The Young Master's Revenge - Volume 2 (Review)
By: EyeSpyeAlexMissed my last review of The Young Master's Revenge? Check it out here!
Warning! Spoilers ahead!
Who ever said revenge was easy?
Trying to save money, Tenma decides to transfer to Suzaku, a public high school which is on Genbu school grounds. Upon learning that Tenma is serious about transferring (and that Genbu's shijin is a turtle), Leo decides to transfer as well. The sudden transfer is not well received by Suzaku students or by Genbu Student Council President, Barazono. After Tenma stands up to the Genbu baseball team, Barazono decides it’s time to visit Suzaku. He is meets Suzaku’s Student Council President, Sumire Tojo, who greets him with open hostility. Both Tojo and Tenma request that the Genbu students leave Suzaku’s practice spaces alone. After some negotiating, both the Rose King and Tojo come to an agreement. The winner of Suzaku’s ekiden race will have control of both the school grounds and Tenma’s future at school.
The days leading up to the Ekiden only grow more stressful as the students of Suzaku learn that Genbu has brought in transfer students from Kenya to run the race! Knowing that they will be unmatched in skill, Leo uses his brain to set a trap for the transfer students. At the water station Leo sets a trap for the transfer students, complete with comfort foods from home and video messages from their families. This allow Suzaku to close the gap, resulting in a neck-in-neck race to the finish for Leo and the Rose King. Upon seeing Tenma in her cheerleading outfit, the two quickly forget what they’re doing and the race ends in a draw.Despite the anticlimactic end the students of Suzaku manage to regain 40 percent of their school grounds for their sole use. The situation escalates as the Rose King kidnaps Leo and forces him to come to terms with his feelings for Tenma. In doing that the Rose King looks forward to seeing Leo as a rival for Tenma’s heart. Meanwhile, Tojo tells Tenma to prepare herself for their rivalry for Leo’s heart. In the words of Pat Benatar, love is a battlefield!
The Review
This latest volume of The Young Master’s Revenge does a lot in terms of plot advancement. It was clear from the first volume that the story would progress towards Leo and Tenma falling in love. Actually seeing it happen makes it feel like a worthwhile investment both the story and the development of the characters. We can see a dramatic change in Leo’s attitude towards Tenma at the end of this manga. It will be interesting to see how Leo handles these new feelings.
One thing The Young Master’s Revenge needs to work on is properly identifying their characters. Secondary characters are very rarely addressed by their names which makes it incredibly easy to forget who characters are. On top of that the art is pretty formulaic and similar to most shojo manga out on the market. It would be nice to see the art take on its own unique style.Fans looking to add The Young Master’s Revenge to their collection can purchase it in stores or here from Viz Media.