Creative Staff
Written by: Chuya Kogino
Original Story by: Kazuma Kamachi
Character Design by: Kiyotaka Haimura
Translation/Adaptation: Alice Prowse
Lettering: Phil Christie
What They Say
In the wake of Acqua’s assault, Touma and Index find themselves on a plane to England. But as Index eagerly awaits her inflight meal, the plane is taken over by a mysterious hijacker! Can the pair resolve the situation, and will Index ever get her food?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It’s a common trope in shounen manga and anime that the power of friendship will beat even the strongest of enemies. This holds true as everyone joins forces in the last minutes to beat Acqua. Adding another factor to the equation is figuring out what makes him strong and how that also makes him weak at the same time. I would have liked to see this weakness revealed earlier. It feels too wishy-washy to reveal it at this point. It sours how his defeat comes about. The power of friendship is acceptable for defeating an enemy that was thought to be invincible. The explanation for his weakness was not the best and it could have had more thought gone to it. Bullshit beats other bullshit and we just have to accept that in these types of manga.
Nothing hits the spot after a long battle more than a celebration among friends. Touma is finally getting his life back on track. You never know what is going to happen. It’s something that this volume takes to its fullest advantage. Touma is finally getting his due for all of his hard work. He doesn’t have just one, not two, not three but four ladies wanting to court him. He managed to melt the ice queens, Misaka, and Kaori’s hearts. We get a tender moment as we dwell deep into Misaka’s inner layers with Touma. It was almost a scene that we would have never thought possible. The madness just ricochets from that scene. We get another impossible scene with Kaori. That scene was maybe to die for as you realize how Kaori feels about Touma. Nothing makes sense as Touma’s wildest dreams or scariest nightmares come to life in this volume.
Of course, the happy times are only limited as Touma has to move on to the latest world-ending crisis. There is no rest for the weary as someone is always plotting something. Touma and Index get kidnapped and put on a plane towards Europe. Looking at the What They Say is up with Index does not fully grasp the seriousness of the situation. She wants first-class treatment and wants a delicious meal. Europe has gone to shit and she is losing her mind over what may be gourmet food. Thinking more about it, I can’t blame her too much for wanting the good stuff. You’re going into a battlefield, might as well enjoy the last of the good life before it goes to shit. The brief taste of the latest villain is enough to keep us hooked in this series.
In Summary:
Celebrations can only exist because of the hard work people put into them and this volume shows just how much the celebrations are earned in this volume. Things are finally looking up for Touma as everything falls into place. Our wildest dreams can come true but they aren’t all they are cracked up to be. But of course, as things are looking up for him, they hit rock bottom. The world will always have a new threat and everything falls into Touma’s hands to fix.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: 08/22/2023
MSRP: $13.00 US/ $17.00 CAN
This review was done with a review copy provided by the publisher. We are grateful for their continued support.
