Anonymous Noise: Volume 15 manga review

Anonymous Noise Graphic Novel Volume 15 cover image

As a child, Nino Arisugawa experiences two heart-wrenching goodbyes.  The first is Momo Sakaki, the boy next door for whom she sings; he suddenly moves away.  The next is the young songwriter, Kanade “Yuzu” Yuzuriha, who nicknames Nino, “Alice.”  Before he moves away, he tells her that she should sing instead of scream.  Now, Nino is in high school and is the lead singer of the band, “In No Hurry to Shout” a.k.a. “In No Hurry.”  She is reunited with Momo and Yuzu, but it's complicated.

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 15 (Chapters 82 to 87) opens as In No Hurry is invited back to the music festival, Rock Horizon.  This year, the band has a bigger concert stage, but the members wonder if they are ready for a larger crowd... especially in light of how the “Tokyo Sailing” concert series ended for them.  The band members also watch how well their rivals, “Silent Black Kitty,” are doing on a bigger stage.  Then, Mitsu, the lead singer of “Girlless,” the Rock Horizon headliners, arrives with a surprising proposal for Nino.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Anonymous Noise manga continues to rock out on its story of rock bands, rivals, songwriters, young love, and family and relationship drama.  As it approaches its end, however, the series also becomes a story of resolutions and of moving on.

Anonymous Noise Graphic Novel Volume 15 is a pivotal volume for Nino/”Alice.”  Readers will find themselves happy to see her leaving the depressed state that she has been in for the last few volumes.  Clearly, creator Ryoko Fukuyama is moving the series towards its end, as there are only three volumes left after Vol. 15.  It is good to see Nino embrace a musical future and her talents.

Casey Loe's English adaptation captures the nuance of the conflicts and the clash of goals that is dominating the narrative at this point.  Joanna Estep's lettering, as always, stays in step with the rhythm of the story, but Estep rocks out on this concert-heavy volume.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Shojo Beat high school romantic dramas will want to try Anonymous Noise.

A
8 out of 10