The Hitman Stans Volume 2 Review

“Endou-san took a picture with an idol? He really has changed.”

Owaru Endou abandoned his career as a lethal hitman to follow his dreams as a superfan of ‘Kaorin’ Kaori Minaboshi, ‘Rosaceae Red’ of the four-girl idol group Rosaceae. He’s even saved her from abduction by Russian-backed kidnappers (she’s really the daughter of the prime minster!) But his old bosses want him back, he’s made plenty of enemies and it’s not long before they all come after him – with a vengeance. So when Kaori sees a news flash on the TV announcing that Owaru Endou (29) has been killed in an explosion, she fears the worst for her devoted fan.

Is Endou dead? His profession means he’s constantly in a state of hyper-vigilance, so even though he undergoes some hairsbreadth escapes, he gets away with his life – but, to his chagrin, not his favourite, precious fan photograph taken with Kaorin.

However, Rosaceae are about to enter a vitally important contest: QIF (Queens of the Idol Festival) which means they’ll have to up their game if they want to stand a chance. ‘It’s the Gateway to Stardom!’ Past winners have made their major label debuts – so the girls’ agent employs the services of eminent choreographer Shigaya who proceeds to tear their performance to shreds. So when they perform to their fans, having worked really hard on their routine, Kaori begins to make mistakes. She’s used to the studio and looking at their reflections in the mirror. And then she spots Endou at the back of the hall – and he’s performing her moves so she can mirror him! The performance is saved – and even the superciliously smirking Shigaya applauds. Afterward, Kaori, grateful and relieved, invites him to take a photo together, saying, “Come back for photos as often as you want, okay? Even if you mess up we can always take another one.”

And so Rosaceae make it to the qualifiers for QIF. But the struggle has only just begun and Endou meets up with two other die-hard fans, wondering how they can help their favourite girls progress through the contest. The group’s management announces that fans can now take photos at performances and the best will be submitted with the group’s qualifier entries. This is a challenge that Endou can’t resist – even if his method of taking photographs is very unorthodox!

There’s more gangster/yakuza action in Volume 2 of The Hitman Stans than in the first volume – and there’s a very ominous reveal at the end which doesn’t bode well for anyone! The incongruous juxtaposition of gangsters and idols is even more starkly spotlit here (the OT rating doubtless awarded because of the gangster violence which isn’t sugar-coated). Also, now that the shtick of hard assassin becoming an idol girl stan has been established, it’s not as novel as it was in the first volume so it has to work harder to earn its keep. Much depends on your tolerance of the antics of devoted otaku competing to get the best picture of ‘their’ girls etc. but it’s still a diverting read and very well drawn.

The scene in which Endou – who has (of course) perfected the dance routine that’s been giving Kaorin so much trouble – performs it from the back of the hall so she can copy him is both excruciating and wonderfully funny to see at the same time. Ohshima’s drawings of Endou’s over-exaggerated poses are just right, capturing the man’s physical precision and serious attitude but also his utter commitment to aiding his beloved Kaorin. This series is distinguishing itself by outlining the clash of two very different worlds: the violent world of crime that Endou has tried to turn his back on and the sparkling world of the idols (that hides a great deal of hard work and heartache). Ohshima’s art reflects this with some truly dark scenes and crazy-eyed yakuza character designs, set against the cute depictions of Rosacea on-stage.

While it’s great to have the second volume of this manga (from Yen Press) so soon after the first, there are a couple of very minor niggles. I’m not sure why the blurbs for this series are all in capitals – this is a pain as they’re not easy to read, given the chosen font! Also, even though there’s a page of helpful translation notes at the end, I could find no mention of translator Minna Lin or letterer R. Gupta in my physical copy – but both have done a great job, as in Volume 1. As well as the translation notes, there’s a cute bonus ‘A Day in the Hitman Stans’ told through smartphone screen captures, one from each of the members of Rosaceae and a two-page preview for Volume 3 which is already out in Japan in this ongoing series but with, as yet, no publication date announced from Yen Press.

Our review copy was supplied by Yen Press.