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Japanese title
風雲三姉妹LIN³
Manga-ka/Author
垣野内成美 Narumi Kakinouchi
Genre
drama, action, shoujo
Volumes: 5
Distributor: Tokyopop
Classification: 12
Originally serialised in
月刊マガジンZ
Monthly Magazine Z
Rating
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Julin Kenga is a 15 year old orphan and student at Fighting Fang Hall, the dojo
of a martial arts clan headed by Master Yoh. On the day of Julin's 15th
birthday, Julin and her friend Kio are sent off on a chore, only to return to
the aftermath of an attack on their dojo by the infamous White Lotus clan.
Almost all of the residents are dead; and Master Yoh has been wounded fatally by
the mistress of the White Lotus; Bai Wang. During fighting off the rest of the
White Lotus, Kio is thrown into a ravine.
Julin finds Master Yoh only just in time for him to give her the most important
news of her life; her father is alive, and she has two sisters; Kalin of the
Gold Pavilion, and Seilin the Pirate Queen. His last wish is for her to find
them. Her only clue to finding them is the mysterious bell that Master Yoh gave
her earlier that day; her sisters carry bells also.
Julin bades farewell to the survivors of the White Lotus attack and sets off to
find her sisters. It's not long before she finds Kalin and helps her ward off
another White Lotus attack. The master of the Four Kings Gold Pavilion tells the
two sisters that indeed their father Ryu is still alive and that the bells they
carry may be the secret of Shaolin; the power to rule the world. When they find
their remaining sister, Seilin, she is not convinced by their sisterhood. Julin
and Kalin have a fight on their hands; and as mysterious and dangerous figures
pursue them in search of the secret of Shaolin, it becomes a race against time
to discover the secret hidden in their bells and find their missing father.
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From the creator of
Vampire Princess Miyu, Shaolin Sisters
is a blend of
shounen-style
martial arts and themes of sisterhood and magical powers usually found in a
shoujo
manga. The result of this merging of ideas is quite interesting, to say the
least.
It's quite rare for women in manga to be portrayed as such strong and self-sufficient
characters, making this quite a unique series. The character designs are also quite
strong, and Shaolin Sisters contains quite a lot of action (some of it quite
bloody). The story, while not completely unique, is a pleasing take on traditional
Asian legends, and would probably entertain those who are interested in martial arts
manga. It's a shame, however, that there aren't more young girls interested in martial
arts; if so, this underdog series would be enjoying a much larger readership.
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Manga
Shaolin Sisters
is the second series in a set of three following the same story; the first is
Juline, which is about Julin's younger years, and the third is Shaolin
Sisters: Reborn, in which the three sisters are reincarnated into the
modern world to fight against a new threat. All three series have been
translated into English, but they are also comparably rare, especially the first
series.
Anime
There is no
Shaolin Sisters anime as of yet.
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