Tokyo Aliens Volume 9 Review

Naoe’s Tokyo Aliens is fast approaching the ten-volume mark in English. But before hitting that milestone, we have Volume 9, which kickstarts a new arc! Let’s see what’s in store for our cast this time.

Volume 8 was all about Natsuki and Amamiya, but for #9, we swap back to our protagonists, Akira and Sho. As we reunite with the duo, we find Akira kidnapped by a group of aliens who are running a black market auction where Earthlings are being sold off to the highest bidder. The AMO quickly realise something is wrong when they lose track of Akira’s location due to the aliens having removed his Mulch (the watch-like equipment all AMO agents wear).

Now it’s a race against time, but figuring out where Akira is before he can be sold off is easier said than done. Sho is eager to get out there and do whatever it takes to get his partner back, having sworn to protect him. However, Amamiya tells Sho to calm down and sends him to meet informants Yuen and Meimei (whom we saw Akira meet in Volume 4), who will hopefully be able to point the AMO in the direction of the auction.

Akira, meanwhile, is doing his best to hide the fact that he’s an AMO agent from his kidnappers. Unfortunately for him, one of the people behind this whole thing is Harold, who knows Akira from the arc involving Raika from Volumes 6-7. Harold is well aware that Akira is no ordinary human, and should he discover that the boy is within reach, he will no doubt want to do unspeakable things to him…

For as much as it is Akira who is in the most danger here, he actually takes a backseat for most of the volume. The focus is instead on Sho, who feels helpless as he’s stuck waiting around for information before he can do anything. Yuen and Meimei promise to help, but they’re going at their own pace, which does nothing to reassure Sho that he’ll make it in time to Akira before something happens.

Sho has met the two informants before, but never been able to see eye to eye with Yuen. Meimei, meanwhile, is fascinated by how frantic Sho is about this. Previously, when he met the two with Amamiya, he gave off the impression of being monotone and robotic. Meimei is quick to realise that Sho’s change is related to Akira, a boy who may be weak but has clearly formed a strong bond with him. It’s that kind of relationship that makes her want to do everything in her power to help them, even if that might come with some risks for Sho.

As a reader, it’s interesting to see Sho be put into the same position Akira was in a few volumes ago. Akira felt he was too weak to protect Sho and that he was always being protected by him. Meanwhile, Sho just can’t handle the fact that, for all his strength, he isn’t fulfilling his promise to protect Akira. They’re boiled down to that same level of powerlessness, but handle it in different ways befitting of their characters. This is perhaps the first time we’ve seen Sho so desperate, but it also shows how much he has changed as a character over the course of the series. There’s absolutely no way he would have been this worried about Akira when they were first partnered up!

It’s also great to finally get to see Yuen and Meimei in action after only briefly being introduced to them previously. As they’re not working directly for the AMO, they’re in something of a grey area, which makes them interesting characters. I hope we’ll continue to see more of them as the series goes on, as they certainly have an interesting role to play and they’re fun personalities to throw into the mix. Yuen is fairly stoic, but clearly cares, and Meimei is mischievous and attentive to people’s feelings. They balance one another well.

In some ways, this might seem like a slow volume, but it’s jam-packed with developments for the cast. And the preview for Volume 10 promises to show the AMO going all out to save Akira, so it won’t be long until there are more action-charged scenes to enjoy.

Tokyo Aliens Volume 9 comes to the West thanks to Square Enix and continues to be translated by Andria McKnight with lettering by Bianca Pistillo. The release reads well and comes with a colour page to open, as well as some bonus illustrations at the end. No translation notes, but not a great deal here that would benefit from them either.

In Japan, the series is up to 11 volumes now. Here in English, we have #10 scheduled for a release in late April, but nothing pencilled in for #11 just yet.

Overall, Tokyo Aliens kickstarts its next major arc and offers plenty of exciting developments as it approaches the milestone tenth volume. We don’t get to spend a great deal of time with Akira, but having Sho in the spotlight is no bad thing, and I do appreciate the time spent getting to know the two informants. Still a series well worth carrying on with!

A free preview can be read on the publisher’s website
Our review copy from Square Enix Manga was supplied by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services)
©SQUARE ENIX / NAOE