Enter the bouncer!
Creative Staff
Original Story: Reki Kawahara
Art: Hiroyuki Aigamo
Translation: Jocelyne Allen
What They Say
Having won his clash against Cyan Pile – aka Takumu – Haruyuki, along with Kuroyukihime and the reformed Takumu, begins to fight as a member of the newly formed Black Legion, Nega Nebulus. As Kuroyukihime’s injuries gradually heal, Haruyuki and Takumu train hard in tag battles so they can support her when she gets out of the hospital. But when Haruyuki gets enough points to go up to Level 2, he makes a grave error and finds himself on the verge of losing all his points forever?! Will he be able to stay in the game? And what about the baptism by Red Storm Princess that awaits him on the other side?! Haruyuki’s new fight begins now!!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Thanks to his new partnership, Haruyuki is able to grab enough points to level up to level 2. However, before Taku can stop him he uses it right away, not realizing that it uses up all of those points. As a result, he’s left with a mere 8 points, leaving him in a rather precarious position. Taku offers to share his points, but realizing that may put his friend into danger as well, our hero turns him down. Fortunately, though, Taku knows one more method to salvage his predicament: the “bouncer”, a player named Aqua Current who works with newbies to help get them out of the danger zone. The main condition is that Aqua Current requires is that the newbie reveals their real self, which Haruyuki agrees to. Thanks to his clumsiness and a twist of fate, though, Haruyuki accidentally discovers Aqua Current’s androgynous real self as well.
The two work together using Aqua Current’s methods, and soon end up in a tag match against the players Nickel Doll and Sand Duct. Though Aqua Current is an expert at such matters and a rather formidable player, Haruyuki still really has to give his all in the fight. An intense battle with a bit of science mixed in erupts, until eventually the enemies combine their powers for an intimidating super attack. Even so, Aqua Current is able to counteract it, allowing the fight to continue on. Finally, with Aqua Current’s help, Haruyuki manages to stabilize back to a safe 70 burst points. However, Aqua Current isn’t done with him just yet. Just what will happen to our hero when the powerful friend stands against him?
Finally, Haruyuki strangely finds himself cohabitating with a cousin who acts like a “little sister.” He seems quite pleased with the circumstances, but he digs a little deeper and realizes that she’s actually a Burst Linker. To make matters worse, she’s the current Red King, Scarlet Rain! Can Haruyuki possibly last even a little against this powerful enemy? And just why is she coming after our hero in the first place, especially using such unusual methods?
In Summary
With this volume, we’re treated to another solid entry into the series, though this one isn’t quite as powerful as the last. The first story gives us the rather intriguing character of Aqua Current, as well as providing a rather nice fight. The back half, on the other hand, decides to go over the top, thrusting our hero against an opponent way out of his league. We also get a rather unusual setup for the coming arc, which has potential but definitely sounds just a tad too close to the supernatural for right now. All in all, this is in many ways just another entry to move the series along without any huge moments, but it should definitely be plenty to keep fans interested and involved.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: March 24th, 2015
MSRP: $12.99
