With a nod to The Walking Dead, Mikoto awakens to her city overrun by the infected with no survivors in sight. How could the rest of Black Label allow the city to fall?
Creative Staff
Story & Art: Shouji Sato
Translation/Adaptation: Christine Dashiell
What They Say
Mikoto wakes to find herself alone in the eerie silence of Mochizuki Hospital. Through the damaged walls, she can only glimpse the chaos that has befallen the city in her slumber. Unable to contact the rest of Black Label. Mikoto agrees to team up with an old friend-turned-foe who emerges from the ashes of Tobioka to come to her aid. But can a murderer ever be trusted not to stab you in the back?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The city around Mochizuki Hospital has been decimated. It appears as if the city was hit by bomber planes, indiscriminately destroying buildings. Mikoto awakes to an empty hospital with no sign of why the hospital and surrounding streets appear to be abandoned. Weaponless and wearing only a hospital gown, Mikoto has her work cut out for her.
It doesn’t take long before some Syringe lackeys capture Mikoto. They hope to make her talk, but it’s ultimately useless since she’s been asleep so long. They take that advantage and mock Mikoto with the news that Arashi died when the Tobioka Hotel collapsed and burned. I think it is telling that Mikoto stays focused on Arashi and doesn’t immediately ask about any other Black Label members that might have died with him. She also convinces herself that he isn’t dead. Mikoto seems to truly love Arashi at this point, but I’m not convinced he has any room in his heart for Mikoto. Arashi’s so driven by his inner guilt, that only the job of being muscle for Black Label seems to matter to him.
Mikoto’s luck hasn’t completely run out. Miraculously, Chikage returns from the grave and pulls Mikoto to safety. Amazing considering we all saw Chikage die in a sea of fire a few volumes back. This does put Mikoto in a difficult position considering Chikage was her friend, then her enemy, and now her savior that wants to be her lover. Yeah, things get weird real fast but Mikoto can’t be too choosy as there is no one else around to help her escape from Syringe.
Wandering the city, it becomes apparent that it has been overrun by the zombie-like victims of the super drug Platinum Lily. However, there are some scattered survivors. Mikoto feels a duty to protect them while Chikage thinks they should focus on themselves. Will Mikoto ever find the other members of Black Label? Will Arashi be among them, or has his fate been sealed at the bottom of a collapsed building?
In Summary
I question whether Arashi has any true feelings for Mikoto beyond her being a coworker. But I can’t question the fact that the two of them need each other. Arashi acts as the black or white voice of vengeance that tells Mikoto to just kill all evil. Whereas Mikoto shows Arashi the world is gray with more than just good on one side and evil on the other. Mikoto also acts as Arashi’s sheath, stopping him from descending to the depths of a cold-hearted killer with no redeeming qualities. Then again, the reappearance of Chikage and her infatuation with Mikoto might turn this into a deadly love triangle.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: A+
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Mature
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: October 30, 2018
MSRP: $14.00
