Wave, Listen to Me! vol. 5

When we left off, Minare was preparing to accompany Mizuho and Katsumi on the latter’s research trip for his next novel.  Minare is mainly going along for moral/tech support, though she’s rooting for her roommate to make some progress in getting recognized by the novelist.  The plan is for the three of them to head out to the remote town of Wassamu, which is known for its pumpkins… and that’s it.  They get some assistance from a local girl, Hokakushi, whose knowledge of Katsumi’s novels, the town’s history, and ghost stories is matched only by her impressive rack (I might be exaggerating, though).  It’s all enough to leave you feeling that this is going to be another round of “Wave’s” usual brand of character-driven wackiness.

Then things take a turn…

Don’t get me wrong, the rest of the volume is still filled with the kind of character-driven wackiness that this series has made its stock-in-trade.  It’s just that the setting and means by which they’re delivered are significantly different than they have been in previous volumes.  Which makes for an appealing change of pace, especially as the mystery behind Minare and co.’s new circumstances deepens and the stakes actually wind up being raised a little.

The only real catch here is that this change in setting may be viewed by some to be a little outlandish.  If you were the person who rolled their eyes at how the haunting of Minare’s neighbor turned out to be down to her irresponsibility in properly storing meat, then you’re going to have a real problem with how things turn out here.  Of course, if you’ve been enjoying yourself so far like I have, then you’re likely going to get a kick out of the twist here.  Particularly in regards to how it ties into the meat-spooked neighbor’s circumstances…