A Friend, A Feast, and a Fatal Appetite
Of course we open on Tao finding out that Alma made a new friend while ACTIVELY READING about Kanata’s Escapades in Cannibalism™. Kudos to her poker face, though, cause she gave away nothing. But her sending Alma to deal with Kanata? After we learned that Alma can’t fight without her permission to remove the Stake of Karmic Restraint, I knew that mattered. My theories were:
- Tao was sending Alma to learn a lesson.
- Tao wanted to respect Alma’s desire to protect and talk with his friend.
But, there were also a bunch of Maga active on 6th Street, so it could definitely just be a matter of her going to handle that instead.
Then we cut to poor baby Kanata, fighting her urges tooth and nail while clutching the card Alma gave her. It’s painfully obvious that she doesn’t want to do the things she’s doing, but it doesn’t seem that she’s stronger than the part of her that’s Maga. I think her previous kills have been a result of those men forcing contact (and themselves) onto her. I’m glad she was able to exercise restraint, even if only once.
Now- “No suicide during dinner” is CRAZY WORK. BWAHAHAHAHA.
The whiplash of leaving Kanata’s genuinely sad struggle and being thrust into Dinner with the Family of Cannibals was damn near comical. But also, it was storytelling without spoonfeeding- we see that Yomi’s been collecting half Maga like Pokemon, and that the commonality between them is CANNIBALISM. They are eating vegetarian for dinner! Literally!!! And learning that, apparently, eating people is a requirement for Maga leaves me pondering what Alma’s situation is. Because the boy eats so goddamned much- but is it because food doesn’t satisfy him?
But the foreshadowing and teasing is immaculate. We’re introduced to all these new characters, and it’s implied that Yomi brought them together and fostered their belief that they’re a family. I’m also confident he turned every last one of them. When they discuss Kanata, we’re shown a panel of her on the brink of death, with Yomi’s arm covered in blood. Yomi himself says that it ‘hasn’t been long since Kanata was born.’
My money’s on him being able to turn people into Maga by getting them to consume his blood. Which makes me wonder: were those pills he force-fed the women in vol. 2 just capsules of his blood? And is his ability restricted to people who are already on the brink of death?
A Cage with No Door
Now, onto (in my opinion, the most heartbreaking panel of the entire book) Kanata calling the agency, not getting an answer, hanging up, and dialing again. Repeatedly. My heart aches for this girl. She’s desperately trying to escape something she clearly never wanted for herself. The art in this scene felt like a punch in the gut- the most poignant visualization of trying to escape a cage with no door.
And then we arrived in the subway, and a hush fell over the crowd. I was so hopeful that Alma was going to be able to rescue Kanata and bring her to the Troubleshooters’ agency. I saw the metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel- and then that light was snuffed by Kanata chomping the hell out of Alma’s shoulder lmfao. I still had hope though! What’s a little nibble between friends? But then the asshole who attacked her last showed up, and that’s when everything went to hell.
Sano drawing the Maga erupting from her fucking HEAD felt like a scene ripped straight from a Junji Ito manga. It was detailed, disturbing, and made me verbally say, “Oh- shit!” Then watching Al clinging to her, begging her to change back was gut-wrenching. And seeing Kanata bite his arm off was incredibly jarring. I was so worried because “ARE WE GOING TO HAVE A ONE-ARMED PROTAGONIST???” (Which would not be a bad thing! One-armed individuals are capable!) But Yomi’s sudden appearance settled that matter, because…
WHO TF TOLD HIM HE COULD REMOVE THE STAKE OF KARMIC RESTRAINT FROM ALMA’S CHEST??? HOW??? But doing so gave Alma the ability to regenerate his arm- and put Kanata down. It was bittersweet watching her being conscious of the fact that Alma was going to end her, and her being grateful for it- and for them having the first meal she’d ever enjoyed together.
And as far as no one being able to touch Yomi? Well, we’ll deal with that when we have more info because right now, this man’s walking around with entirely too much authority.
The Weight of Survival
As far as Alma waking up with guilt, we understand, sweet boy. But I think Tao’s words were as reassuring and accurate as one could get.
“She wasn’t killed by you. You saved her, and then she died again.”
And the panel with Al’s arm through Tao’s chest??? Everyone alluding to a previous incident where Al lost control??? I can’t wait for that reveal. The teasing without over-explaining is one of my favorite tools Sano utilizes. He keeps you in the moment while letting you know that this story didn’t start when you started reading. It gives the story- and its characters- depth.
And the chapter break with Nei, Alma, Tatsuomi and Tao’s cat art is fucking adorable, and I’m pleasantly surprised with Tatsuomi’s artistic prowess. Also- the obligatory TATSUOMI’S FUCKING GORGEOUS.
Aizawa, Is That You?
Now, we have talk about Ryu. He’s giving me Shota Aizawa energy, and I’m SAT. Who doesn’t love a perpetually exhausted, cynical, dark-haired man? And OF COURSE he’s the person we turn to when Alma needs to learn how to control his own power.
Getting Nei involved definitely made me a fan of her character, too. She’s a badass, for sure, and she’s clearly seeking praise, but this arc shows that she cares about her friends. I liked seeing her be a bit more of a kid.
And I’m glad that we didn’t spend one training arc and end up with Super Saiyan Alma. He’s managed to pull the Stake on his own, but he’s still struggling to maintain the form. His progress feels earned. And hopefully, this means we’ll be seeing more of Ryu.
Mommy Issues™: A $5 Investigation
Now, HERE’S WHERE I INTEND TO COLLECT ON MY $5 BET THAT YORU HAS MOMMY ISSUES™.
When Tatsuomi and Tao are reviewing the footage that Tatsuomi’s team has gathered on Yomi, they watch the scene we saw in vol. 2 with Yomi catching Yoru after he’d gotten the taiyaki from Alma. They don’t have a clear view, but they can see enough to know that Yoru is the one who choked those women- making him a plausible candidate for the serial killer Tao’s been looking for. But something Tao said lingered with me, especially after that CLIFFHANGER OF AN ENDING. Tao asks Tatsuomi, “If a person you cared for turned into a Maga…could you kill them?” and has a very surprised reaction to him saying yes.
Between that interaction, the flashback we get of her lying down with a dark-haired boy (AND YES THAT’S HER- IF YOU READ THE ONESHOT, YOU’D KNOW SHE WASN’T ALWAYS BLOND), my detective skills have led me to form two theories:
- Yoru’s reasoning behind killing dark-haired women is that they resemble his mother, and, based on that…
- TAO IS YORU’S MOTHER.
And then our cliffhanger of Tao running into him and calling him Jin??
I dare you to tell me I’m wrong.
Yap With Me!