”This year’s summer holiday destination iiis… alternate world!!”
Creative Staff
Story and Art: Yui Hara
Translation: Amanda Haley
What They Say
It’s another year and another summer vacation for the girls, and Karen’s got everything planned out. A trip to the Kujou family cottage awaits, but Aya threatens to cancel their plans if anyone does poorly on the upcoming exam! Feeling the pressure, Karen hits the books… unlike Youko, whose misguided self-confidence just might end the whole trip before it even begins!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Kiniro Mosaic is the type of series that comes off as so incredibly pure. Each of the all-girl cast offers their own special brand of chaste cuteness, from Alice’s general smallness to Aya’s shy demeanor. Even the more off-beat characters like Shinobu, Karen or Youko still give off a very particular brand of pureness regardless of how weird they can get. For as blonde-obsessed as Shino can become around Alice, it’s always framed as her way of showing affection for her good friend; likewise with Karen and Youko’s more outlandish behavior. And that’s pretty much been the series: cute girls doing cute things, with maybe some weirdness sprinkled in for flavor.
So when the front cover of volume 9 has the main cast in flashy sailor suits, and first page opens with secondary characters Honoka and Kana in revealing bathing suits, it’s something of a surprise. This isn’t to say that such outfits don’t belong in Kinmosa or that such outfits are “inappropriate” by any means. But when this is how you start off a volume, you begin to wonder how the rest of the volume will play out.
And for the most part, we’re treated to more of the same shenanigans from everyone’s favorite high school seniors that don’t look anything like seniors. Youko avoids studying to the chagrin of Aya, Karen goofs off and casually flaunts her richness, and Alice and Shino remain connected at the hip. But that’s not to say that the series feels too stale, with a decent mix of one-shots and longer arcs.
With the gang on summer vacation, Karen has taken it upon herself to plan the group’s vacation. And what results is something leaning towards the extravagant, as the group is rushed onto a private jet to their own personal getaway. The vacation itself consists of a trivia show-style setup where the teachers (inexplicably accompanying the girls on their vacation) quiz the girls, with the winners being allowed to sleep inside. It’s just the right amount of strange, but also feels like it could have been so much more. Karen is willing to go to great lengths to take her friends on vacation, yet the quiz-show scenario could have worked in any other backdrop outside of the vacation island and works more as a cheap way to get the gang in swimwear. Even the new additions of Honoka and Kana to the group doesn’t change up the dynamic all that much and feels more tacked on rather than an earnest attempt at including them as new characters.
Similarly, a shorter arc where the girls where the girls find they each had the same dream the other night feels similarly contrived, yet ultimately enjoyable. The dream focuses on Karen and Youko becoming pop idols, while Aya is their manager, but the real focus more often than not is getting the girls in their frilly pop outfits in the first place. A lot of the more outlandish plots this time around rely on fanservice driving the premise, and it more or less comes out as a lateral move, as the girls never feel too sexualized, and the humor itself maintains the status quo, so you can’t really complain.
If anything, the more down-to-earth premises land their humor far better. Random short gags like Karen and Alice being really into kendama, or Honoka lifting Karen over her head are the types of nonsensical moments that keep the series fresh for me. The only downside is such gags continue to be used sparingly, with author Yui Hara relying more on the inherent cuteness of the cast to carry the so-so writing. Another stand-out arc is in the volume’s final chapter as Youko brings her younger siblings to Shino’s. Being the eldest sibling, Youko feels she isn’t doing the best job at being a sister her younger siblings can look up to. It’s an oddly serious concern for the series, especially since Youko usually comes off as the more carefree character of the cast, but that’s what makes it work all the better. Her actually caring for her siblings in turn better fleshes out her siblings as well, who are feeling less like cardboard cutouts with each reintroduction. The chapter wraps up in an equally satisfying manner, being able to take such a serious concern, and bringing it back around to the light and fluffiness that the series is so comfortable in.
In Summary:
Kiniro Mosaic volume 9 is a decent mix of middleground humor and tinier moments that stick with you because the jokes simply land better. And while the longer arcs don’t live up to their self-imposed expectations, at the very least the end result is simply more of the same, which in this case is a pleasant collection of cute anime girls doing nothing in particular.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: May 28, 2019
MSRP: $17.00
