I'll admit I have a soft spot for
gangsters/punks in anime and manga,especially in comedies. One of my
favorite anime is Baccano! due in no small part to most of your
characters being crazy mobsters. Maybe it's he mash up of big tough
guys doing goofy things or manliness to the point of parody. Either
way goofy Yakuza guys are pretty fun and feature prominently in
today's work Wild Ones. Though it does deliver on the funny Yakuza
front it is DOA on every other count.
The volume's main problem is in its'
failure to convey it self properly. We're told everything yet the
story does not reflect the facts given. For example,we're told that
our lead,Sachie,was chosen by the men of her grandfather's gang but
at no time does this seem to be the case. Yes she does show some very
admirable traits but this is long after she's gained these men's
admiration and most of them only happen in front of her love
interest(?), Rakuto. Over all it comes off as a lazy, instead of
having events shown that back up your statement,just tell us the
statement I mean it's not like we're in a visual medium or anything.
That aside the story doesn't seem to be
going anywhere really and seems to be okay with standard plots albeit
with a yakuza flavor. Sachie has to deal with moving to a new school
and the loss of her mother among some wacky guys who just don't
understand women. It's by no means bad and if you're like me and are
okay wacky yakuza shenanigans then you'll be fine. It just lacks
substance and doesn't seem to be wanting to go much further in terms
of plotting or character development
Sachie and Rakuto are the only two
characters of any real note her as the rest are either goofy
gangsters or shojo stock jerks. If you noticed my confusion about
Rakuto being a love interest,it's because the volume doesn't know
what Sachie thinks about him either. Sachie constantly calls him
weird but he's not that weird. He has a little more formal speech and
aside form one instance of personal space invasion is not that
bizarre. He's not that interesting so I can see why she falls in and
out of love so easily with him;He's the generic cool guy that
attracts crazy girls and can do it all.
Sachie on the other hand is the
spitfire girl that tougher than she is letting on. When she does go
into full on scolding mode it leads to some of the funnier sections
as the guys stand bewildered at her. Again it's not exactly ground
breaking comedy but it's still enjoyable and works for the most part.
Her history with her mother is probably the only thing that has
potential to be interesting or it could just turn out to be Tohru
Honda's back story but with Yakuza.
I actually enjoyed the Wild Ones quite a
bit despite it's laziness and weak story. Does that mean you'll like
it,probably not. Unless you're a fan of gangsters and comedy then
you'll probably be left wanting,hell I like both of those things and
I'm left with that cold emptiness. Though I always feel that so it
may not be the book's fault. It offers little incentive to continue
and is only worth it if you're desperate for a romance story.
Till Next Time:Stay Positive
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