Anonymous Noise Vol. 8 (Manga Review)
By: I.am.no.Man.
Anonymous Noise Volume 8
Recap
Alice and Yuzu have been chosen to write a song for two popular models, named Sui and Juri. After long, hard hours of work Yuzu and Alice present a song they feel might match the models aesthetic. While the models are singing, Alice and Yuzu realize that they have much more talent than they previously let on, and can handle a much more challenging song. Yuzu wants to scrap the song, start over, and present a new song with a very different feel. The models agree and give them one week to come up with the new song. Yuzu begins stressing and overthinking things, while Alice builds up the courage to write the lyrics on her own. A surprise phone call from Momo, who has been missing for several months, finally pushes Alice into a frenzied creative burst and she writes passionate and moving lyrics that make Yuzu see her real talent. Together they write a much more hardcore, intense style pop song for the enigmatic model duo. The duo loves the new song and their recording of it goes viral, propelling them into even more fame.Meanwhile, Miou, one of the lead singers from Momo's band Silent Black Kitty, goes through a profound realization about her life. She is caught in a love triangle between her doting boyfriend Haruyoshi and her true love Yuzu. She appreciates everything that Haru does for her and the way he cares for her but can't continue denying her feelings for Yuzu. But she feels invisible whenever she is with Yuzu. He only has eyes for Alice. She decides to confront her feelings, lay her feelings out to both Yuzu and Haruyoshi and see what happens. She visits Yuzu first, fully expecting to have a meltdown of emotions and feel betrayed by him again. She catches him in a rather emotional, contemplative state after hearing her sing with Silent Black Kitty. He confesses that he thinks she is beautiful and more talented than he could have ever known. Miou is touched by his sudden confession and feels seen for the first time. They share a stolen kiss then Miou quickly leaves. She goes to Haruyoshi to break up with him and ease her guilty conscience. She pours her heart out to Haru, thanking him for caring for her but confessing her love for Yuzu. He admits that he knew all along that she loved Yuzu, but he still cared for her and can't let her go like this. Miou is caught off guard by a sudden rush of emotion and find comfort in Haru's caring embrace. Haru asks for one more chance for them, to work things out.Things have been brewing in the background while all the relationship drama plays out. Momo's hugely popular band, Silent Black Kitty, is getting back together now that Momo has returned. Yuzu's band, In No Hurry to Shout, is scheduled to play a show in Osaka. Their manager calls to let them know the crazy news that Silent Black Kitty is back, and will play in a battle of the bands, head to head against In No Hurry to Shout in Osaka. The news throws everyone into a state of shock, determination, and excitement to take on their biggest rivals and prove their worth on the big stage.
Review
This volume was a good little side story that allowed some time for character growth. The main story doesn't move too much, but the teaser of a battle of the bands in the next volume makes up for that. The introduction of the models Sui and Juri felt like it came out of left field in the last volume but their little side story actually turned into a welcome distraction. The characters felt a little one dimensional, being your typical, stuck up celebrity type. They didn't show a whole lot of growth or interest outside of serving the purpose to make Yuzu and Alice work together. I kept hoping that one of the three main characters, would show some kind of growth or progress or something to get them out of this weird, abusive love triangle. And there were a couple of bumps, hiccups, and realizations scattered throughout the story, but by the end Yuzu and Momo were back to fighting over who gets to dominate Alice and make her all their own. Alice, to me, showed the least character progression out of all in this volume. She seems to be stuck in this cycle of fear, depression, and sadness until one of the boys does something to spark the music in her, then she pushes herself to create again. But as soon as that's over she's back to square one, not being able to sing, being so unsure of herself, and wishing that Momo could just hear her voice one more time. Maybe the battle of the bands will draw something new out of her.Miou is still my favorite character in the manga. She seems to be the most grounded, level headed, and grown up out of all of them. She faces her fears and insecurity without any lip-quivering, soul-sucking depression or angst. She is straightforward about her feeling to both Yuzu and Haru, and doesn't hide how she feels or what she wants. She shows the most growth and character development in the story and I hope to see more of her progression in the next volume as she faces off against Alice in their battle of the bands!
Want to read Anonymous Noise? Find Volume 8 here!Viz Media provided us with a copy of Anonymous Noise Volume 8 in exchange for a fair review.
