drained
No. 6: The Manga, Volume 06 by Atsuko AsanoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This volume puts in a lot of background for No.6. it's both interesting and a bit unbelievable at the same time. After some violence, Sasori brings Rat and Shion to see the Elder. There is some heartfelt interchange between the two young men throughout the volume between Shion wanting blamed for some of the things that happened to people not privileged as he had been (i.e. Rat) and Rat not wanting Shion to be violent.
Intermixed with these scenes are scenes with Mom, with Dogskeeper (who is starting to elevate Shion to a hero status) and with the Holy Day festivities which take a very dark turn. But in the end this is the history of No 6 and Rat's personal history. We see a fuller extent of the things Rat has suffered in his young life and the near mystical power of his song. And we learn how No. 6 was founded.
As to that (spoiler alert), I do have issues with this.
Still reading? Like I said, spoiler alert
Okay, the history of this town is not even 2 generations old. That seems almost impossibly fast for such a tight stranglehold to have been gained (points to the Holy Day) and for the fact that Shion seems remarkably ignorant of his own history. Rat who doesn't seem older than Shion was there before the city. Not that it couldn't have happened in seven or eight years but it seems like such a short time frame to me.
That aside, I enjoyed this issue. The art is lovely and the storyline is interesting. I'm looking forward to more.
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