Kei Miyama lives in Iceland and has 3 secrets: he can talk to cars, his weakness is beautiful girls, and he works as a detective.
After a much-needed vacation, Kei returns to the beat—a boy has gone missing, and his family is desperate to find him. A girl named Sigrún leads him to a mysterious flophouse, and Kei uses his strange affinity with technology to crack the case, this time by communing with cell phones as well as cars. But he has a strange feeling he's visited the apartment before, and tension builds to violence as seemingly unrelated mysteries begin to converge...
Finally a plot appears! The art remains stunning, but this volume introduces some real stakes as we learn more about Kei’s brother and his own powers. I wouldn’t have minded the more episodic nature from the past two volumes, but it’s a good thing to see an overarching story beginning to form. Can’t wait for volume 4!
Ah, suka banget sama seri ini. Gambarnya tetap menawan seperti biasa. Indah sekali. Uh. Indah. Menyenangkan sekali menatap tiap goresannya. Jatuh cinta secinta-cintanya.
Masalahnya adalah! Saya gak yakin bakal tetap merekomendasikan buku ini buat diterbitin di Indonesia lagi! Setelah membaca jilid 3 ini! Padahal sudah dibawa-bawa dan ditunjuk-tunjukin ke para editor di kantor!
Habisnya, habisnya... di jilid ini, Abang Islandia ("Kei", Gie, inget namanya dong!) dapet job dari klien yang seorang kakak (cowok) yang sedang mencari adik tirinya (cowok juga) yang sudah seminggu pergi dari rumah tanpa kabar dan alasan yang jelas. Ternyata, usut punya usut, diketahuilah bahwa si adik itu pergi dari rumah karena patah hati setelah kakaknya punya cewek. Iya! Adiknya itu punya perasaan khusus pada kakaknya! Meskipun mereka saudara tiri tanpa hubungan darah, tetap saja mereka sesama cowok. Dan... di jilid ini hubungan sesama jenis (baik cowok dengan cowok atau cewek dengan cewek) (bahkan 3P), diceritakan secara gamblang--maksud saya, dengan sensor yang sesuai standar Jepang lah. Apalagi, ada tokoh yang menjelaskan pula bahwa di Islandia pernikahan sesama jenis bukan hal yang ilegal. Begitulah. Membuat saya jadi segan merekomendasikannya lagi untuk terbit di Indonesia. Uuuuh... padahal ini buku bagus.
Saya juga suka gimana plot utama sudah kembali berjalan (gak mandeg kayak jilid 2 yang sudah lebih mirip buku panduan wisata di Islandia alih-alih cerita fiksi). Apalagi kasus-kasus yang ditangani Abang Kei di jilid ini mampu membuka rahasia sang adik satu demi satu. Jadi, gak ada kasus sia-sia yang cuma sekadar "numpang lewat" tanpa nyambung ke plot utama. Meskipun, memang, berjalannya plot utama masih tergolong lambat. Kalau-kalau kalian lupa (atau belum tahu) plot utama cerita ini tentang apa, saya beri ringkasan cerita: Kei, yang tinggal bersama kakeknya di Islandia, mendadak tidak bisa lagi menghubungi adik cowoknya yang tinggal bersama paman dan bibinya di Jepang. Setelah buru-buru pulang ke Jepang, Kei menemukan bahwa paman dan bibinya telah meninggal dunia, sementara adiknya, Michitaka, menghilang tanpa jejak. Mereka pun pulang lagi ke Islandia, tapi gak lama setelahnya muncul seorang polisi dari Jepang yang datang ke Islandia demi memburu Michitaka yang dituduhnya telah membunuh paman dan bibinya.
Saya kembali menyadari alasan saya bilang gaya gambarnya mengingatkan saya pada pengarang Comic Bomber (lihat review saya di jilid 1), selain karena bentuk balon dialog, gaya rambut para tokoh, dan bentuk sosok para karakternya; caranya mengarsir celana jins juga mirip! Apakah kedua pengarang ini berkaitan? Apa mungkin Aki Irie ini pernah jadi asisten Shimamoto Kazuhiko? Misteri!
Yang pasti, saya tetap bakal menantikan dan membaca jilid berikutnya (meskipun sudah takkan saya rekomendasikan sepenuh hati untuk terbit di Indonesia)!!
Btw, ini gak penting, tapi saya ingin menuliskannya di sini sebagai ganti buku harian (padahal sudah ditulis juga di buku harian). Saya membaca buku ini di luar--di foodcourt sebuah mal, lebih tepatnya. Tahu-tahu ada seorang ibu (bersama anak dan suaminya) yang menyapa saya gegara penasaran lihat si Gie baca buku berbahasa jepang tapi menikmati banget. Akhirnya jadi ngobrol macam-macam dan beliau minta nomor ponsel (akhirnya kasih kartu nama saja). Begitulah. Ibu-ibu kepoan banget ya /bukan gitu juga/
Wiele wątków, historii, poszukiwań, co zawsze jakoś się splata czy do czegoś prowadzi — jednocześnie chyba nie ma jednej, “głównej” fabuły, ale to właśnie jest super. Błyskawicznie się czyta (i przyjemnie).
Kei jest mega wholesome a dziad (Jack) to mood bardzo.
Ich liebe den Manga! Davon abgesehen, dass das Setting total außergewöhnlich ist, mag ich die realen Einflüsse und dass hier sehr mit der isländischen Kultur gespielt wird. Der Manga hat unfassbar viele spannende und auch hin und wieder gruslige Momente, die aber immer mit viel Witz aufgelockert werden. Ich liebe die Charaktere und bin unfassbar gespannt, was es mit Michitaka auf sich hat. Wow!
Snapshot review: i don't know what i'm more impressed by: the beautiful scenery or how the mangaka manages to fit some nude female body part (in this case a nip slip) into every volume. at least the story is starting to stabilize. also, the lil brother creeps me the fuck out.
Finalmente in questo terzo volume c’è un po’ di mistero sul fratello e qualche indagine del protagonista! Sono stata curioso di leggere il prossimo volume
C’était beaucoup trop court *cry intensely* j’ai beaucoup trop hate de lire la suite, ca va être incroyable je le sent déjà venir à trois mille kilometres!
Se il volume precedente sembrava l'estratto di una guida turistica alla scoperta delle bellezze dell'Islanda, qui torniamo alla nostra storyline principale. Resta da vedere quanto ci metterà Kei ad aprire gli occhi sulla vera natura del fratello minore Michitaka. Questo ragazzino è l'incarnazione perfetta del detto "l'apparenza inganna": occhi limpidi che fanno tenerezza e che gli danno l'aria da ragazzino innocente...peccato che ci sia un lato più oscuro, ben esemplificato dal suo potere. Sto bamboccio si sta lasciando dietro una scia di cadaveri non indifferente (ho sinceramente paura per il poveraccio che lo ospita). Quando Kei viene contattato per ritrovare un ragazzino scappato da casa, è sicuro di raccimolare abbastanza soldi per mangiare della carne, ma non si immagina di ritrovarsi dentro un caso più grosso che punta dritto dritto al suo fratellino. Infatti, Kei ha la netta impressione di essere già stato nella casa in cui ha recuperato il giovane Jon (caso che permette di puntare i riflettori sulla posizione dell'Islanda in materia di unioni omosessuali, avanti anni luce rispetto al nostro paesello di trogloditi), una struttura che accoglie gente un po' sbandata e in cui aveva vissuto Michitaka al suo arrivo in Islanda. Lo stesso luogo in cui era stato portato Kei nel primo volume dopo il pestaggio subito da un poliziotto giapponese sulle tracce del fratello. Ed è così, che i servizi del nostro protagonista, soprattutto la sua abilità nel "leggere" gli oggetti, sono di nuovo richiesti per trovare Freyja, la giovane donna che aveva soccorso Michitaka e che, dopo aver intravisto la vera natura del ragazzino, ha fatto perdere le proprie tracce per paura di essere uccisa. Per ora Kei si rifiuta di formulare delle ipotesi, ma considera tutto una fortuita coincidenza, ma temo che in futuro dovrà fare i conti con la realtà dei fatti: l'adorabile fratello minore è una persona pericolosa, dotata di un potere mortale che usa contro chiunque non lo assecondi. Un ragazzino che usa in maniera consapevole il suo aspetto innocente per ingannare gli altri, ma il cui carattere tende a diventare fastidioso dopo poco. Un ragazzino la cui oscurità è saltata subito all'occhio di Lilja prima e di Freyja poi. Probabilmente la verità sarà un colpo durissimo per Kei e ho paura che, prima della fine, pure lui entrerà nella lista nera del fratello. Comunque sia, anche questo volume è stato davvero interessante e non vedo l'ora di avere tra le mani il prossimo e sapere se Kei riuscirà a trovare Freyja oppure no.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Si j’avais énormément apprécié le deuxième tome de cette saga, je craignais un peu que l’on continue sur cette même lancée. Le côté guide de voyage était extrêmement agréable mais l’Islande on en a fait vite le tour et je voulais retrouver le manga un brin thriller qu’on m’avait promis. J’ai donc été enchantée de voir qu’après le départ de Kiyoshi pour le Japon, Kei se relançait tout de suite dans une enquête, partant à la recherche d’un jeune homme disparu. C’est une jolie intrigue qui permet de bien mettre en parallèle les différences culturelles entre le Japon et l’Islande. La résolution est un peu simpliste mais elle remet sur le devant de la scène Michitaka, le petit frère disparu, et plus on approche de lui, plus il est inquiétant. Ce personnage, qui reste dans l’ombre jusque là, semble planter ses griffes sur ceux qui passent à sa portée. J’ai un peu envie de le comparer à un vampire parce qu’il débarque dans la vie de personnes un peu paumées et il s’incruste jusqu’à les vider de leur énergie. Je ne sais pas trop si, comme Kai possède le pouvoir de parler aux objets technologiques, Michitaka a lui aussi un pouvoir ou s’il est tout simplement un psychopathe qui s’amuse à se jouer de ceux qui sont proches de lui jusqu’à ce qu’ils finissent par craquer. Dans tous les cas, il est dangereux et il ne fait pas bon le contrarier.
On est loin de la mise en place du premier tome ou du voyage touristique du deuxième. Si le décor de l’Islande est toujours bien présent et que la nature est sur le devant de la scène dans ces paysages splendides de cascade, on est plongé bien plus profondément dans le mystère autour de Michitaka et ce qu’on apprend de lui fait froid dans le dos.
this series is wildly weird in tone, book 1 was partially a slice-of-life "case of the week" situation, book 2 was an Icelandic tourism pamphlet and book 3 is now back on the "plot", if we are calling this a plot. I like the "case of the week" and the Icelandic tourism tones the most. I am not disinterested in the murder plot but you can't do all three of these things at once!!!! or at least you can't do it like this.
also so like what's the deal, is this publisher mandating at least one (1) naked boob per book or what? I'm not a fucking prude and a boob is a boob but this genuinely has nothing to do with anything besides underlining that Kei is apparently SOOooooOOoooo good looking that women are throwing themselves at him all the time, which is why he "hates women" or whatever. I SIMPLY DON'T CARE. also his interactions with Lilja are just... IS THIS ROMANCE TO YOU??? (no!!!!!!!)
i read vol 3-4 today so i guess this shouting will continue to the vol 4 review at some point
Si le second tome avait mis en veilleuse la trame policière et l'aspect mystérieux de l'histoire, la mangaka nous y plonge maintenant de plein fouet. Ça en devient même un peu effrayant, les fils se resserrent, on commence à craindre pour nos personnages préférés. Le rythme est à la fois vif, par ses courts chapitres, et lent, à cause des aspects imprévus qui additionnent les énigmes. Mention spéciale à la maladresse de Kei dans ses relations avec les femmes, j'ai ri. Lilja est absolument admirable, j'aime sa force de caractère et ses réactions...surprenantes.
This series is incredible from the art to the characters and the writing. It follows a young man in Iceland trying to solve the mystery of what’s happened to his missing brother, but there are some magical elements to this grounded story. One being our lead being able to communicate with machines.
And while the second volume basically takes a break from the main plot to give us and our lead’s buddy a tour of Iceland, I really didn’t mind! It’s a very educational series and I can’t wait to pick up the next two available volumes.
We’re finally getting into the nitty gritty secrets of Kei’s brother, Michitaka! Last volume just skipped over touching on his arrival in Iceland and it was disorienting enough I thought I had gotten the next volume mixed up, but no matter, we’re back on track and the story’s looping back to the detective theme it boasts. The art is gorgeous, as per usual of Aki Irie and I’m itching to see what the next volume has in store for us...
Ohohohoho, the plot thickens. I really really like the character of Michitaka. He's even more interesting than his brother and I'm excited to see that Irie isn't keeping the paranormal aspect only to the main character. The other characters that were introduced here are also just as colorful - I love Freyja and Sigrun. I'm glad this volume was a bit more "on track" as well; the tonal switch I experienced in the last one (read more like a traveling guide) was very grating.
4.00 - Very Good Fast paced. We finally get to learn more about Michitaka but I'm still uncertain on how I should feel about him. Is he just misunderstand or is just seriously flawed? Kei's personality is stagnant throughout this volume; he's mostly reacting to the situations he is in rather than preventing them. I prefer Kei in the first volume, but this might be because this third volume includes Kei's not so likeable personality traits (eg. his perceptions of women).
Kiyoshi returns to Japan and we find out that Michitaka is still in Iceland, staying with an old man on a farm. Kei takes a case to find a missing 15 year old, after which he is hired to find another missing person. That case turns out to be connected to Michitaka and we finally get some more information after the super intriguing hints in volume one that Michitaka is not what he seems. There are still some moments that focus on the beauty and splendor of Iceland in this book, but not as many.
I continue to be floored by how breathtaking this art is. The story is always intriguing and mysterious--and each volume seems too short! I love that it is set in Iceland and how as the reader we learn about the land and culture, as well as see the wondrous landscapes in the panels. This is an ideal read to me: art, story, and characters are just superb!
Madre mía la que está por llegar. Este tomo me ha encantado de principio a fin por todo. Que haya referencias al colectivo LGBT de un modo tan positivo siempre es s de 10. Luego además que la trama ya va cogiendo forma. Necesito el 4 en vena.
Oooooh and the story is picking up again, finally! I don't much mind the deviations in the story, especially when it comes to introducing new characters, but the story is so good just want more of it! Manga makes me so impatient...
This series remains to be a strange yet enthralling out of place, slice of life intermingling with Kei's detective work.
This volume reveals events that lead up to more about his brother and suddenly these abilities simultaneously make sense but become all the more confusing.