Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law Volume 2 Review
“You really are… stupidly dedicated… just like my sister said.” Shiro to the sleeping Ichiro.
Ichiro (Tokyo Metropolitan Police agent) and Shiro (charismatic young yakuza lieutenant) have joined forces in an unlikely partnership. To the outside world, they’ve become lovers and have moved in together. This is a cover story, however, to conceal the fact that they’re working to find out what’s happened to Rion Nakaba, Shiro’s sister and Ichiro’s senior partner who has disappeared.
Under cover of a romantic trip to a hot springs resort (including being seen out and about in ‘specially coordinated’ outfits and enjoying a private open-air bath, an essential luxury because of Shiro’s yakuza tattoos) they review where their investigations have brought them. Ichiro has discovered that four of five codes found in notes left behind by Rion are the student IDs of four people who enrolled at Toei University Middle School twenty years ago. What’s more, all four are the children of politicians, including one who’s the son of the current prime minister. The only young woman, Yukiko Azuma, daughter of a politician in the Bright Futures party, has been suffering from undisclosed mental health issues and has been in an institution for all those years. Using the hot springs break as cover, Ichiro disguises himself as a doctor and infiltrates the institution, managing to chat with Yukiko while Shiro keeps watch outside – but the mere mention of middle school sends the young woman into a panicked state and he has to retreat. And even at the resort hotel, they’re aware that they’re being watched.
News of a reunion for the students at the middle school in question results in Ichiro attempting to record the general chatter in the hope of picking up some clues. Twenty years ago is a date that holds considerable significance for him. And while he’s busy with this – no easy matter – Shiro has set up a discreet rendezvous with no less than the prime minister, in the hope of placing a bug on his phone, a highly risky action even though this won’t be the first time he’s had an assignation with the older man. But as Ichiro drives away, listening to the recording he’s made of the reunion, he realizes he’s being tailed by another car – that’s getting far too close.
Volume 1 of Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law was an engaging and fast-paced read, weaving a taut missing person mystery story in with some fun and funny vignettes of the two ill-matched lead characters as they do their best to work together. Opposites attract? Well, not yet! Although in Volume 2, little hints are definitely appearing (the birthdays chapter) alongside plenty of teasing for readers who are rooting for the chalk-and-cheese protagonists to fall for each other. Thanks to the skilful and well-paced story-telling by mangaka Yoshie Kaoruhara, the story moves swiftly but introduces just enough elements to keep readers guessing as to what’s going down as the mystery thickens, and none of it at the expense of the characterization. Her graphic style is spare but effective for this mystery/thriller and she delivers some great reaction faces for the two leads (check out the amusement park chapter Cornered). There are also – of course – hints in the striking cover art as to how Shiro and Ichiro are relating to each other as the story progresses (compared with the cover for the first volume where they’re at each other’s throats).
There are more light-hearted one-page chibi bonus comics at the end of every chapter and a special bonus chapter at the end entitled Morning in Atami in which Ichiro gets to see Shiro’s tattoo up close and is – surprisingly – impressed! The mangaka also includes a character chart at the beginning alongside ‘The Story So Far’ which is always a great idea (I wish other mangaka would do the same).
The translation for Kodansha is again by Leo McDonagh who provides a helpful page of translation notes and the lettering is Dietrich Premier; their work means that readers have an effortless, enjoyable read. The series is still ongoing in Japan at ten volumes, so it’s good to learn that Volume 3 will be available from early September so we can find out what happens next to the (maybe not so) ill-matched pair!
Our review copy from Kodansha was provided by Diamond Book Distributors.
