Many thanks to Yen Press for providing a review copy
About the Mangaka
Tanigawa Nagaru is rather unusual as a manga-ka or even as a writer, in that he didn’t train as one. Rather he is a law school graduate of all things >.<. While he is best known for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya series, which won him the grand prize at eighth annual Sneaker Awards; he has done several other series.
I couldn’t find anything solid on Tsugano Gaku, other than that he or she also did the art for Girl Who Runs Through Time, which was licensed by CMX.
Ito Noizi took me by surprise, she did the art for the Shakugan no Shana novels, but also works for a H-Game company. She has a personal website, though it’s Japanese only.
About the Manga
This is one of a few series that still has me totally stumped as to what the hell is going on.
These two volumes really got to me, the weirdness climbs to all new levels.
Once again I found I really liked Gaku’s art, he has a knack for drawing the girls, though I do wish some greater effort went into the guys. Looking over the two volumes (and the older first volume) it’s clear he spends more time on the girls, all of them have a deeper feel and design to them that the guys.
That said over the volumes the art really does grow on me, and my few minor niggles fell by the wayside.
Where these volumes really took off for me though was in the story, forget gender-bending (still don’t understand why this series is called gender-bending), it’s a mind-bending read.
Though there is still no real plot that I can fathom, beyond Haruhi trying to find the aliens and stuff.
But to be honest it’s not really needed yet. We do get some interesting developments in these volumes though. Enough that I’m more inclined now to add the harem tag to the series.
Mostly we get some more information on our three, err, paranormal characters. As each in turn explains things a bit more, but none more so than Koizumi, who sets out to prove his ESP abilities in spectacular form.
Some of the notions this series introduces are really weird, and I found I was thinking on some of them hehe For example that the world is really just someone’s dream.
I have to admit some of the stuff they go on about really is mind-bending, and makes a creepy kind of sense the way he explains it.
I love the love triangle that’s going on, between Mikuru, Haruhi and Kyon. He takes several steps forward in his relationships with both girls, rescues the world, and has a kiss with Haruhi, all while asleep hehe
All of that said, I do wonder where the series is going, since the next volume is the final one in the series. Nothing has really been accomplished over these volumes beyond explaining some of the oddities the characters have. I’m now a bit concerned that the final volume will be rushed through ruining it.
Yen Press did a good job as usual with this series, though I found the guttering at times to be annoying as hell, resulting in some spine damage. Christine Schilling returns with a great translation, both smooth and consistent through out. The colour pages are awesome, and we get the full colour swimsuit edition in volume three.
After reading the three volumes several times now, I’ve decided to add it to my Essential Read list, for several reasons. Firstly, and the most important, I love how it’s unique and keeps me interested in the flow. Second, it’s got great art and story that flow really well. Truth be told, there’s no reason for it not to be on my Essential Read List.
Where to Buy
Volume 02
Volume 03
