Behind the Scenes: Volume 2 manga review

Manga
Behind the Scenes: Volume 2 manga review
By Leroy Douresseaux
January 2, 2017 - 21:38

Viz Media
Writer(s): Bisco Hatori, John Werry
Penciller(s): Bisco Hatori
Letterer(s): Izumi Evers
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8713-4
$9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK, 192pp, B&W, paperback
Rating: T (Teen)

Behind the Scenes Volume 2 cover image

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Ranmaru Kurisu is an 18-year-old who blames himself for everything. An outcast from a village of fisherman, Ranmaru is not crazy about people and is not crazy about being around them. He is now a first year student as Shichikoku University (“Shichi U”), and while he initially planned on trying to find a group into which he could fit, he is back to being his old isolated self. Then, fate brings him into contact with “The Art Squad.”

As Behind the Scenes!!, Vol. 2 (Chapters 6 to 10) opens, Ranmaru awakens one morning and wonders if his experiences with the Art Squad were just a dream. No, they were not, and now the squad has a new job. The gang has to create an anime/manga otaku environment, but fearless leader, Ryuji Goda, takes it all so seriously, they may never finish the job.

THE LOWDOWN: I am a movie buff with an interest in film-making, so I am attracted to the Behind the Scenes!! manga. Behind the Scenes!! has some similarities to Gimmick!, the manga by Youzaburou Kanari and Kuroko Yabuguchi, which was a mystery series in which the leads used their movie special effects skills to solve cases.

Behind the Scenes!! Volume 2 begins with an assignment to create a movie set for one of the universities' film clubs. However, the focus in this graphic novel is on friendship and bonds. It is a way for creator Bisco Hatori to reveal the personalities of some of her characters. I found myself as interested in the characters as I was in set creation, and this series has, from the beginning, had a keen eye on its players. There are indeed characters Behind the Scenes!!

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Bisco Hatori's work will want to try the Shojo Beat title, Behind the Scenes!!

B+

Rating: B+/10