Sabikui Bisco Volume 2 Review
I confess that at the end of Sabikui Bisco Volume 1 and the anime, I was unconvinced that this was a story that needed to go on. After all, everything was so neatly tied together that I would have been content leaving the story there. Nevertheless, the series continued onwards and I continued with it into Volume 2, to find out what’s next for Bisco and Milo.
At the end of Volume 1, Bisco became immortal, which he’s not keen on staying, despite the obvious benefits of never having to worry about dying in a fight. In search of a cure, the two head toward the holy land of Shimane. On the way, they encounter legendary monk Kelshinha, who seems like a frail old man at first but quickly becomes a dangerous enemy when he rips Bisco’s stomach out and runs off with it!
Although Bisco is immortal, his immortality resided in his stomach and without it, he’s destined to be ravaged by Rust-Eater spores and die in less than a week. The two chase Kelshinha to Shimane, where he sets about causing chaos and trying to take over – something our duo later learn he tried to do in the past as well.
Bisco and Milo aren’t alone in Shimane for long because in the chaos they run into Raskeni Jau (a monk who fought against Kelshinha last time he tried to take over) and her apprentice, Amli Amlini. It turns out that Amli can suck out some of the Rust inhabiting Bisco, which helps settle down the Rust-Eater spores and keep him alive a little longer until they can figure out a way to get his stomach back, so our heroes decide to use Raskeni’s home as their base of operations for now. Maybe together they can overcome this crisis and even find a way to rid Bisco of his immortality.
Unlike Volume 1 of Sabikui Bisco where our duo travelled from place to place, this instalment of the series is just set in Shimane. Not that that’s a bad thing, since there is plenty of interest here including the fact the monks have some kind of magical abilities. There are also several different factions within Shimane, each with their own beliefs and ancient scriptures which Kelshinha seeks to steal and power himself up with.
One of the things I appreciate the most about Sabikui Bisco as a series is that, so far, each book has been one self-contained storyline and that looks set to continue into Volume 3. I spoke earlier about how I didn’t feel like the series needed to continue and in many ways, I still feel that way, but it’s hard to deny that there isn’t a part of me that wants to watch over Bisco and Milo just a little longer. And I think that comes from the fact the author has a lot of fun writing about these two, which you can see from the dialogue between Bisco and Milo.
Due to the urgency of Bisco’s situation in this volume, the story moves at quite a fast pace but that doesn’t prevent author Shinji Cobkubo from fitting in plenty of the entertaining bickering Bisco and Milo’s relationship is built on. It’s clear the boys care about one another a great deal and the best relationships are those where you can say what’s on your mind, as they always do! Perhaps my favourite thing about this series is how the two protagonists interact with one another, even during busy action scenes.
Sabikui Bisco Volume 2 comes to the West thanks to Yen Press and continues to be translated by Jake Humphrey. The translation reads well and Humphrey certainly deserves credit for managing to keep Bisco and Milo’s dialogue snappy and retaining their very bold and differing personalities. Volume 3 of the series is scheduled for an English release later in the month.
Overall, if you enjoyed Volume 1 or the anime of Sabikui Bisco then you will certainly have a great time reading Volume 2 as Bisco and Milo get themselves into an equally dangerous situation. These characters are so much fun to read about that I’m sure I’ll find myself coming back for Volume 3, as will other readers without a doubt.
