Murcielago vol. 16

“The Entertainer” arc wraps up in this volume as everyone involved gets what’s coming to them.  Kuroko finds out who the Comedy Writer is and clues them in on one of the basic rules of storytelling.  Meanwhile, Hinako trails a possible second perpetrator to their lair and winds up getting more than she bargained for.  As does said perpetrator when we’re reminded that mangaka Yoshimurakana hasn’t forgotten about the murderous personality lurking underneath that bubbly airhead exterior.  Yeah, everything wraps up well.  Arguably too well as the dual resolutions felt like they came off in a too-straightforward fashion.  Granted, it was interesting to see this arc’s serial killer be positioned as a needy has-been, while the other perpetrator had some heartfelt reasons for doing what they did.  These things weren’t quite enough to really make the resolution stand out.  So while this is enough to keep me reading “Murcielago” it’s not enough to make me consider the series genuinely entertaining, and stop pining for the days when it traded on shock value.

That being said, this is arguably the lewdest volume of the series we’ve had in a while.  Not only does it open with some strapon-facilitated lesbian sex, the two characters involved go at it again later in the volume.  The circus performer who lost an eye in the previous volume also gets to make nice with her busty dark-skinned attendant in the hospital, and then things get turned up a notch when Kuroko shows up to get her reward.  Not that the performer minds, because she likes to watch.  There’s also a “kuri” joke in the final chapter (shortened from “kuri-to-risu” as the translation notes let us know) as Hinako and friends go chestnut hunting, and then come home to the home of a friend whose mom just wants to make a really good impression on them.  With her boobs.  I’d probably be more impressed by all of this if I didn’t have access to the internet and therefore all the porn I could ever want.  So I’ll just have to content myself with the volume’s final pages which let us know that the next arc is going to be Yakuza-centric in nature.