Bunny Drop, Vol. 2 Manga Review

Review written by Jammer

Age Rating: Teen
Writer/Artist: Yumi Unita

When I picked up the first volume of Bunny Drop, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It follows Daikichi, a thirty-year-old man who decides to take in the six-year-old illegitimate daughter of his grandfather, named Rin.  It almost looked like something that would take itself way too seriously (perhaps the equivalent of some Oscar-hungry movie), but to my surprise, I found it to be fun, relatable, and full of genuine heart.  Needless to say, I looked forward to the day when volume 2 would be released, and I'm happy to say that this sophomore volume doesn't disappoint.  In fact, I feel comfortable saying that it exceeded my expectations.

When last we left Daikichi, he was searching around his grandfather's house, in search of any clues that could lead him to Rin's past, especially anything that would lead him to her mother.  Despite his ever-growing paternal instinct for Rin, he feels that giving Rin's birth mother the opportunity to raise her would be the right thing, both for Rin and her mother.  But it's not all serious business.  A great deal of the volume deals with Daikichi constantly having to learn things as he goes along.  It hadn't even dawned on him that six is probably a good time for a little kid to start going to elementary school, and before long, he's scrambling to find out how to even start applying for one.  And no child would be complete without school supplies, a backback, and a nice desk, right?

The progression of the plot in this series is natural, and its execution is exceptional.  Daikichi continues to be incredibly relatable on every level (especially from a guy's perspective.  Who knew that getting a girl a plain, practical backback for first grade was a bad thing?).  You really don't realize all the little things a parent has to figure out as they go.  I particularly loved the moment where he's at Rin's school musical and he realizes he didn't bring his camera; and his following attempts to take pictures on his cell phone are classic.  Rin's character also becomes more and more likable, as it seems that she's starting to act more her age than in the previous volume.  Perhaps it's because she's starting to grow comfortable around Daikichi, or maybe just that the author is getting better at portraying little kids.  Either way, whatever's happening here is working. 

And even though this volume is full of clever little "white moments," it still does an admirable job of moving the overall plot forward, with Rin's mother getting a good scene, and a bit of Daikichi's grandfather's past also getting brought into the light.  The balance between plot and character development is spot on, and is something I look forward to from this series as a whole.

It's weird for me to say, but there are very few negatives I can give about this series.  Like I said, it struck all the fight chords with me, characters developed nicely, and not once did I feel that it dragged on.  I guess if you're a reader who's mostly used to action and elaborate art, this might slightly turn you off, as it has virtually no action, and the art style is simple and to the point.  But I suppose that has everything to do with the target demographic of the series. 

Rating: 9.5/10

Pros: Wonderful character development, interesting mystery, very relatable

Cons: Not a series for everyone

Book Girl and the Suicidal Mime Light Novel Review

Review written by Jammer

Age Rating: 15+
Writer: Mizuki Nomura
Illustrator: Miho Takeoka

Konoha Inoue is something of a prodigy.  Two years ago in middle school, he wrote a bestselling...under a female pseudonym.  Over time, the pressures of the whole thing put him over the edge and Konoha put down his pen, refusing never to write again.  Fast-forward to today.  He's a second year high-schooler, and a member of the Seijoh Academy book club, where he spends his after-school hours writing writing short stories for Tohko Amano, the club president (and the only other member).  But she doesn't read these stories, she...eats them.  She's what's known as a "book girl," which is someone who eats the pages of books, and the better the story the better the flavor.  

The entire reason for the club's existence is for Tohko to get fresh stories to eat, and she'll go to any measure to get them.  So when a girl comes into the club desperately seeking a love letter to give to a boy she likes, Tohko volunteers Konoha for the job without hesitation.  The only condition being that the girl writes up a detailed report afterward.  A report chock full of emotion and passion is bound to taste delicious, after all.  However, this seemingly innocent mission takes a turn for the weird when it turns out that the boy Konoha has been writing to for thig girl doesn't even exist.  And thus begins an intriguing mystery in this strong introduction to the Book Girl series.

Light novels have been a huge part of my reading diet as of late.  They're short, fast-paced, easy to read, and full of personality.  Book Girl is no exception, and I'd say it even has the potential to become one of my favorite series.  From the introduction of Konoha's back story, Tohko's crazy book-eating secret, and the ever-developing mystery, this book had me flying through the pages (I finished the book in one sitting, and I haven't done that to a book in years).  

Konoha is an endearing protagonist.  He's been broken before, but despite all the drama of the past, he finds himself continuing to do what he was truly meant to do: write.  Even better than that, he's smart, curious, and he always pushes the plot forward.  Tohko was also a pleasant surprise for me.  In a story like this, it is very easy for the "strange girl" character to fall into one-dimensional territory...usually in the sense of being overwhelmingly selfish and self-involved.  And while she is somewhat selfish, I never got the feeling that she didn't care about Konoha.  On the contrary, at more than one point, she sacrifices her own well-being on behalf of Konoha's without a second thought, creating a nice two-way relationship between the two.

The story, however exciting it is, has its problems.  I feel like the number of insane characters in a story should be limited to one or two, but in this one, I got the feeling that almost everyone in the story was either a loose cannon, a suicidal train wreck, or a lovesick homicidal nut job.  And there were instances in the book where I had to ask myself..."um....shouldn't these people, oh I don't know...be locked up?"  Not to spoil anything, but It was a bit much for me to believe that certain characters could go back to their daily lives after what is revealed.  I think I understand why the author may have done it (pacing issues, or maybe he just didn't want to send a mixed message), but it didn't quite sit well with me.

All the same, I would gladly give up the four hours it took me to read this book again.  It had me completely entranced the whole way through.  It set up a nice little premise that didn't overshadow the plot of this single volume, and like a good television show, I can see a great number of stories spawning from this.  It even had the courtesy to set up possible love triangles that could be important somewhere down the line, so I'm anxious to see what becomes of that.  

Keep 'em coming Yen Press, I'm hungry for more.

Rating: 8.5/10

Pros: fast-pace, great characters, solid premise with enough hanging threads to make you want volume 2

Cons: Some lapses in logic, some characters shouldn't have gotten away with what they did...