Leviathan vol. 2

In this volume, things get worse for the survivors on the titular ship.  Some kids are using the chaos to settle old scores, while others see it as their last chance to, uh… score before they die.  Most of them have split up into two camps with the upper-class Hilltop kids taking control of the kitchen to keep its food stores away from the lower-class City dwellers.  Ostensible protagonist Kazuma is still alive, however, as is the diabolically manipulative Futaba and she still plans on being the last person standing to make it into the cryopod.  Which the salvagers in the present day are still trying to track down in the trap-infested ship.

I appreciated the vibes of “Leviathan” more than its actual storytelling in vol. 1.  That continues to be true here as it continues to remind me of something I would’ve enjoyed a lot more as a teenager than I do right now.  This is because the twists that crop up in each individual story come off as overly simplistic and obvious and don’t add any depth to the narrative.  The attempt to make this a class struggle also comes off as window dressing more than anything else, which means you’re just left waiting to see who’s going to survive and be rescued by the salvagers.

That, and just seeing how bad things are going to get for the kids in question.  I can’t say I’m actually interested in most of them; though, I’m rooting for Futaba right now.  Yes, she’s being made out to be a thoroughly ruthless villain, but that just helps her stand out next to the overly bland Kazuma.  I’m not sure if it was mangaka Shiro Kuroi’s intention for me to do this, but that’s the nature of the story he’s created here and it’s probably for the best that it’ll be wrapping up in its next volume.