Tokyo Aliens Volume 11 Review

Tokyo Aliens has successfully made it into double digits and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon (anime adaptation soon, surely?). Now that the last big arc has come to a close, we look toward new storylines, but what awaits Sho and Akira? With Volume 11 in hand, let’s find out!

When we left Akira, he had got himself embroiled in yet another disaster with an alien he’d stumbled across while he was on his own without Sho to rely on. Mangaka NAOE had assured us that this was supposed to be a slice-of-life arc to act as a breather after the intense kidnapping story, but it turns out to be anything but!

Still, it was a storyline that ends within the first chapter of this volume, and then we’re treated to a short tale showing the main cast playing Old Maid together, which proves a much better reprieve from all of the drama as of late. Of course, the fate of the world was still at risk, but Akira didn’t find that out until after their game finished.

With a fun chapter behind us, we move into a longer narrative where we meet some new characters. On the way home one evening, Akira talks about how he wants to get some flowers to give his aunt and uncle as a thank-you for looking after him. Sho regularly buys flowers for his little sister and invites Akira along to the florist he visits, where they run into a mysterious new part-timer called Naruse. Neither of our duo thinks much of it until they stumble across a shady drug exchange afterwards where Naruse is involved, and then the florist burns down! And worse still, he seems to know all about the AMO…?

It’s Naruse who graces the cover for this volume, and it’s clear there’s far more to him than just being an antagonist. In fact, NAOE introduces several new characters toward the end of this book who all seem likely to stick around for the long run. It’s been a while since we’ve had any major character introductions, particularly those who aren’t just a ‘villain of the week’ and likely to leave once their arc concludes. Really, it’s only been Harold lately, and even then there’s a completely different vibe to him compared to how Naruse and the others enter. With Naruse, you immediately get the sense that there’s a lot to unpack. He’s battle-hungry but intelligent. And you can tell he enjoys teasing the clueless Akira and Sho, even if we readers don’t understand why yet.

And this feels like a perfect time to bring in some new blood. We’ve spent a long time with Akira, Sho and other members of the AMO, like Amamiya across these 11 volumes. So although there’s still plenty to explore with those characters, they’re already very established. Watching them interact with new troublemakers is refreshing in a lot of ways, and it will ensure that the manga remains engaging for the long run.

When I reviewed Volume 10, I said it felt like a transitional volume. But actually, I think it would be fairer to say that about this book, given just under half of it is taken up with ending the mini-arc and then the card game before moving into a longer-form story. That doesn’t mean it’s bad though, as I’ve said before, I think NAOE excels at juggling all kinds of things, and that talent certainly comes through here, where there are so many different elements at play. Comedy, emotional character interactions, intense battles and an air of mystery. A lot of mangaka falter under the weight of trying to incorporate so many things, especially across a single book, but, as always, NAOE does a great job.

Tokyo Aliens Volume 11 comes to the West thanks to Square Enix Manga and continues to be translated by Andria McKnight with lettering by Bianca Pistillo, who have both done an excellent job. And as we’ve come to expect, there is a delightful colour page included as a bonus as well as an extra black and white illustration of Naruse at the end (you can tell NAOE is fond of him!).

Over in Japan, the series is up to 13 volumes currently, and here in English we have #12 scheduled for a release in March 2027. Which feels like a large gap, but at the same time we’re so close to being caught up now that it’s understandable the gap between releases would widen more than we’ve had up until now.

Overall, Tokyo Aliens Volume 11 is another solid entry in the series that provides us with some fun moments as well as new character introductions. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what NAOE has planned for Naruse after his grand entrance, and I’m sure other readers will be eager to learn more too.

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