Ghosts, t-shirts, old acquaintances and more in this new volume.
Creative Staff
Writer/Author: Hisae Iwaoka
Translation: Tomo Kimura
What They Say:
Mitsu meets two new clients, both lonely in their unique ways. Meanwhile, his work ethic catches the eye of other employers. Sohta, already overqualified for his job at the power plant, gets demoted due to nepotism and channels his frustration toward the surface of the earth. Another day, another dollar for the workforce of Saturn Apartments.
The Review!
The first story of this volume once again finds Mitsu being invited to talk to a client, this one being a young woman who used to be a prostitute in the lower levers, but married a man from the upper levels six months ago. Unfortunately, it’s been quite a while since she’s seen her husband, so she’s been left all alone in her room. Frustrated and desperate, she invites Mitsu to come live with her. Mitsu declines, and tells her to believe her husband will eventually return, which he does come the end of the chapter.
The next few chapters find Sohta becoming deeply involved with a plan to journey to the Earth’s surface, a mysterious window washer washing without the permission of the guild, Mitsu and Jin becoming involved in a modern day ghost story, Mitsu getting solicited to become a “cleaner,” and one of Kageyama’s old acquaintances trying to deal with a surplus of strange t-shirts.
Finally, when Mitsu encounters an old acquaintance from school and has his choice of career questioned, how will he react?
In Summary:
Saturn Apartments continues along, every bit as full of wonder and subtle emotion as it has ever been. Most of the new stories do little to advance the characters or plot, but as always provide a subtle look into the lives of the people behind the windows. However, a few threads of an overarching plot are starting to unravel, particularly those surrounding Sohta. While there’s definitely plenty to love with the series the way it is, a push towards a larger plot would definitely be nice to see.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A-
Package Rating: A-
Text/Translation Rating: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: May 17th, 2011
MSRP: $12.99
