I mentioned in the first volume’s review that I loved the cover. This one is just as great. There’s the pretty foil logo, of course, but we don’t see too many winter scenes on manga covers. I love how artist Kameya takes full advantage of the entire cover to showcase the snow and winter gear, even going beyond the faux border.
But enough about the outside. What about the inside?
Shogo and his new party get ready to team up with Randolf and other adventurers to take down the dragon that killed Shogo’s sister. As you can tell from the cover, it’s a difficult encounter in harsh conditions. Heck, Shogo almost kills himself by nearly falling off a cliff before the fight begins. But the battle seems to be going in the adventurers’ favor thanks to him, but, of course, it doesn’t stay that way for long. When Randolf orders the retreat after a devastating attack, Shogo’s hope of avenging Yuko and getting the reward appears to be going up in smoke mist.
(Kudos if you get the reference.)
After they leave the winterland, Shogo and company head off to Mysidia for more series jokes…I mean, to learn about Raise. The volume ends with Shogo in yet another pinch thanks to a woman in Shiva-style clothing who makes Tifa Lockhart look like a modest A-cup. The art has been amazing, capturing the spirit of Final Fantasy, but when I saw her, for a moment I thought my book had been switched with some harem manga. The series has never shied away from fanservice (X-2 waves hi), but she’d still fit the bill with half the chest size and twice the bikini bottoms.
Final Fantasy Lost Stranger volume 2 is about 225 pages long, so even though technically it doesn’t cover a lot of ground (one battle plus the arrival in Mysidia), neither part seems unnecessarily long or short. Shogo’s fight with the dragon reaches a satisfying conclusion without any deus ex machina, and the sheer power of his attackers at the end brings new questions and mysteries. One of them has sensed that Shogo is not ordinary, and I’m looking forward to what she and the others learn about why he was brought here and given the power of Libra.
I can’t compare the translation to the simulpub chapters on Crunchyroll like in the first volume, so I don’t know if there are many changes again. The translation notes pointing out references return. It’s times like this that I dislike Square Enix’s localization names, as “Firm Resolve” fits Chapter 5 much better than “Decision on the Docks”, which is how Square Enix chose to name that same track. Oh, well.
Anyway, Final Fantasy Lost Stranger volume 2 improves on its shaky opening with a good Boss battle and a second that appears to be reducing his HP to 1. If the creators can keep up this FF-style adventure, then my lackluster feelings about the opening will be unfounded. I just don’t want to be inundated with big-chested women in skimpy outfits…