X-Day, Volume 2

彼女達のエクス・デイ [Kanojo-tachi no X Day] #2

by Setona Mizushiro

Manga

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Comics, Romance, Young Adult, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 2003

About the author

Mizushiro Setona (水城せとな in Japanese, or 水城雪可奈 in Chinese language) is a popular mangaka who started out in the dōjinshi circles.

Her first real dabble in the world of creating manga was in 1985 when she participated in the publication of a dōjinshi. She remained active in the dōjinshi world until her debut in 1993 with the short single "Fuyu ga Owarou Toshiteita" (Winter Was Ending) that ran in Shōgakukan's Puchi Comic magazine.
Though her current drawing style is high on the aesthetic value, her earlier works had less finesse. Regardless of the lesser emphasis on the visual elements in her earlier works, her popularity grew largely due to her unparalleled grasp for storytelling. Her works are noted for their slightly askew plots and deep exploration of the human psyche. Even her lighthearted Shōjo works usually have darker underlying elements. With an incomparable ability to craft stories that puzzle, sadden, assure, pervert, and move the depths of one's heart, she has gained a cult-like following. Her works include shojo, josei, and yaoi, and have been translated into multiple languages, including English, Italian, French and German.

Reviews

[Sushi (寿司) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Manga davvero bello che consiglio a chi vuole uno shōjo fuori dagli schemi.
Temi molto importanti vengono trattati in questo manga. Il suicidio e l'abuso (il picchiare) da parte di un genitore il proprio figlio. L'odio per le donne che è legato all'abuso subito e il tentato omicidio.

Come si sa il Giappone è il paese con il più alto tasso di suicidi al mondo. Quindi è una tematica molto forte e non solo sui ragazzi. Anche molti adulti si suicidano.

[LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The members of the little Ursa Minor chat group are getting more keyed up - Rika (11) has done something she regrets, Mr. Money is forcing himself to be more open about the situation with his mother and what it's done to his state of mind, Polaris is going to be forced to take part in a swimming relay race and feels anxious just thinking about it, and Jangalian still doesn't know how to gracefully put a stop to his obsessed stalker and the rumors she keeps spreading. Things are coming to a head now that everyone's been pushed into a corner.

Mizushiro managed to wrap this up better than I expected. Even though I had some issues with the way things played out, everyone's motivations and actions seemed more solid and believable in this volume than they did in the first volume. That said, I still had issues with how things worked out.

Mizushiro's handling of Mr. Money and his family situation struck me as being overly simplistic. I disliked the way Rika and Mr. Money's relationship was presented as positively resolving their storylines. So, what, Rika's anxiety about track team and her ex-boyfriend were all resolved by her getting a new boyfriend? And we're supposed to believe that Mr. Money's abusive home life is no longer a problem, and he's magically no longer afraid of women? Uh, no.

The way Jangalian's issues were dealt with also seemed pretty simplistic, although there was at least a brief mention that things weren't quite over yet. Still, I was surprised that there wasn't more of a fuss made about even just the appearance of a relationship between Polaris and Jangalian. And Polaris, who has now tried to commit suicide twice in one year, could use a supportive adult in her life who isn't Jangalian.

All in all, this series got off to a shaky start but managed to find its footing by the end, even though I wasn't always comfortable with the way everything played out.

Extras:

The last quarter of the volume was devoted to a short called "The Last Supper." Oh man, this story was dark, weird, and horrifying.

It's science fiction in which humans struggle to survive a plague that keeps cropping up every few years. The sky is now lit by an artificial sun, and the weather, too, is artificially controlled. Cows have long since died out and have been replaced by cow-human hybrids. Which we still raise for food, and eat. Lambda 26 is one such cow. After his father is slaughtered and eaten, Lambda tries to escape but ends up being found by Mitsuhiko, the rancher's son. Mitsuhiko insists on having Lambda as his playmate and servant, thereby protecting him from being killed and eaten. Lambda initially wants to be free but eventually begins to care for Mitsuhiko. (Major spoilers from this point on.)

Unfortunately, Mitsuhiko catches the plague and guess what? Medicine made from cow organs turns out to be the best treatment. Mitsuhiko has refused to eat beef since Lambda became his friend, but now Lambda badly wants to help him. Mitsuhiko can't face the idea of Lambda dying for him and gives Lambda everything he needs in order to escape. However, Mitsuhiko's father manages to obtain some cow organs, which are turned into medicine for Mitsuhiko. He's convinced to eat it, only to discover that the cow used in his medicine was, in fact, Lambda.

That last story was definitely not my kind of thing, and I feel icky just thinking about it.

Rating Note:

If I could rate X-Day's conclusion separately from "The Last Supper," I'd give the former 3 stars and the latter 1. "The Last Supper" only takes up a small portion of the volume and shouldn't have as much weight, but I think I'm still just going to average the two ratings and give this volume as a whole 2 stars.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein ziemlich düsterer Doppelband mit viel Stoff zum Nachdenken. Dieser Manga lässt einen ein paar der etwas düsteren Seiten der fremden Kultur erblicken und an manchen Gesellschaftsstrukturen zweifeln. Dennoch bleibt es im Bereich von Schul- und jugendthemen was dem Ganzen zu etwas mehr Leichtigkeit verhilft.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadly the manga ends without the school actually getting bombed, "x-day" never happens ;(.But a lot of drama happens in the second volume relationship wise with the group, Rika ends up sleeping with her bestfriends boyfriend basically Rikas ex. She ends up feeling terrible about what she has done behind her friends back. The book ends with introducing you to a new series called "The Last Supper" by Setona Mizushiro (The Mangaka of X-Day).

[atmatos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man the short story in the end of the always creeps me the freak out.

[Micaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Que intensa se puso la segunda parte. Me preocupe de verdad. Me gusta este grupo y simplemente quería más de esta historia. Siento que todo se resolvió muy rápido, no significa que no me haya gustado. Me gustó el final, pero siento que daba para más. Podrían habernos mostrado el desarrollo de los personajes más detalladamente. Por ejemplo, este tomo profundizando en los problemas de cada uno y un tercer tomo donde ellos superen/ resuelvan sus problemas.
Fue un poco abrupto.

Nota final: 5 de 10

[L’étagère de Mel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Deuxième tome sympa mais je m’attendais à mieux pour la fin. C’est un dénouement logique mais qui semble un peu bâclé… c’est dommage parce que c’était un bon début. Je n’ai pas lu la nouvelle « le dernier dîner » à la fin.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second volume is not quite as good as the first. A lot of crazy stuff is happening. I prefer the slow contagion. I absolutely loved that short story at the end. It's my kind of dark. Some people like to watch a coin flip land in the sewers...Heh...Heh...Heh.

[Debesuota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Çok güzel devam etti. Duygusallaştı ve bitişe doğru gitti. Diğer kitaptan kısaydı. Anlamını orjinal haline baktığımda da çözemedim. Okuduğum en güzel mangalardan biriydi seri olarak.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

- X-Day (series rating): ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- The Last Supper: ⭐️⭐️✨ Good concept, but the fact that it’s about cows doesn’t work for me.

[Erin Rogoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this duology so much it hurts! I cheer for Rika and Mr. Money's love story to develop, the star athlete and her adoring potential boyfriend; I squeal at the relationship between Polaris and Jangalian; and I love how dark this plot starts but becomes so much lighter and far more beautiful in the end. I won't give many details, because I don't want to spoil the whole thing for you, but if you're a teenager struggling in high school, or someone who simply hates the high school experience, in general, then read this duology. You'll find through reading this book that life is so much better with true friends by your side. I was nearly in tears by the end of reading this book, and I'm dying for an anime TV show that will depict every word, every letter, every detail of the sheer awesomeness of this indie manga series. Please-please-please, read this manga duology ASAP!

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

While inconsistent in the first volume, the characters are drawn much more reliably in this second installment. While they continue to lack much in depth, the story finishes off in a bittersweet way that is surprisingly satisfying.

At the end of the volume is an odd, melodramatic, and yet somehow utterly delightful little short story. It's ridiculous, and yet is good guilty pleasure fodder for saps like me.

[Josephine (biblioseph) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A suitable conclusion. Things get darker before they get brighter. A more accurate premise: as they continue to plan for X-Day, the four connect with one another in ways theys could never before with anyone else. Finally, they can clear their minds and face their fears, taking the building down in the process, perhaps. As Polaris said in the first: They need to use their strength.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm actually surprised how much I enjoyed this little series, and how disappointed I was that it was so short. I grew to really love and sympathize with the four main characters, and I really wish I could have seen how the relationships continued.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the first volume a lot, but volume two was a lot weirder, darker, and kind of took the train to crazy town.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compelling and well-written character drama marred by art that's often distractingly bad, alas.