Human Club 8
April 27, 2009
I was actually quite fond of reading a volume of this series on weekends for awhile, I can’t remember why I stopped. Again, this is one of those online-only series on Netcomics, and I decided to keep going when I noticed a sequel series had recently started. And again, the volumes are only a dollar apiece online. Not that I don’t already have piles of unread manga laying around here, but still, that’s really cheap.
I had forgotten how much I like this series. This volume takes place in Paris, and features Shinobu and Ron posing as husband and wife and socializing until they wind up in the clutches of their intended target. There’s some weird humor at the beginning of the volume, actually, when Shinobu really gets into playing the part of the wife and Ron gets increasingly angry while Shinobu acts like a diva in front of all the hotel staff. It’s pretty funny and kind of unexpected from a dark series like this.
The underworld and drugs aren’t really involved in this story, which is great, because I’ve still had enough of both from that long story arc that just ended a couple volumes ago. Opium plays a small part, and somehow (this is never explained) Shinobu is drugged/knocked out/hypnotized? when he accidentally winds up trapped by the man he was stalking. One thing about this volume and the last is that it seems to follow the pattern of Shinobu accidentally getting caught by his intended target, and again, I prefer the methods used in the early volumes where he slowly drives people insane. There was just something awesome about the big reveal at the end of those stories, showing the ultimate twisted demise of the featured side character.
I don’t know if I ever mention this, but the art is uncommonly good, too. Not only are the characters all extremely attractive and distinct from one another, but details like Shinobu still looking like himself even while dressed like a beautiful woman are appreciated, and the fashion sense is quite good, too. There’s also a lot more background detail than you would expect in a series like this.
The plot in this volume involved models, artists, and an elaborately-constructed house with computer-controlled rooms that slide around and hide themselves. Plus, a garden full of dead bodies. It’s hard to begrudge the story anything here, and it all plays out pretty elegantly. It’s solidly written and a decent read all around, though not quite as addictive as I wish it was. I’m not sure how else I would improve it, though.
April 28, 2009 at 12:16 pm
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