Anonymous Noise Vol 15 (Manga Review)
By: I.Am.No.Man.
The band is ready for another Rock Horizon music festival! It feels like no time at all since last years disastrous Rock Horizon concert when Nino went off the rails. This year promises to be even bigger than last year though. Both Silent Black Kitty, and In No Hurry have been bumped up to more prestigious stages. In No Hurry still sits in the shadow of their superior rivals though.
Nino, Yuzu, and Momo are all getting along fantastically well considering the emotional baggage they all carry with them. Nino and Momo are pal-ing around like the best of friends, while Yuzu is in his best creative zone in years. Fantastic news for our love torn trio.
The rest of the band and their friends seem to be doing well as they flit along in the background of the main story. It appears that Haruyoshi is developing a secret crush on his new bandmate An, though he still struggles with his feelings towards his sister-in-law.
Miou, my favorite character, has all but disappeared from the main story. I will say this has been a disappointment for the last few manga. She does get a brief vignette in this volume, though it it not nearly the character development or exploration I think she deserves.
While the main story between Nino, Yuzu, and Momo is pretty clear and straight forward, I am still having trouble following along with the rest of the ancillary characters that pop in and out of the background. Some band members are only ever seen in large group panels, and most look too artistically alike to be able to distinguish which band member is which.
This critique doesn't stop the main story from pushing along. Nino and Momo realize that they can thrive and succeed without their toxic neediness. Yuzu still tries to shoot his shot, while also digging deep and finding some newfound creative drive. It seems like just a few volumes ago that last year's Rock Horizon threatened to tear In No Hurry apart.
This year's Rock Horizon concert was much more eventful than last year's though. The lead singer of headliner band Girlless invited Nino to do an impromptu duet on the largest stage. Nino surprisingly says yes and before she knows it she's heading to the big stage. Yuzu and Momo are both impressed with Nino's newfound free spirit.
Not surprisingly though, Nino botches the first half of the song. As she fights her nerves, she suddenly finds a new voice when she imagines Yuzu. I think this new motivation is going to be different than her drive to sing for Momo. This new Yuzu driven success seems to come from a freer, more creative place. Hopefully this allows for some interesting character growth for Alice in the upcoming volumes.
All in all, this volume was a nice, fast paced read that has me interested in where the story will go from here. If the character growth happens, and the background characters find their voices then this series will shine.
