The demon’s step up their attack on the campus, and both the leads and the readers get bogged down in the ensuing brawl.
Creative Staff
Writer/Artist: Yuji Iwahara
Translation: Amy Forsyth
Adaptation: Amy Forsyth
What They Say
Can a catnap really be the key to victory?!
While looking for her cat, Kansuke, Yumi lands smack-dab in the middle of a mystery! Cats all over Matabi Academy have been disappearing . . . so Yumi decides to play detective and investigate. Unbeknownst to her and the student council, however, is that the demon cat Kaen’s disciples have infiltrated the school in human guise in an attempt to steal the school founder’s secrets! And when Yumi’s investigation leads her to the heart of those secrets-the old library-she and two student council members find themselves trapped in Rachi the sickle spider’s web . . . with none of their cat partners anywhere to be found! Will Kansuke, Sakura, and Raimu make it in the nick of time to save their friends?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Kansuke is at the top of a tree moping because he wasn’t strong enough to do anything constructive in the battle at the end of the last book. Yumi pleads with him to come down and get back into cat form but he runs off to do some training. Sakura, Akifuji’s cat partner, decides to follow him. Meanwhile, the demon henchman Tsukumo has possessed the vice principal and has assembled some friends to further their attacks in order to free Kaen. Their first step is to find out the secret of the barrier keeping them confined to the school grounds. That is, if the newly disguised malicious spirit beasts can suppress their inhuman appetites and stay incognito.
Later that day, Yumi asks a passing cat if he’s seen Kansuke. The little cat hasn’t seen him but tells Yumi that he’s looking for his missing friend who’s also missing. They agree to help each other, and they start their search in the library, where they just happen to run into Akifuji and Tsukasa Hinode, the short pervert on the student council. Hinode picks up on Yumi’s crush on Akifuji and tries to help by arranging for them to be alone. With two of the three without their cat partners, the evil spirit beasts choose that moment to strike. What follows is a gruesome fight featuring an impalement that causes Yumi to have a breakdown at the worst possible moment.
I can’t say I’d do better in the situation, but Yumi is starting to grate on my nerves. Akifuji’s powers seem to come out of left field; he can hit any target with them activated. When attacked by Rachi the spirit beast’s little spiders, he does what most of us would do and grabs an encyclopedia to smash them. I really like the way the author wryly works in all these gags.
I have to point out that Rachi has taken over one of the female students, to use as a disguise and spends most of the time running around half naked. In battle, she’s spinning around doing leaps and flips in her underwear. It’s all very rich in fan service, matches Hinode’s pervert ways and sets up an obvious manga sight gag, which Akifuji points out. Yumi’s naive about the reference, of course. Hinode’s powers come directly from his cat partner, Raimu, and they seem overpowered till you realize they have a time limit. Thankfully, Yumi is able to pull herself together in the end and manages a very clever attack of her own – one that proves she can think on her feet. At the end of the chapter, we get a glimpse of the next challenge awaiting in book three.
Extras include a two-page bonus comic, translation notes, and an author’s afterword. The first printing includes six color pages to start the book.
In Summary
Volume 2 suffers from lost momentum, as the entire volume is focused on one battle. Sure, it’s a well drawn and exciting battle, but when it’s over the plot hasn’t moved an inch. It does show that our heroes are going to have to be more careful in the future. I just hope something significant occurs in the next volume, which will be the halfway point of the series.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: November 17th, 2009
MSRP: $10.99
