Usotoki Rhetoric Volumes 4 and 5 Review

When I last reviewed Usotoki Rhetoric for its third volume, I was pleasantly surprised to find Ritsu Miyako taking a different approach to the storytelling. After the mangaka successfully pulled off a mystery that ran the whole volume, I’m eager to find out what’s in store for us with Volumes 4 and 5. Let’s take a look!

In the commentary for this volume, the author talks about how Usotoki Rhetoric is their first series to make it beyond Volume 3 and how excited they are to be able to introduce more characters and tell longer stories going forward. Perhaps because of being unprepared for the manga to continue, Volume 4 has ended up being a collection of short stories.

We start with Fujishima Chiyo, a character we met earlier in the series and who adores detectives more than anything (this, of course, includes Souma). While Souma and Kanoko are still away from the office investigating the Doll House murder from the previous book, Chiyo drops in to visit, hoping to get some advice from Kanoko. When she arrives to find no one home, she’s surprised to find the door unlocked and what appears to be evidence of an attack?!

Afterwards, we’re treated to a story revolving around police detective Kaoru, who suddenly goes missing after promising to treat Souma and Kanoko to a meal. As Kaoru is a man who is always faithful to his word, Souma soon grows worried when his friend doesn’t return and together with his assistant sets out to retrace Kaoru’s steps.

Kaoru’s story in particular is probably my favourite of this batch. Although he’s one of the main recurring characters, when he’s together with Souma, he’s usually there as comic relief or a sounding board rather than getting to do anything notable himself. So getting to see a day in his life (even if largely through the eyes of our protagonists) is rewarding for us readers.

This reprieve from a major case sets us up well for Volume 5, where a year has passed since Kanoko arrived in the town of Tsukumoya and met Souma. Our heroine has changed a lot since she first arrived, not least because she’s finally found people she can trust and who won’t frown upon her for her unusual ability to hear lies.

Souma may shy away from hard work and constantly be in debt, but he’s a well-meaning gentleman who will rise to the occasion, should his abilities be needed. And that’s enough to have allowed Kanoko to blossom under his watchful eye because she’s safe in the knowledge that he won’t lie to her and won’t turn his back on her.

So, when a suspicious-looking newcomer turns up in Tsukumoya, Kanoko takes it upon herself to figure out if they have anything to do with the recent purse snatchings that the regulars are quick to accuse them of. Having been in the position of doing no wrong but falling on the wrong side of people, our heroine is eager to get to the truth before anyone else can be hurt as she has been.

Volume 5 revolves around Kanoko’s growth for the majority of the volume, climaxing with her reuniting with her mother. Although Kanoko sent a letter home when she settled down in Tsukumoya, Kanoko’s mother couldn’t bring herself to reply, worrying that her daughter would assume her words were lies. So she journeys to the town, seeking Souma’s detective agency to tell her daughter face-to-face how much she loves her. There are some very tender scenes here as Souma runs into Kanoko’s mother first, taking the time to tell her how her daughter’s doing and giving her advice while choosing to temporarily hide his identity while he tries to get the measure of her. He’s not going to stop the two meetings, but he wants to make sure no harm will befall Kanoko either.

With Miyako talking so passionately about the future of Usotoki Rhetoric, I think it was a good idea to give us short stories before wrapping up some of Kanoko’s story in Volume 5. It feels like we’re continuing with a clean slate now that’s prepared for all kinds of exciting new developments. That’s not to say Kanoko has no concerns about her ability and what those around her think, but a lot of the emotional baggage has been lifted now in a way that was well-timed and made sense for her.

I’m looking forward to seeing how Miyako structures the series going forward too. Although Volume 3 was one long storyline, these two have reverted to shorter tales that only last a couple of chapters. Will we remain like this or will the author choose to switch things up again? Whatever happens, I’m sure this will remain an excellent series.

Usotoki Rhetoric Volumes 4 and 5 come to the West thanks to One Peace Books and continue to be translated by Molly Rabbit. Both releases read relatively well, although there was an instance of a duplicate word in #5 so QA issues strike again, unfortunately.

Another issue is that the synopsis on the back of Volume 5 is incorrect as it reads “Kanoko, a girl who can hear lies, and impoverished but cunning detective Soma Iwai venture back to Kanoko’s hometown. Kanoko, who was chased out of her town for her ability, now comes face-to-face with her mother.”, However, that’s not at all accurate to what happens nor does it reflect the original Japanese blurb. This obviously won’t impact your enjoyment of the work by any stretch, but it is still indicative of the lack of oversight that it sometimes feels goes into this publisher’s output.

Volume 6 of the series is already available in English with #7 set for release at the very end of May.

Overall, these two new volumes of Usotoki Rhetoric give us more of the series we know and love while slowly preparing for new developments as author Ritsu Miyako presents us with some charming short stories before tying up loose ends. If you’ve enjoyed this one so far, it’s well worth continuing!

Our review copies from One Peace Books were supplied by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services).