Kei X Yaku: Bound by Law Volumes 12 and 13 Review

Spoilers! 

Ichiro and Shiro are working undercover together again for Superintendent Taguchi investing Green Seed, a mysterious substance that’s secretly being developed at Shindo Chemical. Shiro has made use of his yakuza connections (even though he plans to leave the organization) to meet President Shindo under the pretence of doing business with him. But then he and Ichiro are caught in a gas explosion that is definitely not an accident – and only just escape with their lives, thanks to the timely arrival of Ichiro’s rookie protégé, Ikkaku.

Satoru Yamada, the onetime head of the Shio yakuza family now serving time in prison, agrees to talk to Superintendent Taguchi who brings Shiro and Ichiro along. They nearly died trying to rescue hostages from Yamada’s house, so there’s no love lost between them – but it turns out Yamada has helpful information. Although learning that Green Seed could be used as an explosive or a drug only raises the stakes even higher and when Yamada coolly says he wants them to kidnap Kujo, the scientist who developed Green Seed, or rather ‘take him into custody’ they’re not sure how best to interpret this advice.

There’s much that young Ikkaku has yet to learn about Inspector Ichiro’s secret mission and he’s still shocked to find his idol working and living with a member of the yakuza. It’s time for some plain-talking – and with Taguchi’s approval, Ichiro and Shiro ‘disappear’ again, this time holing up in a one-room apartment to plan their strategy. Shiro (wired up) infiltrates Shindo Chemical while Ichiro and Ikkaku follow his moves and give advice via an earpiece from a car outside.

At first, all goes well; Kujo is asleep and Shiro is able to download some highly sensitive material from the lab computer. But then Kujo wakes and on seeing him, cries out, “Mizuho!” Who is – or was – Mizuho and what does this have to do with Shiro’s past? Although Shiro retreats when Kujo orders him to get out of the lab, he spots a security guard acting suspiciously in the corridors and – to Ichiro’s dismay – goes back to try to protect Kujo…

Yoshie Kaoruhara continues to create a tense and engrossing thriller as unlikely partners Shiro and Ichiro try to unravel the mystery of the deaths connected to Green Seed. One of the mangaka’s strengths (which makes this a rewarding read if you’ve been there from the start) is the way she’s shown us the friendship and trust deepening between Ichiro and Shiro. Is it a bromance? They’re adept at pretending to be boyfriends by now and Shiro’s loyal underlings in the yakuza are happy to cover for them when they ‘elope’. Or is it just a BL tease? Toward the end of Volume 13, there’s a raw yet genuinely moving exchange between them when Ichiro (normally the uptight, unemotional one) lets slip how he feels in a desperate attempt to make Shiro take heed of what he’s telling him. Does a BL label matter? The manga offers a portrayal of two human beings who will always have each other’s backs when the chips are down and who take pleasure in each other’s company, whether it’s doing a morning workout in a cramped apartment side by side or baking cookies together. And it’s impossible not to root for them to survive the increasingly high stakes stacked against them.

Shiro is more to the fore in these volumes as the issue of his unknown parentage suddenly comes into sharp focus when scientist Haruki Kujo ‘recognizes’ him – but then, as danger looms, retracts and tells him to get out (we suspect it’s because he wants to save his life). This is a clever piece of writing as it leaves the reader wondering what’s going on – and it’s impossible not to identify with Shiro as he wavers, not knowing whether to trust his instincts and risk his life or retreat, leaving Kujo to face whatever end awaits him.

There are revealing flashback chapters in these volumes too as we get to learn why Ikkaku looks up to Ichiro and feels so indebted to him. We also learn how research scientist Kujo has ended up in such a life-threatening situation. Perhaps the most telling moments occur in Volume 13 in which Kujo and Shiro get the chance to learn more about each other – and then the fallout from this conversation in which Ichiro, seeing how cut-up Shiro is about the whole situation, tries to pull him back from the brink with a heartfelt confession… Stirring stuff!

Just as the main story turns grim, the mangaka adds plenty of cute one-page bonus comics to cheer us up, including one set (#92-#94) at the end of Volume 12 in which our heroes wake up to find they’re four years old again. Another fun feature is the ‘alteration’ at the end of the volumes of the front and back cover images, with poor, earnest Ikkaku as the fall guy.

The excellent translation for Kodansha is, as usual, by Kevin Steinbach, backed up by Dietrich Premier’s equally excellent lettering. There’s a translation note or two, as well as a brief paragraph from the mangaka in each volume. If you can’t remember everything plot-wise, each volume has a really helpful ‘The story so far…’ at the front with a character guide – if only other long-running manga series would do the same!

Up till now, Kodansha have given us an excellent release rate but we’re almost caught up with Japan so Volume 14 isn’t due out until March 2027 (#15 has just come out in Japan). It’s a long time to wait as the stakes are so high at the end of Volume 13, with some surprising revelations that may or may not bode ill for our heroes…

Our review copies from Kodansha were provided by Diamond Book Distributors.