Nagisa realizes that there’s something seriously wrong with her brother and Futaba’s starting to get that vibe as well. Kuromatsu and Tsubaki struggle to outmaneuver one another, but then Mintaro does something impulsive and there goes the neighborhood…
Now this is more like it. Minus one very lame ‘escape by Providence’, where somebody gets saved by a phone call, this is the sort of see-sawing I’d been hoping for with this series. No crazy gang baddies this time, just move and countermove and somebody who barely knows the rules running down the field.
While she might be the most innocent character in the story, that doesn’t mean Nagisa is dumb. Her intuition knows that whoever this person in their house is, that’s not Minato. So when she meets him in Kuromatsu’s body later, she recognizes him quite quickly (this also leads to a very traumatic flashback, so be warned).
Which would be great if there was any way to convince anybody else of what the heck is going on, but instead makes this even more complicated. But the wild interplay between all the major characters trying to work through things when none of them have all the information is especially good.
This volume uses its cast quite well - Futaba knows something is up but can’t figure it out, Minato isn’t quite savvy enough to pull off what he’s attempting, Kuromatsu is devious but too small to do much (it definitely seems like they thumb their nose at the idea of him being redeemed by living Minato’s life too, which is a great touch), and Tsubaki is trying to kill the fake Kuromatsu while being harried by the real one.
Then there’s just the most exquisite twist to this story towards the end, which is one of the best I’ve seen pulled off in a manga because it comes completely out of the one place you don’t suspect. Shame the chapter title gives it away, but it’s otherwise cracking.
It’s hard to overstate how much I enjoyed this, which felt like watching carefully for cars at an intersection and then having a streetlight fall on top of you. It also explains why Tsubaki knows Minato’s family so well.
This is definitely a huge step up in terms of what I was hoping for from the series and it’s clearly moving forward after last time, even as there’s so much up in the air right now. It’s not perfect, but it’s very good.
4 stars - I’m dying to know what the truth behind that reveal is all about and there are a couple of possibilities that spring to mind, but it could legitimately go just about anywhere and that’s really exciting.
To be clear, the tagged cats only show up in the bonus author comic at the end, regarding some strays they TNRed, but it's enough for me to count toward the cat bookshelf.
This stage of the series is too far in to continue to complain about the improbability of the whole thing, so I won't. It does highlight how smart Nagisa is, though (well, considering how many hints have been basically THROWN at her, particularly from Adult Body Minato, I'd worry if she DIDN'T figure it out). Of course, it highlights how... NOT smart Nagisa is, to throw all her trust into a stranger, even if her brother's mind is in that strange body. Only in a Freaky Friday-style story, huh?
Also, the title is explained in this one! It's... pretty awful. :(
There's not a lot more I can add to this without going into depth with spoilers. I like the story but don't LOVE it, even though the art is fantastic and compelling. Possibly some of my opinion is being affected by Scavenge the Stars, which I'm also reading at the moment, also featuring a mysteriously monied stranger who wants a girl's trust and cooperation (for different reasons).
Recommended if you read the priorbooks only. Starting from book 4 is too confusing and also in general a bad practice, except with titles like The Baby-Sitters Club that are specifically written with new readers per book in mind.
Nagisa and Futaba are getting suspicious of fake Minato/real Kuromatsu. Meanwhile Tsubaki is chasing real Minato/fake Kuromatsu while fake Minato/real Kuromatsu taunts him with the murder video.
Then things get extra topsy-turvy when Nagisa meets real Minato/fake Kuromatsu and he convinces her to leave with him (so he can protect her from fake Minato/real Kuromatsu). But he's still a wanted criminal so avoiding the police adds another layer of difficulty to his escape plan.
Meanwhile, the connections and secrets of Nagisa and Minato's family start coming to light and things might be even more complicated than we think. The suspense is building.
I really enjoyed this volume in the series!! It had left off on a cliff hanger and it picked up very nicely. It keeps flowing very well making me want to get to the next volume as soon as I can. I am really starting to feel for some of the characters. Cannot wait to pick up the next one!