Strength lies in numbers … with friends always helping each other.
Creative Staff:
Illustration: Rikizo
Story: Tôwa
Character Design: Huuka Kazabana
Translation: Alexandra McCullough-Garcia
Lettering: Phil Christie
What They Say:
Arihito and his makeshift party have somehow emerged victorious against the Juggernaut. Having heard about the miracles of the cathedral in District Four, they feel a renewed determination to make Theresia human again, but many labyrinths stand between them and their goal. Though his allies have doubled in number, will Arihito’s rearguard abilities be enough to protect them?
Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As the new group of friends relax in a local tavern after returning from the Labyrinth and defeating the Juggernaut, they discuss the prospect of returning Theresia back to normal, with rumors the cathedral in District Four could cure the curse of being a lizardman. And yet as Arihito recalls how many times this hired mercenary has saved him since hiring her yesterday, the closeness they share is apparent as Kyouka grabs the voiceless girl’s hand and readily agrees to her friend’s choice to save their companion. However when he asks the experienced Elitia of how difficult it is to reach this higher area, the blonde girl sorrowfully states the farthest she has reached is District Five, but she is determined to ascend these heights no matter how long it may take. Seeing that they have a common goal, it is then when Atobe asks this fervent warrior plus the assembled Suzuna and Misaki if they would join their party to rise higher in the ranks, but is then when Elitia explains her situation; while they may have seen her overwhelming power fighting in the maze, it comes at a hefty cost due to her cursed weapon the Scarlet Emperor causing her to enter a berserk rage when an enemy’s blood touches her skin, thus forcing her to attack any she sees, whether they be friend or foe.
Even after hearing this girl’s sorrowful story and the regrets she has of wanting to help an abandoned friend, Arihito does not hesitate in accepting all of her burdens, once again asking the trio if they would join their party, only this time do they finally accept. After a night of drunken celebrations and the painful recovery the next morning, the newly formed group proceeds to the chest cracker referred to them by the guild to open their black box, all in hopes of gaining better gear so that they can explore past the second floor with more ease. However, as they approach the described location, the carefree Misaki skips ahead as she is charmed by the cuteness of the house, only for all to be surprised when a gigantic white dog leaps over all to block the door. But as the ivory beast stares at the intruders, the shocked party is greeted by a pair of siblings who sat astride the canine, delighted to see they have new customers and shout in unison a welcome to the Arthur Chest Cracking Center. And yet as the excitable girl rushes forward to her home, she sadly trips and falls, causing her to start crying, but before Kyouka can comfort the poor child, the mammoth hound bows its head and licks the sore area, causing all pain to vanish. As they all watch this touching scene, the door opens and a buxom woman picks up and dusts off her now smiling daughter named Plum, to then ask if the man leading them if he is Atobe, stating she was expecting them. Introducing herself as Falma, a certified trap master recognized by the guild, she prompts her son Eyck to keep an eye on his sister with their pet silver hound Cion, only then leading the group downstairs to an ominous door, behind which they would begin the dangerous work of disarming their treasure.
In Summary:
As we continue to watch in delight mangaka Rikizo-sensei’s charming illustrations of Tôwa-sensei’s moving isekai story, those who have read the light novel beforehand will immediately notice something has changed within this adaptation, or to be more exact, essential material has been removed from the narration itself – the heartfelt interaction between Arihito and his party, skipping forward in order to expose the audience to more exciting dungeon-crawling adventures. Although this omission may go unnoticed by casual readers of this title, fans of the sourcebooks will miss these endearing events which create a basis for how this leader sees each of the friends he protects as Rearguard, especially the closeness which was forged between he with Theresia, since she was originally hired as a rogue to fill out his initial party. And yet the decisive moment in which Atobe returns that night to the Mercenary Office to buy her freedom has been forgotten, along with almost fifty pages of sincere conversations with new companions to learn about their skills and how he can best assist them in battle, all in favor of fleeting comical incidents which do little to explain how they are able to interact so fluidly within an uncertain environment as the Labyrinth.
The manga adaptation of The World’s Strongest Rearguard: Labyrinth Country’s Novice Seeker has the potential to create an interesting visual representation of the heartfelt light novels, and yet this volume lacks the essential interaction which creates such close bonds between Arihito and his friends. While these comical illustrations may be based on the original story, the need to skip what may be seen as emotional filler material removes the necessary conversations which allow these new friends to get to know each other, which is the core of the story itself. All of the girls depend on this Rearguard to protect their backs, plus as his abilities grow it allows Atobe to enhance their skills with his own powers, and yet this would not be possible without their talks at home. So in lieu of sacrificing valuable page space, we are to assume Arihito knows everything about everyone, and when the time is right, they have astounding success in battle due to convenient plot devices which fill in these gaps at all the right times, much to the chagrin of loyal fans of the original books.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: January 19, 2021
MSRP: $15.00
