Otome Yōkai Zakuro (おとめ妖怪 ざくろ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Lily Hoshino. It has been serialized in Gentosha's manga magazine Comic Birz since November 2006; its chapters have been collected in ten volumes as of March 2015. The series was put on hiatus in October 2016 and resumed in January 2024. A 13-episode anime television series adaptation produced by J.C.Staff and directed by Chiaki Kon aired from October to December 2010.

Plot

During the Westernization of an alternate Japan, humans and spirits coexist. To maintain harmony between the two, the Ministry of Spirits is established and humans and spirit representatives are chosen. Lieutenants Kei Agemaki, Riken Yoshinokazura, and Ganryu Hanakiri are chosen to be the human representatives and are partnered with Zakuro, Susukihotaru, and Bonbori and Hozuki, respectively. However, Zakuro cannot stand humans who accept Jesuit practices so easily and Agemaki has a severe fear of spirits.

Characters

Main characters

Antagonists

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Lily Hoshino, Otome Yōkai Zakuro started in Gentosha's manga magazine Comic Birz on November 30, 2006. The author announced in October 2016 that she was putting all her manga on hiatus to take care of her newborn son. The series resumed on January 26, 2024. Gentosha has collected its chapters into individual volumes, with the first one released on January 24, 2008; as of March 24, 2015, ten volumes have been released.

Volumes

Anime

An anime television series adaptation, produced by J.C.Staff and directed by Chiaki Kon, aired on TV Tokyo from October 5 to December 28, 2010. The opening theme song is "Moon Signal", performed by Sphere. The series was simulcast by Crunchyroll. NIS America licensed the series in North America and released it on DVD on June 12, 2012.

Episodes

Reception