Matters of the heart are never easy but they get extremely more difficult when it involves someone who’s been dead coming back to life….
About A Howl of the Heart
A Howl of the Heart is a boys’ love manga series by Ayato Miyoshi, published in English by Square Enix Manga and Books. We follow Tenyo, a soldier who has lost his other half Uru in battle. The bond Tenyo and Uru shared was unexplainable, and Tenyo has spent the last two years mourning this loss and determined to defeat the enemy. When Tenyo sneaks into enemy territory, he realizes the enemy he’s face to face with looks exactly like Uru.
My Thoughts
We start the story with present day Tenyo heading off to the enemy’s den and encountering a man who looks exactly like Uru. But this isn’t his Uru. This man is cold and dead set on killing Tenyo. Tenyo is thrown for a loop. How does this man look, smell, and sound like Uru but is so different?
Upon his capture, Tenyo meets man named Toka and learns that after Uru’s death, he was turned into an immortal vessel. Essentially it’s Uru’s body without Uru’s soul. The “new” Uru is Kakezuki and he’s completely different than the fun and gentle Uru that Tenyo loved. He’s designed as a machine and his lack of personality reflects that. Kakezuki’s creator reveals that Kakezuki is his first success at a sentient vessel and he believes there’s a chance he can bring Uru back. As Tenyo spends more time with Kakezuki, he starts falling for him as he is.
I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, I am not a big fan of love triangles. But A Howl of the Heart couldn’t possible have a love triangle, so I thought I was in good hands. Little did I know I was walking into enemy territory! Who knew you could make a love triangle happen with two bodies, but three hearts?!? Your mind Miyoshi sensei!!!?
For some reason I did not see Tenyo falling for this “new” Uru as a possibility. This “twist” makes for such a unique and refreshing story. But now that it’s happening, I have so many questions! If Tenyo truly falls for Kakezuki, what happens if they are able to bring “Uru” back? Does Kakezuki cease to exist? But if they can’t bring him back, Tenyo just has to accept the fact that he’s in love with a new person in his old loves soul. But what about Kakezuki?? Is he falling for Tenyo out of his own volition or feeling what Uru felt?!
Ahhh, this is just too good!!! At this point, I don’t know what I’m rooting for to happen. The classic lover in me wants Uru restored, but the new aged lover believes that Tenyo already grieved Uru. There probably isn’t a way to bring him back and he should move on to someone new, even if that someone exists in the same body.
All of this is going on and I didn’t even touch on the entire other plot of the story and whatever Toka is doing! This immortal vessel business is so much bigger than Uru/Kakezuki and Tenyo, and Toka has crossed several lines. Tenyo may be able to use this knowledge to his advantage to defeat them (I forget that they are the enemy) but now that Tenyo is looped in for Uru’s sake, what will he do?
Where to Buy A Howl of the Heart, Volume 1
A Howl of the Heart, Volume 1
Story and Art: Ayato Miyoshi
Translator: Melanie Kardas
Letterer: Bianca Pistillo
Cover Designer: Yang Kim
Editing: Sarah Tangney
Publisher: Square Enix Manga & Books
A Howl of the Heart, Volume 1 is available now.
