Kekkashi is a shōnen action/comedy manga set in the present day where Yoshimori Sumimura, a lazy and stubborn middle school boy, and Tokine Yukimura, slightly older childhood friend of Yoshimori's who wants to protect him, are heirs of the Hazama clan. Yoshimori's Kekkai powers are strong and wild whereas Tokine's are subtle, but accurate. They protect the land and the power from demons. If a demon comes close to the power source, they become stronger as well; they eventually form an organization to do just that when their efforts are thwarted individually. In addition, clans also vie for power. Volume 19 begins such a power struggle between the Ogi clan and Sumimura clan.

Highlights:
While I had heard of Kekkashi before, I haven't read it. As volume 19 finishes off a previous arc within the first chapter this volume was easy to get into probably more than had I read another volume. While some of the characters I didn't know exactly how they acted I was never confused except somewhat by what role Sen Kagemiya.

Additionally one of the characters I found most interesting, beyond Sen, was one of the lesser seen characters, Saki. She foretells of a doomsday prophecy to happen to the region and when the Kekkashi ask her to reveal who sent her, she refuses instead offering her hair, the source of her power, as compensation to prove what she says. In spite of her short appearance, she has some good character development as we learn she was unintentionality the cause of the previous butterfly problem. In addition she appears to be haunted by her visions to the point she'd rather not have them and extremely devoted to her master. Though her actions caused the Kekkashi problems, its clear she isn't an antagonist, but a young girl with an acursed gift.

Overview:
This volume appears to be pretty comedic one. While it starts out with a doomsday prophecy that worries some of the characters and ends on a down note as Yoshimori learns his mother is being targeted by the Ogi clan. When accusations are leveled at his mother for destroying a holy site, he tells the messenger off and purposefully provokes his wrath, although the massager also egged Yoshimori on as well. He believes his mother to be a great mother, but as the volume ends, it is revealed that the accusations may not be entirely without merit by his grandfather. What remains is some somewhat perverted comedic antics in the middle as the group checks on another holy site. This includes jokes about Sen's feminine appearance, despite being a male culminating with giving him and Tokine large breasts for short period of time as a parting gift.

Kekkashi appears to be manga that is able to blend comedy and action decently well and tell a well thought out world that isn't just a typical good vs. evil or us. vs. them world. There are multiple sides and things going on including internal conflicts. Yellow Tanabe's work is clearly a worthwhile manga unfortunatly overshadowed by works such as Naruto, probably due to the lower cast and simpler basic premise from which the story evolved.

In just a short amount of time, its clear that like many shōnen manga Kekkashi is about teamwork. Literally through Sen's eyes we see the teamwork together. In addition it has a subtle hint of the value for older adults as valuable for knowledge and wisdom as the grandparents of Yoshimori and Tokine are essential in helping with the butterfly incident having skills and abilities unique to them and moreso knowing their limits.

Kekkashi  is defiantly worth checking out for any comedy/action shōnen manga lover. The story is complex enough to be interesting without being too complex for most readers.

ComicsOnline gives Kekkashi volume 19, 4 out of 5 holy sites to protect.