Double, Volume 2

Double #2

by Ayako Noda

Scatterbrained Takara Takarada is an undiscovered genius actor who fully embodies every character he plays— but this genius can only be brought forth by his best friend and fellow actor, Yuuji Kamojima, who cares for Takara even as he envies him for his innate talent. With Yuuji's guidance, Takara manages to deliver a knockout performance for his first television role. But when the two of them audition for the same role in a film by an esteemed director, new fault lines are exposed in their relationship. As a newcomer to the world of television crews and movie stars, Takara's passive ambitions begin to stir, even as his continued dependence on Yuuji creates problems on the set. Meanwhile, Yuuji keeps covering for Takara's weaknesses...

How long will he be content to stay in the shadow of his best friend?

Genres: Manga, Seinen, Japan

208 pages, Paperback

Published March 22, 2022

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Tokyopop, for the advance reading copy.

I remember reading the first volume as an ARC and it's quite memorable. I am thoroughly impressed with the sequel. I was expecting too much out of the characters and the plot. I'm happy to say that I got more than what I was anticipating. And what surprised me the mkst was the artstyle and the art sequence! Such a huge improvement and I just couldn't take my eyes off of some panels as I was truly amazed with the artist' artwork. (And this is how my expectations go even higher for the next volume!)

I love how the characters are. They are really chaotic together but they are dead serious when they're working. This switch in their nature still surprise me. And the humour always cracks me up!

Well done. Kudos to the hardworking team!

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

the focus switches to genius actor Takara who auditions for a role in a film by a major Director.

however soon Takara's ways are seen by the Director as Yuujin's influence...and he's not happy.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. The story follows two friends who seek to better their acting skills, fame and fortune. Yuuji is a good actor but Takara is an undiscovered genius. However, Takara’s genius only comes out with Yuuji’s help. How long is Yuuji willing to give up his own dreams and live in Takara’s shadow?

The drawings are good. The story line is interesting and haw lots of potential. This is the second in the series and I did not read the first. I got a bit lost in the beginning and think it would really have helped if I had read the first issue. Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference between “real time” and imaging how to play the role.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

[EyrisReadsTheWorld · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored the first volume but I enjoyed this one a tiny bit less. Don’t get me wrong, it is still very good and the drawings are amazing but, I felt that in this volume, Takara starts to take his independence from Yuuji. Also it focuses more on Takara. I wonder how the next volumes are going to be.

4/5

[BlerdyMama · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the description I honestly thought this manga was about two friends that are turning rivals though their love of acting. I feel like I’m not that far of, but still wrong on that assumption.

We have Takada clueless without the guidance of his friend Yuujin, rising to fame. Yuujin is basically his unofficial manager and does a very good job honestly. He’s a good actor himself but he sees the true potential in Takada and does whatever it takes to make him shine. It’s as if only he can really tap into that hidden talent and really bring it out, there’s a few scenes in the second volume that really shows this.

The art style in this manga is very visually pleasing and helps the story come alive. There’s a scene in the second volume where we have a Director guiding and actress through a scene. He has her try different expressions for the same line numerous times, the mangaka illustrated this so well that even though the writing punctuations didn’t change, we still end up reading them in the tone the director asks for based of the detail in facial expression alone. That’s just something small I was blown away by and wanted to mention haha.

Volume one is like an introductory type volume to get a feel for the two main characters I guess? I didn’t dislike it but I preferred how things picked up in the second volume. I wish there was romance, more drama or something but not really, perhaps as the story progresses things will come together more? I like it enough to push through but I don’t LOVE it if that makes sense.


•The publisher was kind enough to allow me a [Digital-ARC] to review, however my thoughts are unbiased and my own•

[Leighton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Tokyopop and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Double, Volume 2 by Ayako Noda is a slice-of-life manga about men who want to become actors. The story revolves around Takara, a genius actor who hasn't made his big break yet. Meanwhile, his "double' and best friend Yuuji is jealous of Takara, but he's the only one who can bring out Takara's talent. As the two enter the world of auditions and showbiz together, will they lead each to success or drag each other down?

Overall, Double, Volume 2 is an interesting look into the art of acting. One highlight of this book is the relationship between the two main characters. This is not a BL manga, so they don't have a romantic relationship. But they have a very strong and perhaps codependent friendship. It will be interesting to see if it leads to greatness or failure. I took off 1 star, because I wasn't a huge fan of the artwork. If you're intrigued by the description, or if you're a fan of manga in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in

[Eule Luftschloss · Rating 2 out of 5]

trigger warning
sexual harrassment

Takarada gets a role as supporting character in a film by a very prestigous director, and has to leave his best friend behind to go on the set.

Did not like this as much as I did volume 1. There were some penals in which either the perspective or the anatomy totally went wrong. Now, if I consider the pace at which manga are churned out, you can only expect some flaws to creep in.

What irked me more was that I had difficulty following whether we're in the present time, if we're in introspection, if we shifted to the other character, and while I was figuring out where we are, I was taken out of the flow so frequently that I lost all my enjoyment and didn't care at all about the characters or the plot.

Not sure if I read on. Since this is characterdriven and we don't have much of a plot, I don't feel the need to read on if I don't enjoy it.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

[Marureviere · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume shifts the spotlight to Takara's acting style and inner struggles, and I loved how it showed his raw, instinctive talent while also peeling back the layers of his insecurities. Takara’s dependence on Yuujin, both emotionally and professionally, feels so messy yet authentic—it’s fascinating to see how his brilliance is intertwined with his fragility. The tension between them continues to build, and I couldn’t help but feel the weight of their codependency as Takara’s success starts to outpace Yuujin’s stability.

It’s an intimate exploration of their bond, and it left me thinking about how success can sometimes magnify the cracks in a relationship.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Era obvio que la forma en que Takara es dependiente de lo que Yuujin le dice sobre los personajes le iba a traer problemas y acá con el director ese se renota porque la visión del director es la válida, no la de Yuujin y Takara tuvo que caer en shock para entenderlo. Sin embargo, es un gran paso para que su actuación adquiera individualidad y se separe de lo que Yuujin ya construido alrededor de él.

Ahora, me gustaría ver más de la actuación de Yuujin porque él fue la inspiración de Takara y a quien más caso le hace, pero sale muy poco.

[Joseph Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one expands upon Takara's reliance on Yuujin from an emotional perspective. Takara's reluctance to be freed from Yuujin's shadow comes into play as the director calls out his overreliance and challenge's Takara's inflexibility. Another beautiful actress, Aki, is used as a foil to great affect, to show both Takara's naivety and call out things that his personality would not allow in the story.

The characters and the plot come together much better in this volume, and I wish the 1st volume had been to a similar degree of complexity.

[Log · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's only volume 2 and I'm already kinda losing the plot. While the general idea and themes are pretty straightforward, I find the dialogue and pacing confusing and jarring at times. The conversations don't flow well from each other in my opinion.
Still intrigued to see where this story goes!

[Lailah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[multinucleado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustó cómo están desarrollando el conflicto entre los morros, aunque no me agrada la morrita, quién se cree metiéndose entre ellos.

PD. Chiflas mucho a tu mauser Director Kurozu.

[pareidolia]

So far I'm loving this.
Takara and Yuujin are a codependent mess, and Ayako Noda is very good at showing the characters' change of expression when acting.

[Dahabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art, the dialogue, the tension and chemistry between our leads 👀 woww