Kaguya-sama/Silver Spoon vol. 2
Even though I did a podcast featuring both titles, I can’t say that I’ve got a definite plan of covering them together for the future. It just so happens that new volumes of “Kaguya-sama” and “Silver Spoon” come out at around the same time. So I’ll probably talk about them together for the forseeable future (and yes, I’m also doing so to reduce the strain of my manga backlog) at least until there’s a major development in one title that I feel the need to write about in-depth. With that said, let’s see if these titles can keep their momentum going in their second volumes.
“Kaguya-sama’s” biggest problem at first is that it comes off as a series with a very limited shelf-life. After all, how many different ways can Kaguya and Miyuki fail to get the other to confess their love for them before this setup gets old? There’s actually a definite answer to that, but you’re going to have to wait a few volumes before it reveals itself. So is vol. 2 still worth reading even if all of its chapters revolve around how its protagonists fail to fulfill their goals?
The answer is a very enthusiastic, “YES!” Mangaka Aka Akasaka’s setups for the situations Kaguya and Miyuki find themselves in for this volume are always inspired, but the real fun lies in seeing how ridiculous things will get before they’re resolved. Consider the the time Kaguya and Miyuki are captivated by the cat ears each of them wind up wearing, much to Chika’s horror. Or the downright frightening misunderstanding that takes place when Kaguya tells Miyuki and their friend Chika that she’s already experienced her “first time.” A personal favorite involves the not-couple struggling over an indirect kiss attached to a cup of coffee that shares a plot point from the most recent volume of “Stumptown.” There’s not a bad chapter in this volume. Maybe some are funnier than others, but that’s about the worst thing I can say about what we get here.
“Silver Spoon” is not a series that’s going to have to worry about whether or not its core premise is going to get old as there’s plenty of variety to Hachiken’s journey whether he’s in school or out of it. Vol. 2 picks up with the discovery of the masonry oven from the end of the previous volume and the plot kicks into high gear when our protagonist mentions that, among other things, you can use it to make pizza. (They don’t get delivery this far north.) This leads to Hachiken masterminding Ezo Agricultural’s first ever pizza party and it’s a fun experience that not only showcases his resourcefulness, but how he’s actually making friends and enjoying himself for the first time in a good long while.
Pizza love only drives the first couple of chapters as the school heads into summer break, following a spirited battle between Ezo Ag and Ezo Tech. While Hachiken is set to spend his summer in the dorms studying, their impending renovation puts paid to his plans. Fortunately Mikage is on hand to offer him the chance to work at her farm over the summer. If spending the summer with his (potential) love interest wasn’t enough, the fact that Hachiken will also get paid for his work certainly seals the deal.
The problem here is that Hachiken has never worked on a farm before and that’s going to take some getting used to on his part. While the fish-out-of-water humor and storytelling might seem like it would get old after a while, mangaka Hiromu Arakawa keeps finding new challenges to throw at her protagonist. Ones that he’ll overcome eventually, if less than gracefully. That’s what keeps this series interesting, along with the teasing out of the mystery behind Hachiken’s home life, and the different perspectives we get on modern Japanese farming. Though that last bit might not sound all that compelling, Arakawa knows how to make it look good on the page and dispense the information with a welcome dose of humor. Sometimes she can get carried away with the characters’ exaggerated responses to certain things, but this is still another entertaining look at a slice-of-a-life that you don’t normally see in manga or comics in general.