A Strange and Mystifying Story, Vol. 2

A Strange and Mystifying Story #2

by Tsuta Suzuki

He saved Akio Yamane from his incurable sickness, but the outcast, Setsu, has protected this cursed bloodline for countless generations. What will happen when something akin to love begins to blossom between them, in the face of incompatibility between humans and therianthropes. The past of the gentle therianthrope, Setsu, is also explored in the back-up story, "Ishi Kenbunroku" in this, the second volume of the super-popular series!

Genres: Manga, Yaoi, Fantasy, Romance, LGBT, Comics, Supernatural

210 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Associated names :
ヨゴレ
泥沼分室
铃木ツタ
Muddy Pool
Yogore

Name (in native language) : 鈴木ツタ

Circle(s): 泥沼分室/Muddy Pool

Formerly known as ヨゴレ/Yogore (Whitetip Shark)

Resides in Kyoto.

Likes Japanese wine.

Pixiv: 蔦

Birth Date : December 3

Zodiac : Sagittarius

Blood Type : A

Reviews

[TT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revisiting a series that was dropped years ago because a new volume was recently released digitally. I was excited to give it another go. But the rose colored glasses are off, I remember loving this series. Now its good but not 'wow'. 3.5 stars for me. The artwork is lovely (I did read this one years ago) and the story lines are good but felt short and I didn't remember a lot of the short stories at the end. Want more of the secondary couple, which are the main focus for volume 3 which I was happy about. But the romance is slow moving which I'm not so happy about.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: Child Abuse, Abuse, Physical Abuse, Knotting

This volume was really good! I'm liking where the story is progressing, and the art is really sexy. This is a spicy supernatural story that I'm really enjoying.

[小さな N (.❛ ᴗ ❛.)⊃ [_|_] ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Vol 1 +2:) The main story about Satsu and Aki is okay (hence the 2 stars), I enjoyed the side-stories which are set in the past more.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 1 of this series was amazing. Volume 2 was almost entirely back-story. To be honest, I found it a little hard to follow. The bulk of the book is a flashback telling how Akio's family line became cursed. Then it jumped to the present for a bit, but at first I didn't realize that had happened because Akio and his ancestor look identical, especially when they were both wearing yukata and living in the same family home. (I only realized the story was back in the present when Akio complained about the demon watching TV in the middle of the night.) Then at the end the flashback goes even farther back in time, to when Akio's ancestor was a child, for another small chapter.

Like volume 1, this book had a great balance between the serious and the humorous, so I think it will appeal to a wide audience. The romantic plot progresses a little further, as well. I'm looking forward to the next installment!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume two finds Akio cured of his disease/curse, and wondering why Setsu stays with him. Is it his wish as well, or does Setsu stay simply because Akio wills it? Sexiness abounds! Gorgeous art yet again, love the way TS draws, particularly the eyes. The extra story was more origin of how Shinra met the beast boy that would later become the father of the Yamana family that he would swear to protect. Very pleased to finally own this book.

[bow down to our ace king victor vale · Rating 1 out of 5]

continued on reading bc i was confused and wanted to know where the storyline ended up. lightly skimmed the rest of the other volumes (until 7) and yeah, im just gonna stop here. i know the next volume will feature the story between the childhood friend and the director , but i don’t care much for it to read it so it’s ok.

[Elaine White · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this attempted to add some background and world building, it just failed to grab me. The story was confused, confusing to follow, and jumped around all over the place. It recapped events, showed events that happened generations ago, and jumped back to the middle of Vol 1, all in one book. It feels like neither the series or the author knows what's going on or when.

[Delijha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Back Story

This one gave a LOT of back story for Setsu than I was expecting, which I definitely appreciated, but I also wanted to see his relationship with Akio. But his series is still turning into a very cute one and I can't wait to read the next one.

[Dionne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the back story

This volume explains a lot about Setsu and Akio and why they are so complex. The beginning felt like a filler episode but it got better. Definitely more explicit than volume 1 and that is NOT a complaint.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this volume much better then the last one, because we delved deeper into how Setsu became Akio's family's guardian diety in the first place, while also progressing their relationship further.

[Rekki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to learn more about Setsu, but it left me wanting to fill in even more of his backstory

[Jessica George · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good second volume, got a bit more background information on the guardian creature.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still weird and a bit confusing the author wasn’t lying when she said she was doing whatever

[Myffanwy Geronazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great backstory, consistent artwork. Slightly less engaging than the first one but theres 4 more so we'll see.

[sara elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it even better than the first. Very cute.

[Aurora · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s very uneven, and I can’t really say I’m enjoying it? I hope it gets better.

[Eve Healy]

Spoiler-Included Review

[Jordan MacKinnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the struggle between the two characters as they are trying not to admit that they are actually falling for each other!

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good, if not better, than the first volume. The stories of Setsu's past were nice though didn't directly relate to what was currently happening so it was a little disruptive to the overall theme but still enjoyable. The relationship is progressing but nothing really major happens. It really gives a sense that there's more coming.

[scarlettraces · Rating 4 out of 5]

slightly stronger than the first vol. in particular, the backstory for Setsu was excellent. but when will we get more about Tet-chan and the boss? pretty please?

[amomentsilence · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Reread Nov.28th) - Still 5 Stars

[maha · Rating 3 out of 5]

20160501

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This volume goes into Setsu's past, giving us an idea of how Yamane's ancestors got the curse as well as how Setsu became entwined with the family's fate. There is even a side story at the end that further explores his history of how he met the first Yamane. Interestingly for me, I liked the past version of Setsu much better than the present day incarnation. Also interestingly, the past Setsu wasn't all about intercourse, either.

Story: As Setsu heals Yamane, he reminisces about the person he was in the past and how he made a bargain with Basho in order to save the Yamane family. Shrina (as Setsu is known then) is friend/protector to Hokuto, a naive father of two near-adult children. Shinra is constantly having to save the father from himself and those who would exploit him. But when the daughter seeks a love spell to capture Shinra's affection, she instead ends up with a terrible curse on her whole family. The adopted son makes a bargain with Basho/Shinra and a new half human/half demon Setsu is created to protect/save the family.

It's telling that there is more of a story in the past than currently in the present. The characters were more interesting, certainly better than the current Yamane, who feels very weak. And the Shinra in the past felt a lot less flippant and more considerate of those around him.

The illustration work continues to be good. There are some contemporary scenes near the end, mostly having to do with Yamane's friends commenting on him looking much better and teasing him about Setsu. But this volume did feel fairly inert - not much happens in the present and the rest of the story stuck in the past. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.