Misao learns that she's the Bride of Prophecy: a maiden whose flesh is rumored to give immortality and whose hand in marriage can give any clan who claims it prosperity. Obviously not wanting to be eaten or forcibly married, she enters the protection of Kyo and his clan. For his part, Kyo would give anything to marry her himself, but the mysterious Record of the Holy Fruit hovers over both of their heads.
Black Bird (ブラックバード, Burakku Baado) is an urban fantasy shojo manga by Kanoko Sakurakoji. It was serialized in Betsucomi from July 2006 to December 2012 and was complied into eighteen volumes. The English release was handled by Viz Media.
In 2009, the manga was adapted into a drama CD.
In 2010, a light novel adaptation was released under the title Black Bird: Missing.
In 2019, a stage play adaptation ran for five days.
This series includes examples of:
- All Men Are Perverts: Especially including Kyo, who thinks erotic ukiyo-e artwork, a book of 48 hot sex tips, and a laid-out futon is the best way to celebrate.
- All of the Other Reindeer: "I, Misao Harada, can see spirits. When I was younger, people hated me because of it."
- Always Save the Girl: Kyo's entire reason for everything he's done for the last ten years, all the destruction, death and rebellion to take over his clan, was quite simply so he could marry Misao, he doesn't really care about anything else. He will always save Misao.
- Amnesiac Lover: Most of Misao's childhood memories of Kyo were sealed away by Sho before the story began. She still had enough to remember Kyo and be completely disappointed when he didn't meet her expectations and turned out to be a dirty pervert.
- Anti-Hero: Kyo is not a good guy. He will kill, steal, lie and destroy his way through anyone if he has to for Misao.
- Adorably Precocious Child: Jiro, Saburo, and Taro, the younger members of Kyo's eight daitengu.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Misao and Kyo can bicker and fight to no end, but nobody is fooled by it.
- Ax-Crazy: Zenki, but only because forced to with a spell. Played straight with Shou.
- Barrier Maiden: Misao. As the Senka Maiden, her flesh and blood can empower demons if it is consumed and can even heal demons who are severely ill or cursed.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Invoked in Chapter 27. Kyo calls Misao a Tsundere, and claims that he likes that. Then Misao reflects on their relationship, thinking about how "We argue over the littlest things" and "He does mean things to me" but they "laugh together and fall in love all over again."
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Shuuhei and Shou seem like really nice people at first... of course, they're both complete and utter bastards. Inverted with Kyo who can act like a real Jerkass, but is in fact incredibly caring and gentle (not that this makes up for some of the things he does).
- Black Magic: Used to resurrect Shou at one point. It's used again by Raikou in his attempt to brainwash Misao into forgetting about Kyou and fall in love with him instead.
- Bound and Gagged: Misao is tied up when captured by Sho.
- Butt-Monkey: Misao comes up as this, and it's NOT Played for Laughs. She can see spirits, which is already scary enough, and used to be harrassed or hated because of that. Then, she gets caught in the wars of the Tengu and is under attack many times. While some Tengus are sympathetic to her plight, the most powerful ally she has among them is... a Fetishized Abuser.
- Chekhov's Gun: Kensuke gives Misao a bottle of Whitesnakes' poison which comes in handy when she's later trapped alone with Soujou.
- Childhood Marriage Promise: Misao and Kyo had this as children and Kyo is determined to collect on it. Kyo's own parents went through something similar.
- Cool and Unusual Punishment: While discussing what would be a proper punishment if Sho rebelled again, Misao suggested keeping him away from women so he wouldn't have a family. The men expressed horror at this, as it would also deprive him of other carnal pleasures, something men in this series value.
- In some translations she suggests to castrate him - which would be way OOC, but would explain utter horror on their faces better.
- The Chew Toy: The entire supernatural realm is gunning for Misao's flesh and blood, and they're not shy about it.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: As protective as Kyo is, he can also get territorial when Misao is concerned.
- Dangerous 16th Birthday: Misao becomes the 'bride of prophecy' on her 16th birthday. Poor girl.
- Death by Childbirth: It's revealed that there is little to no information on the Senka Maidens of the past because if a Senka is not devoured by her husband and his clan, she will die after giving birth to her child. Kyo has a nightmare of Misao getting eaten by her own unborn child at one point.
- Disappeared Dad: Kyo's father disappeared from the village after he unintentionally drove his wife, Kyo's mother, to suicide.
- Duel to the Death: Kyo and Sho, after the latter is resurrected and turned into a monster.
- Enfant Terrible: Kyo has a nightmare of walking in on his yet unborn son eating Misao's corpse. Actually averted once he's born for real.
- Erotic Eating: When Kyo buys an ice-cream cone for Misao he ends up getting some on his finger, and holds it up for her to lick. Ironically, the ladies watching the pair seem more interested.
- Eyes Always Shut: Hoki, though he does open them on occasion.
- Fantastic Medicinal Bodily Product:
- Kyo, a bird demon, licks Misao to heal her wounds.
- Misao's blood can heal demons, which can be sexually transmitted as well.
- Fetishized Abuser: Most of Kyo's behavior early on falls into the category of sexual harassment. Yet, he gets scotfree by later being portrayed as gentle and protective of Misao.
- Forced to Watch: Kyo is threatened more than once with watching someone eat or ravish his girlfriend.
- Friend to All Children: Kyou, surprisingly. There's a reason why he and Tarou get along really well.
- Good Girls Avoid Abortion: Averted. Misao's reason for not aborting her fetus is because doing so would likely set off events that would cause Kyo's death and her either rape at the hand of another clan, or being eaten alive.
- Good Is Not Nice:
- Kyo can be an incredible Jerkass but he's the only thing standing between Misao and a messy death.
- Played with concerning the exorcist Raikou. While he is trying to keep Misao safe and away from the demon world, he is not above attempting to brainwash Misao with Black Magic, purify Misao and her family with holy water from his home temple, and attempt to kill and curse the Tengu.
- Hair Reboot: Justified in this case, as Misao gets hair extensions after her close shave with Sho. Although she doesn't tell him, she does it because she notices Kyo looks sad everytime he sees her short hair.
- I Have You Now, My Pretty: Misao is tied up and encased behind a magic barrier while an evil Tengu gloats about being able to ravish her.
- Interspecies Romance: Played with. While the Senka Maiden is born a human, it's more accepted if a demon marries the Senka versus a human, as discussed with the Kistune Clan and their reluctance to accept Renko as Tadanobu's lover.
- Intimate Healing: Poor Misao keeps getting attacked by other demons, and Kyo heals her wounds by licking them erotically. She's not wild about this. On the other hand, Misao can recharge the energies of the person she kisses, so she also gives this to Kyo more than once.
- Kyo does this to Misao once in order to cure her cold.
- Happens again when comes to breaking the curse Raikou put on Kyo, which could only be lifted if Kyo absorbed more energy from Misao than can give in a kiss.
- Heartwarming Orphan: The orphans in the Tengu village absolutely love Misao because of the aura she gives off as the Senka Maiden.
- Hot for Student: Kyo gets a job as a teacher at Misao's school, the better to
harassprotect her. - Jerkass: Pretty much every male character in the series is rude, overly aggressive, and/or petty.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Kyo can be a complete and utter Jerkass.... However, he does loves Misao, is willing to die for her and do anything to make her happy, and can be incredibly sweet and gentle to anyone smaller or weaker than himself (particularly children, which is why Tarou is so devoted to him).
- Kick the Dog: A literal example: in his youth Sho beats a puppy to near death. In fact, Sho does a lot of dog kicking. First off, Misao when she was a little girl, then Tarou and his brothers, then Misao again...
- The Klutz: Subverted. Misao's classmates think she's one, but in reality she's always being tripped or bruised by invisible demons.
- Missing Mom: Sho and Kyo's mother, Yuri. It's revealed that she betrayed her husband by outing his plans to make Kyo the next family head and force Sho to be his brother's subordinate, which she couldn't bear because she loved them both equally. She drinks poison out of despair over betraying her husband.
- Meaningful Name: Kiyo, a snake demon. She is named after a a character from a folktale who turned into a serpent to murder her lover after being jilted.
- Nice Guy: Dojouji Kensuke. Despite being a snake demon, Kensuke is quite possibly the only gentleman in a cast full of misogynist assholes in that he never lets his physical attraction to Misao override his concern for her feelings. Ironically, this is the very reason why he has no chance in hell of becoming her primary suitor.
- Nice Guys Finish Last: Alas, poor Kensuke.
- Perpetual Molt: Lampshaded: "Kyo's secret problem... He worries about losing his feathers..."
- Pretty Boy: Kyo, whom Misao mistakes for a pretty girl upon seeing him as an adult.
- Purely Aesthetic Glasses: Kyo wears glasses when in disguise as a teacher.
- Real Men Hate Sugar: Kyo hates sweets to the point that he almost becomes nauseous from a taste of ice cream, but he still forces himself to eat the cake that Misao made.
- Sibling Triangle: Kyo, Misao and Sho. Kyo and Sho are brothers.
- Single-Target Sexuality: Kyo is a Misaosexual.
- Schmuck Bait: Misao, they might as well be holding up a sign saying "THIS IS A TRAP" and you still fall for it! She does get better later.
- Shrinking Violet: Misao in the beginning, though this is not without reason.
- Supernaturally Delicious and Nutritious: Misao's blood and flesh are superfoods to demons, granting them long life and endless youth, respectively.
- Teen Pregnancy: Misao gets pregnant at sixteen and gives birth at seventeen.
- Too Dumb to Live: Misao, you're the target of an entire realm of supernatural monsters and deities. So stop blindly following powerful demons into isolated places just because you think they'll tell you something more about Kyo!
- Wife Husbandry: This is the backstory of Kyo's parents, with her being an orphaned seven-year-old and he being eighteen when they met. It is heavily implied that he only really fell in love with her after they were wed and had a couple of children, so when she was well into adulthood.
- Winged Humanoid: Kyo and the rest of his Tengu entourage.
- Villainous Crush:
- Misao is a magnet for these.
- Raikou has one on Misao. Lampshaded by Kyo, who points out that his desire to kill Kyo out of a hatred for demons has become 'illicit'.
- Later in the series, Sho develops one of these. Also leads to a Sibling Triangle.
- Kensuke is arguably the nicest character in the series, but he is still technically on the side of the villains. He has an extremely innocent crush on Misao.
- Kyo gets a fair few as well.
- Kiyo, the snake demon, falls for him and tries to kill Misao to have him.
- Kaede, a stoic yet friendly young woman who works for the orphanage, is revealed to have had one on Kyo when they were both teenagers. When she realises that he will always love Misao, she joins up with Sho, describing it as 'finding someone else to play with'.
- Misao is a magnet for these.
- Violently Protective Girlfriend: Gender-flipped. Don't touch Misao in front of Kyo. And only try to hurt her if you have a pretty sincere death wish which includes some fairly painful methods of dying.
- You Taste Delicious: Several times, when Kyo kisses Misao or drinks her Supernaturally Delicious and Nutritious blood. Also implied but not said when he licks a bit of ice cream from her mouth.
- Youkai: Demon clans featured include Tengu (crow), Kitsune (fox), and Shirohebi (snake). Naturally, they're all packed to the gills with Bishōnen. Clans made of Nue and Inugami are mentioned as well.
