This final volume of the manga version of Another Side: Earthbound covers Yotsuha’s and Toshiki’s stories from the light novel. While they were pretty good overall in the light novel, the manga version may be the superior version of their chapters.
Another Side: Earthbound volume 2 is more mystical than its predecessor. That is a bit ironic considering Toshiki, after his wife’s death, completely dismisses spirituality and the like.
More on that in a minute. But first, Yotsuha. Yotsuha, being the sweet sister she is, can’t understand why her sister occasionally acts so weird…and obsessed with her chest. Sayaka doesn’t seem to notice Mitsuha being much odder than normal, but their grandmother, Hitoha, tells Yotsuha that Mitsuha may be “dreamin'”. Yotsuha understandably doesn’t get what her grandmother is saying, but she ends up having her own dreamin’ incident. It’s a one-time incident that she immediately forgets, but even this singular time slip has some aftereffects. It doesn’t add much to the overall your name. universe, but as Yotsuha visits the past, the main ideas of hometown nostalgia and everything being connected are reiterated.
Now, Toshiki. Lots of parents (in real life and in fiction) become distant after losing their partner, but Toshiki is rather unique. He doesn’t become a drunk or a workaholic; he purposely chooses a path that goes against Futaba’s family’s history and beliefs. While I absolutely disagree with how he handled his grief, the manga does a wonderful job of showing how this emotionally stoic scholar found a place — or rather, person — that makes him feel alive. When Futaba resists going to a faraway hospital for treatment, he can’t understand why she doesn’t do everything she can to fight her disease. But just as Taki and Mitsuha’s meeting has meaning, so do Futaba’s words. I can see why it may be a bit unnecessary to make Toshiki a more sympathetic character for your name. fans, but the concept of musubi is beautifully presented as he comes face-to-face with a “Mitsuha” he doesn’t know.
The art also does a nice job of packing the chapters into one volume, although there are a few liberties from what I recall. I think Futaba’s mother was more resistant to her marrying Toshiki, but she just looks at her mother with a determined look that makes Hitoha sigh in acceptance. The manga version I think suits their personalities better. All the images of cords and braids also emphasize the ideas of connections and bonds. Seeing a little Mitsuha imitating her father by reading on the porch just plain adorable.
There’s one glaring typo where Mitsuha’s name is misspelled as “Mitsuko”. There’s another part that left me confused, with an old man saying he’s been a parishioner of Miyamizu Shrine for two generations but then lists six different priestesses. I guess it’s possible that the resident meant himself and his children (although he’s old enough to be a grandfather) or the line could have been changed from the original light novel (which put more emphasis on his accent). Either way, the dialogue didn’t flow well in that part.
But despite some bumps in the translation, even if you didn’t read the light novel or the previous volume, your name. fans will surely enjoy seeing how musubi touches other members of the Miyamizu family.