Content Warning: Nudity, sexual activity, massive urban destruction and death, and teenage stupidity (again).
I hope you've read the first volume of this series because we need to catch up..
The first half of this volume follows a familiar pattern from the last one, namely spending time with Rei and Chiho, after talking a bit about the plot. There's some talking heads going on about E.T.E. And how some people aren't believing it. We also find out that Ryuji, Chiho's boyfriend, hasn't returned. This leads to Rei asking Chiho out, apparently changing his mind from the end of the last volume. After he guilt trips her into letting him become her boyfriend, they start having sex. Like, that night. I had to stop reading after he whines until she says yes. Then, I had to take another break after they bathe together and she goes down on him. I'm also noticing that Chiho is very... Static? Stoic? I don't know how to describe it but she's just... Standing there, looking at him or just going along with things. This continues as they continue dating, with her just going with the flow. The only real moment of her taking action, before all of this, is turning Rei down. But then she reverses it and they go out. I was also a little uncomfortable with the relationship when it started, as Rei is in high school and Chiho is an unknown age but at least over 18, and I think Rei is around 17-18. Now, I did have to stop and think about this, if I would have had the same problem with it if the genders had been reversed. And, yeah, I probably would. But, Japan has a different culture and different laws, so I just tucked those thoughts away and continued reading, wanting to see where things are going.
As the relationship continues, Chiho starts to act differently. I think the moment that really showed me how much she had changed was when she jumps and gloomps Rei when they're starting their date. There's also some touching moments where Chiho talks a bit more about her childhood and a boy she had a crush on. Again, I'm here for this content. And Rei, I have to admit, does act like a decent guy, for the most part. Their dates and conversations are cute. There's a real awkward moment where Rei asks her to marry him. And I just felt so bad for him. He's clearly infatuated with her and she's starting to fall for him. There's another telling moment when Chiho asks Rei if he's losing interest with her and offers to do it “like they do in a porno.” Of course, things can't last and Rei gets caught lying to his parents about what he's been doing. Apparently, he's been telling his mom that he's been hanging out and spending the night with Nakashima (who I'm assuming is his friend, his only friend) but she happened to talk with his parents and busted! He tells his parents he has a girlfriend but nothing else. One thing that really made me wince was how his dad acts. He as a very “boys will be boys” attitude and dismissing his wife's, Rei's mother, concerns out of hand. It made me very uncomfortable, as I don't want Rei to start emulating this behavior. I want Rei and Chiho to be happy, preferably together. So sue me, I like my happy endings, okay?
Now, half way through the volume, things shift dramatically. While Rei is spending time with his parents in Roppongi (a famous district in Tokyo), Chiho is watching TV when a “special news bulletin” happens. We see a “we closely resemble but are legally distinct from the” Stay Puft Marshmallow Man fighting another guy that looks like the weirdo that gave Chihi her device (except he's wearing a American flag tank top and underwear and has a blonde beard) in New York City. And then E.T.E. unleashes a “God of Destruction” in Tokyo. Starting with Roppongi. Rei and his family have a front row seat as this thing starts destroying buildings. Chiho tries to get a hold of him and they breifly speak. He tells her “goodbye.” As the line disconnects, Chiho's heart starts beating and she seems to have a flashback, as we see “Chiho? Daddy had a bad fall.” This scene, watching her crying while those words appear on the page break my heart every time I see them (seriously trying to not ugly cry right now). She uses her device and starts running, giant and naked, towards Rei.
And that's where things end. It's such an abrupt ending, I started cussing out the creator, the publisher, and the American translation company for making me wait several months for the next volume. I am really enjoying this series but we're a third of the way through the story and there's a lot unexplained. Who or what is Enjoy The End? Why was Chiho picked for this or was it really just random chance? Who hit the Weirdo? Will Rei continue to be a good boyfriend or will I need to travel into that reality and slap the shit out of him? Will I ever find out more about Chiho or am I going to need to torture Oku and get the information out of him? Okay, I wouldn't do that, no matter what he does with this story. But, I might be a little rude to him if I meet him.
Yeah, I am excited for the next volume. Which I've already pre-ordered (and volume four) as when I went to buy this one when I got paid, it was out of stock and it hadn't even been two weeks on Amazon. And then I tried other places. And then tried third-party sellers on Amazon, paying more than I wanted, and still had to wait another few weeks until a reliable company actually had it in stock. I am NOT doing that again for this series. Plus, pre-orders look really good to publishers and distributors.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Suggestion: Buy it.
Update: I just received an email from Amazon informing me that volume three won't be delivered until late January/early February 2021 (thus proving that 2020 is still screwing me over hard). As such, I'll probably be doing an extra review to cover it as soon as I get it.
No comments:
Post a Comment