Otherside Picnic Volume 9 Review

We last left Sorawo and Toriko in the middle of their most perilous fight yet, as the so-called ‘shadow of Satsuki Uruma’ turns against her former friend and student and sets upon her the Little Birds in the Box which specifically eat away at a woman’s reproductive organs… (As Sorawo comments later in this volume, a lot of these creatures sure have it out for women, don’t they? A comment against the patriarchy perhaps, but I won’t get into politics here.)

This ninth volume begins with the conclusion of this arc and it’s a very interesting resolution, if a swift one. The stakes are high and all the responsibility is placed on Sorawo, who really has to think about everything she knows and what is available to her to save Toriko from infertile delirium. In the end it’s a simple case of putting certain things together, but despite the simplicity of it, it’s still really satisfying as you let out a sigh of relief that the girls have come out of the ordeal okay.

That’s not the most interesting part though, as it’s the implications that this whole ordeal has set up and the impact of them on how things play out in the future that is important. Sorawo has seen this shadow of Satsuki and has sort of figured out where Satsuki really is, but she cannot say anything because if she does, Toriko is just going to take off and put herself in even greater danger to find her. So, Sorawo is keeping a secret from her closest friend, which has the potential to put a spanner in the works later down the line, as I wonder how that will affect their relationship going forward.

After they’ve been through all that, you think they could certainly use a break, and thankfully, so does the author as most of the rest of this volume is devoted to one of those quieter, character-building episodes. While you may be tempted to skip ahead to the next big bit of action, I’d definitely take the time to read through this as it has some important revelations on both sides where things about each of our leading ladies clicks into place. We’ve seen some of this before in previous volumes, but never in this much detail, and we really get to appreciate Sorawo’s need for escapism, because… yikes, her situation sounds tough. Meanwhile, Toriko’s revelation, without spoiling it, completely makes sense for this as a work with yuri elements and Toriko as a character. On one hand it feels a little too easy to include, but on the other I think it’s a good thing to point out to challenge readers’ assumptions of how the world works.

To top it all off, they finally get their titular Otherside Picnic as well! This was nice to see, yet while they are having fun, you’re constantly on tenterhooks waiting for something to go wrong as it usually does whenever they go to the Otherside. Of course, it happens, but it plays good at giving you red herrings throughout their adventure, as the trigger this time isn’t what you think it is. What follows plays well on basic fears, which is one of the series’ main strengths, taking fears of the dark or the paranoia of that monster under the bed and turning them on its characters. This arc is another one of those where they manifest their own fears into reality because of the Otherside’s weirdness, and nearly pay the price for it. Or did Sorawo just choke on a rice ball? Who knows?

It’s also neat that they have Sorawo kind of out-of-sorts throughout the trip, and you only get to glean why afterwards. I completely didn’t notice, so it definitely got one over me, but it was a nice “a-ha!” moment when they laid it bare.

This volume ends with the beginning of the next arc, but it is just the setup for a shorter spooky tale. You could have potentially moved it to the start of the next volume, but I don’t think the cadence matters too much at this point as it is designed to keep your reading onwards. Plus, there’s a nice gag with Kozakura here, who definitely does not want any more spooky goings on in her house!

The artwork for this volume remains very strong, with the character artwork being a particular highlight this time around, particularly with how menacing Satsuki’s shadow looks in certain panels – think of that stern female teacher that terrified you at school and you’ve got the right idea. There’s some good face game (both serious and comedic) across the board, and it knows that when it needs to get weird with its monsters, it definitely can.

The series continues to be published by Square Enix Manga and is available both digitally and as a physical paperback. Volume 9 is translated by Taylor Engel and has no issues to note. The series is ongoing with Volumes 10 to 13 currently available from Square Enix Manga. As usual, there’s a bonus short story at the back, this time showing what happened between Kozakura and Seto as they wait for our main gruesome twosome to hear out Seto’s request.

Overall, this is still an enjoyable volume of Otherside Picnic despite it being more focused on quieter character-building moments. While some parts may not have been as bombastic as I hoped, it sets itself up well for the future while staying grounded in its strengths, feeding off humanity’s basic fears and thrusting them into a twisted paranormal world. This is definitely worth continuing if you’re reading and invested in this series!

Read a free preview at the publisher’s website here.

Our review copy from Square Enix Manga was supplied by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services).