Hachiken makes a decision regarding Pork Bowl.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Hiromu Arakawa
Translation/Adaptation: Amanda Haley
What They Say
A few weeks into his summer job at Mikage Ranch, Hachiken has proven himself a hard worker, even under the skeptical gaze of Aki’s father. His first term at Ezo AG has given him a great deal to think about-the future, the fate of Pork Bowl-but open pastures and fresh air provide a very different backdrop to his worries than his previous life in the city. Still, when he chose not to go home for summer break, Hachiken hardly expected home to come to him!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Hachiken’s summer at the Mikage Ranch continues. Our city boy’s sojourn in the countryside continues to deliver a nice combination of laughs and education (Hey, I’m a city slicker, too!), but when he and Mikage talk about dreams and family expectations, the narrative also touches upon the family dynamic that made Hachiken choose not to go home.
Then the story plunges deep into the Hachiken family dynamic when Hachiken’s older brother Shingo bursts unannounced onto the Mikage Ranch. Personality-wise, carefree Shingo is the exact opposite of Hachiken, and his particular talent for ruining food introduces a new running joke into the story. But even though Hachiken bears an intense dislike for his brother, the feeling is not mutual. Rather, Shingo admires what his younger brother is doing and encourages him to do what he wants. Their parents never make an actual appearance in this volume, but the bits of communication that they direct to their sons paint a pretty clear picture why Hachiken wants to get away from them.
Then school resumes, and the story shifts away from the family situation Hachiken’s trying to escape and back to the dilemma he can’t seem to get over: the fate of Pork Bowl. Rather than come to terms with the fact that Pork Bowl was born to be meat, Hachiken gets more tied up in knots now that Pork Bowl is full-grown. Unfortunately, there’s no stopping Pork Bowl’s slaughter date, and when it’s finally staring Hachiken in the face, he makes a surprising proposal. I love this part of the story, how Hachiken has become so acutely aware of the animal lives that make meat possible and how that pushes him to acknowledge those lives the best way he can. Vegetarians probably won’t be too happy with his decision, but as another person who can’t become a vegetarian, I really enjoyed it.
For those who have seen the anime, the manga and TV series share the same major scenes and general timeline. However, there are a number of small scenes in the manga that were not included in the anime, and the last-minute fattening of Pork Bowl in the anime was not part of the manga.
Extras include story thus far, character profiles, bonus manga, and translation notes.
In Summary
Summer vacation arcs often mean fun outings with friends, trips to the beach, swimsuits, and festivals. But that’s not the case for Hachiken. While he does manage to attend a festival, his summer is marked by more unpleasant incidents in the countryside and unwanted visits from his free-spirited older brother. As usual, Arakawa-sensei does an excellent job balancing the comedy of Hachiken’s city boy bungling and his angst over the fate of Pork Bowl and other farm animals.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: June 26th, 2015
MSRP: $15.00
