Anonymous Noise: Volume 16 manga review

Anonymous Noise Graphic Novel Volume 16 cover image

A child who loves to sing, Nino Arisugawa experiences two heart-wrenching goodbyes.  The first is Momo Sakaki, and while Nino loves singing to him, he suddenly moves away.  Then, there is 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 the song does not remain the same.

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 16 (Chapters 88 to 93) opens as In No Hurry approaches the end of its set at the music festival, Rock Horizon.  Yuzu spots his mother in the crowd.  She never wanted him to sing because his father, her husband, was a singer who died while on tour.  Yuzu performs as a singer, songwriter, and a musician, although his mother has always objected.  Seeing her at Rock Horizon, Yuzu leaps into the crowd to confront her, but why?

Later, Yuzu makes a shocking announcement to his band mates.  Will they cooperate?  What will Nino do in reaction to Yuzu's decision?

THE LOWDOWN:  The Anonymous Noise manga continues, as it approaches the end, to rock out on its narrative featuring you rock musicians.  As it approaches its end, however, Anonymous Noise also deals with some heavy issues.

Anonymous Noise Graphic Novel Volume 16 is a pivotal volume for In No Hurry and for several other characters as Vol. 15 was pivotal for Nino/”Alice.”  This is one of the best recent volumes, so I am reluctant to spoil Yuzu's shocker of an announcement.  I can say that creator Ryoko Fukuyama offers a spectacular rescue on the part of Nino, and she gives us a clearer picture of the relationship between Yuzu and his mother.

As usual, Casey Loe does excellent work on the English adaptation, capturing this volume's wide mood and emotional swings.  Letterer Joanna Estep conveys the rock music highs and the emotional rolls.

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

A
9 out of 10