my ordinary backstory
Creative Staff:
Story & Art: Keiichi ARAWI
Translation: Jenny McKeon
What They Say:
mundane madness
a u.f.o. causes yuuko’s lunch to come out her nose. ms. nakamura tries an adorable new ploy. mihoshi’s big plan backfires. mai successfully dodges a trap. hypnosis doesn’t work, until it works all too well. and weboshi might actually be able to read minds…
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Nichijou is the type of series where you really can’t tell what you’ll be getting from volume to volume due to its episodic nature. You could get a mediocre story one chapter, then a short run of decent chapters, and maybe even one stand-out chapter before a volume’s end. This time around, I was happily surprised to find that nearly every chapter this volume was not only something the anime version didn’t adapt, but was something that was genuinely hilarious in its own right.
Stand-out episodes this volume are too much to name, but I’ll try my best. We immediately start with another of Ms. Nakamura’s hair-brained schemes to infiltrate the Shinonome household, which is pretty standard fare for the series. But from there, the volume really begins to stretch its limbs, as the gag that finishes that chapter ends up breaking into later chapters as well, making for a new take on running gags.
Additionally, we’re met with significantly more varied interactions between characters this time around. A chapter between Mai and Mio’s sister is not only a unique combination for a chapter, but results in a thoroughly insane, nearly silent interaction of non-stop slapstick. Additionally, joining the dynamic duo of the bald/sometimes-mohawk’ed student and the afro student is the principal himself, whose own hair problems make for a natural character to bring into the mix. Though even then, their interactions are never what you’d expect, as the two students are caught in a high-speed chase throughout campus that’s only worsened by the principal’s involvement. Further interactions with the timid teacher Ms. Sakurai and her oddball family of her younger brother, and constantly sleepy writer of a father only further add to the variety the volume already offers.
Furthermore, the occasional dips into backstories this volume provide a bit of de-mystifying that only results in further mystifying certain characters. While I didn’t need a story explaining the true origins of Mio’s wooden block hair clips, I did enjoy the sheer lengths her older sister goes to trolling her nonetheless. On top of that, we find that Mai was a mysterious transfer student back in middle-school, which only further peaked Yuuko’s interests in her. The added (and ridiculously detailed!) backstories of background characters from the cast’s middle-school days is a nice bonus that finishes off the volume, proving that more knowledge can possibly lead to simply more confusion. It’s hectic, chaotic, occasionally reflective, and downright insane, making this my favorite Nichijou volume to date.
In Summary:
Nichijou volume 8 was the first in the series featuring a wealth of chapters the anime didn’t adapt that I really wish they did. There’s a good blend of high-adrenaline/comically-low-stakes moments as well as interactions between characters that rarely had the chance to meet until now. The occasional gag bleeding into later chapters adds a bizarrely entertaining level of the unexpected that only something like Nichijou could get away with.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Vertical Comics
Release Date: May 2, 2017
MSRP: $10.95
