
