The Saika Arc ends with a relative whimper, but is still compelling storytelling regardless of larger impact.
Creative Staff
Story: Ryohgo Narita
Art: Akiyo Satorigi
Translation/Adaptation: Stephen Paul
What They Say
Mysterious chat room messages, all posted under the name “Saika,” profess love for humanity – and for one man in particular. Saika’s target: Shizuo Heiwajima!! Over fifty people have been struck in the worst case of serial slashings in the history of Ikebukuro. But the slasher’s victims have tasted not only the blade, but also the vision of their attacker. A vision of love, love, love that can only be realized when their own blades have pierced the bodies of their beloveds. Shizuo braces himself for a battle to the death in the shocking climax of the Saika Arc!!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The conclusion of the Saika Arc doesn’t so much rush to its end, but rather sits in itself for quite a while. The volume starts off extremely fast with Shizuo meeting Izaya, convinced that the man who is behind almost all the bizarre happens in Ikebukuro must be behind the Saika slashings as well. Then we get an interruption from Celty who rushes Shizuo off to meet the Sakia slasher. The rest of the volume moves between multiple final showdowns. The pacing is very deliberate and the book instead focuses of building character tension than resolving the storyline.
This approach is two-pronged: on one hand, I was feeling the tedium as the story just didn’t go anywhere, and on the other hand I thought the book did a really good job of building that tension so that the climax and resolution had a bigger impact than it would have otherwise. One of the showdowns is between Niekawa, whom it was revealed in the last volume was possessed by the Saika Blade and likely the slasher, and Sonohara, the shy and reserved girl who keeps getting pulled into the story despite appearing to be a simple passerby. This is the main showdown that stretches throughout the entire volume and brings about the story’s conclusion. It’s very well done in how it slowly peels back the layers and everything becomes clear. With the first revelation you feel as if you got it, then there are more reveals and the very basic storyline we’ve been following gets a little on the complex side. It avoids unnecessary complexion though, it’s just the method of how it unfolds. This creates a ton of tension and character drama as we are forced to watch things unfold without any clear reason why they are happening. Sometimes I felt as if I was supposed to just accept what I was being shown, but this caused me to want the pace to pick up. Once you get in the accepting mode, the story just drags out. Once everything is over it all makes a lot more sense as to why the climax took so long. It makes the arc very rewarding at the end, but a little on the frustrating side while you are actually reading it.
The other showdown is between Shizuo and a virtual army of people possessed by the Saika Blade. This serves little narrative purpose for the actual story being told. However, it functions as a little character piece for Shizuo. We get to see into his mind just enough to flesh out his character. Since Shizuo has been poised as being a major player in the overall series, this small bit of insight and development looks to go a long way with future story lines. It’s a nice piece of work that doesn’t compromise his crazy tough guy persona and still turns him into something more than just the crazy tough guy. Towards the end of the volume, these two plot threads intertwine bringing the arc to a satisfying conclusion that feels emotionally complete even if the events don’t have a real impact on the Durarara Universe as a whole, at least that we know of at this point.
In Summary
I really do like these Durarara manga adaptations. The art brings fluidity to the events and allow the “talky” nature of the series to flow naturally. I never feel as if the action stops just so people can talk, it’s always in service to the story and done in a manner that moves with the story naturally. The Saika Arc ends conclusively and satisfyingly; that really all I can ask for. This arc doesn’t seem to really play into a larger role but there are small touches littered throughout, especially in the final pages of this book, that look to be rewarding in the future. I’m not as hyped up about this arc as I was the first storyline. It doesn’t leave a big lasting impression and rather feels like something that just exists. That doesn’t exactly make me want to scream to the high heaven’s and urge people to read this arc, but seeing as how it is the second arc in a long series, the readers are already established and this storyline is more than good enough to keep people interested in continuing the series. It’s not bad by any means.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: January 21st, 2014
MSRP: $11.99
