Kei X Yaku: Bound by Law Volume 6 Review
The pretend ‘relationship’ between Ichiro and Shiro that they created to fool their associates and confuse their enemies might not have become a self-fulfilling prophecy… yet. But there’s no doubt that both men are far more at ease in each other’s company than when they embarked on their first mission together. And Rion Nakaba, Ichiro’s senior and Shiro’s sister (whom they thought was dead but was working deep undercover) can’t help but notice that the two are getting along rather well. However, they’re all still mired in the conspiracy that seems rooted in the heart of the government. Having identified the sinister Lon Aterof as one of the players who’s out to get them before they can expose the truth behind the Tetra Building incident, Rion is injured capturing Nina, the lethal assassin working for him.
Superintendent Taguchi fills them in on the next part of the assignment: to find Yamada, once the lieutenant of the Minegami clan who seems to be inextricably linked to the whole affair. Everything leads back to the four politicians (and their student sons and daughter) who are implicated in the terrorist bomb attack at the Tetra Building twenty years ago in which Ichiro’s parents were killed. There’s more treachery afoot in the Minegami clan where aspiring lieutenant Nakamura has already tried to assassinate Shiro, and still appears to be planning to take his place. Also, alarmingly, Shiro’s clandestine affair with Prime Minister Osu (which has enabled him to spy on him using various bugs he’s placed) has been discovered. Of the four students, only two are still alive. Masashi Osu, the prime minister’s son, has been ‘ill’ in hospital and Yukiko Azuma has disappeared from the mental institution where she was being cared for. If only they could trace her, maybe they could find the answers they’re looking for – if Aterof doesn’t get to her first!
And in the middle of all these sinister machinations, it’s Christmas! Ichiro and Shiro feel the need to keep up the pretence of their relationship by conspicuously going out on a date together involving shopping (another BL tease!). But – horror! – they’ve left it too late to get a Christmas cake and Shiro has a sweet tooth. What will they do?! Luckily, Ichiro likes cooking, so decides to make one for Shiro himself…
Six volumes in to this very readable ongoing crime/mystery series (already up to twelve in Japan) and our two main protagonists and their older sister/boss have certainly captured this reader’s heart – and I suspect more than a few others too. It’s good to find a manga series that gathers you up and effortlessly sweeps you along on an exciting and nail-biting ride. The villains here are believably sinister and our heroes are often not quite one step ahead, leading to some errors and narrow escapes. The only slight problem is the increasing use of obfuscation around what the villains are up to which is beginning to become confusing. It’s necessary in such a story to keep the readers guessing, but I spent a while turning pages to and fro to try to get clear in my head who was who. Just a couple of additions to the character guide at the front would have been helpful.
Mangaka Yoshie Kaoruhara has a spare, pared-down graphic style which works well except – given the larger format used by Kodansha – in the close-ups which I imagine in the original smaller version were not quite so noticeably lacking in detail. But the cover art (and her subtle choice of colours) is as stylish as ever and on this volume Shiro and Ichiro are facing each other, even sharing a big crimson scarf – and smiling warmly. They’ve moved a long way from the cover of volume one in which they’re threatening each other, one with a gun, the other a katana.
Translation for Kodansha is, as before by Kevin Steinbach and includes two helpful pages of translation notes; the lettering is by Dietrich Premier and both translation and lettering work really well together to convey the story. Volume 7 is due out in July (and #8 in September) so there’s not long to wait between volumes with this two-monthly release schedule. It’s worth noting that, given the Older Teen rating, this volume contains one especially disturbing scene; notwithstanding the cute bonus comics that lighten the mood between chapters, the main story has turned both grim and dark and the villains take no prisoners.
Our review copy from Kodansha was provided by Diamond Book Distributors.
