Kei X Yaku Bound by Law Volume 11 Review

Public security inspector Ichiro and yakuza lieutenant Shiro are working together again, pretending to be lovers to infiltrate a certain elite salon and investigate some suspicious goings-on at Shindo Chemical. A mysterious product, the ‘Green Seed,’ has been implicated in the deaths of several employees but they’re frustratingly far from discovering anything of use. Ichiro is worried about Shiro who’s pressing ahead, determined to solve the case and find a way to leave the Minegawa family for good. But first, they’re enjoying a little downtime together, glamping! What better place to relax – but also to discuss the case, far away from prying eyes and ears?

After a frustrating stake-out which only raises more questions than it answers – and a sociable meeting between Shiro (playing the role of  ‘Hanagawa’) and Seiichi Shindo, the president of Shindo Chemical, Ichiro and Shiro have no other options than to return to the exclusive salon Kikuya where they previously encountered Takagi, the broker. But when two flashily dressed men are shown in and idly engage them in conversation, they realize – too late – that their ruse has been discovered. This is confirmed when one of the two shows them a photo on his phone of a bloodied body that looks like Takagi. They’re up against two ruthless professional assassins and this time, the odds are not good – someone very powerful must have seen through their ruse and now they’re next on the list to be eliminated!

What’s the enduring appeal of Kei X Yaku as it reaches its eleventh volume? Mangaka Yoshie Kaoruhara has the knack of writing and drawing a fast-paced, exciting narrative and focusing on her sympathetic main duo. The BL tease is less to the fore in this volume, although the humour and occasional cute moments are deftly used to provide relief from the increasingly grim case the two protagonists are investigating. There’s much riding on the outcome and this is putting strain on the friendship between Ichiro and Shiro as Shiro is determined to use the case to get out of the Minegawa family once and for all and Ichiro fears this is making him more reckless than usual. There’s also the fact that Kujo (a researcher at Shindo Chemical) has intimated that he knows Shiro’s parents, blurting out, “Could your parents be–?” before being interrupted. Shiro is understandably disturbed by this as he can’t remember his parents; his first memories are of the orphanage where he was left. So, the ‘relationship’ between the cop and the gangster is still very much for show – except, after all they’ve been through together, we get the feeling that they really do care for each other. That dreaded term ‘bromance’ is maybe an apt one to apply here – but it seems a shame to put a label on the natural way the two relate to each other.

The other intriguing characters are Toro and Uni, a pair of assassins who provide a kind of warped mirror image of Shiro and Ichiro. They’re flamboyant but lethal – and are also in a relationship. It’s worth mentioning Masaki Ikkaku as a character to watch; he’s Ichiro’s ‘rookie’ trainee and dedicated to doing all he can to help Ichiro out. But there are a few hints here that he’s one to keep an eye on. Is he just keen to please Ichiro and do his best? Or is there another reason?

Extras include a special chapter entitled ‘Ichiro’s Fever’ and there a total of seven bonus chibi comic pages between the chapters as well as (I assume) under-cover images of the front and back cover images – but now altered due to the dramatic turn of events in Chapter 35 ‘Struggle’.

Translation for Kodansha is again in the capable hands of Kevin Steinbach with lettering by Dietrich Premier; there are sadly no colour images but the striking colour choices on the cover reminds us of the mangaka’s skills in that area. There’s the usual little message from the mangaka at the end and a single translation note explaining about kendo (as practised by Ikkaku, Ichiro’s young trainee). Volume 12 is due out in May, so not too long to wait to discover the outcomes of the explosive last chapter in this volume! The series is up to fourteen volumes in Japan, so we’re catching up fast.

• Kei X Yaku: Bound By Law © Yoshie Kaoruhara/KODANSHA LTD.

Our review copy from Kodansha was provided by Diamond Book Distributors.