The MDC divers compete for the privilege of attending an exclusive training camp.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Eto Mori/Ruzuru Akashiba
Translation/Adaptation: Christine Dashiell
What They Say
As Tomoki’s natural talent for diving blossoms under the guidance of Coach Asaki, his relationships with the people around him sour. The growing rifts start to take a toll on him, worsening his struggle to nail the three-and-a-half somersault dive. But even with all of that going on, Tomoki has to regain his focus…because the trials for the Beijing training camp are fast approaching!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The Tomoki character arc continues with him reconciling with Ryou and Reiji and nailing the three-and-a-half somersault dive, just to fall apart when his girlfriend dumps him for his younger brother. It’s been clear from the beginning Tomo has no real affection for Miu, so the break-up is no surprise. The fact that his brother takes her adds drama, but where it goes off the deep end is how badly Tomo takes it. He never cared about Miu before so it’s difficult to believe he’d ditch practice and sulk in bed for two weeks because of her. Overall, Tomo displays an oblivious insensitivity toward others and a hypersensitivity to rejection that makes me want to slap him. Even with his “diamond eyes” talent on the verge of a breakthrough, he’s not at all appealing as a character.
Fortunately, about halfway through the volume, the focus shifts from Tomo to Okitsu. Unlike Tomo, who’s mainly struggling with his stupid self, Okitsu is dealing with MDC expectations, the burden of his grandfather’s unfulfilled legacy, and his identity as a village boy in the big city. While the Beijing trials is an important meet for all the athletes, for Okitsu, it’s also his debut into competitive diving and everything it entails. Okitsu’s outsider perspective and his choices make the usual who-will-hold-up-under-the-pressure-and-win narrative a bit more interesting.
However, the outcome of the training camp selection takes an odd turn with the abrupt introduction of the Okitsu family back problems. While this isn’t nearly as bad as Tomo’s post-breakup self-destruction, it’s puzzling the creators didn’t drop more hints about this potentially disabling problem. That aside, watching Okitsu return home and ponder the meaning of diving in his life was engaging. It was certainly more compelling than Tomo’s miserable angst.
Another oddity of this installment is that we never actually get to see the training camp. After all the hype and anguish deciding who gets to go, we never meet the famed Chinese Coach Sun and see him at work. It could’ve been an opportunity to see our characters in an international environment, but oh well.
As with the previous volume, this volume covers the same territory of the corresponding Dive!! anime episodes. However, thanks to the slower pace and the broader perspective provided by thought bubbles, the characters are more fleshed out and their motivations clearer than in the TV series. In the anime, Coach Asaki was especially one-dimensional: all no-nonsense coach and not much else. She’s still mostly that in the manga, but we also get a couple scenes and flashbacks where she expresses a different emotion.
Extras include the first four pages in color and translation notes.
In Summary
Tomo nails it in the diving department while crashing in the relationship department. This could’ve been good drama, but it feels forced and comes off ridiculously melodramatic. Thankfully, the story shifts to Okitsu, who’s traveling a more interesting path and faces challenges that are actual obstacles. There is also a fair amount of diving in this volume, but most of the focus is on decisions and interactions out of the water.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: April 30th, 2019
MSRP: $13.00
