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Title: Hard Rock

Author:  Akane Abe

Publisher:  June

ISBN: 9781569707210

May Contain Spoilers

Being in a band is hard work, especially when nobody else takes it seriously.  When Shouri decides that it’s time to call it quits, he doesn’t quite get the reaction that he’s expecting.  The rest of the guys don’t seem very concerned, and they decide that they’ll  just have to look for another vocalist.  When Shouri freaks out, he finally gets the reaction he’s looking for.  What will happen when they all split up and go their separate ways?

Hard Rock takes a look at all four members of the band, following them after Shouri announces that it’s time for them to give up.  Each chapter focuses on a different band-mate, exploring their feelings once it’s clear that they aren’t going to be making beautiful music together for much longer.  They are a mixed bunch of characters, each with hopes, dreams, and secrets they’re keeping from each other. 

Shouri is the neediest, and also the most conflicted of the four.  He doesn’t know what he wants, he’s just drifting idly through life, and he’s hoping like hell that Nozomu will figure out that he’s in love with him.    Shouri’s motivation for breaking up the band didn’t make much sense, which led to some indifference on my part.  He just came across as selfish and immature when he wants to take his ball home and not play with the other guys any more.  What’s worse, he gets upset when they decide that they don’t need him in the band, and they’ll just continue right along without him.  Whoa! Time out!  That’s not quite how Shouri planned things to turn out.

The other personalities were an interesting mix, but because there’s only a chapter devoted to each, you don’t really get to know them or care about what happens to them after the band breaks up.  My biggest complaint with the book is the lack of emotion that any of the characters shows.  They all just float along through life, not really putting up much of a fuss, regardless of what events transpire around them.  The restrained feelings just aren’t that compelling, and though the book is a painless read, it’s not something that’s engaging or memorable.

The art is like the plot – it’s serviceable, but the illustrations didn’t draw me in.  The panels are rather spartan, offering just enough detail to set a time and a place, but not doing much to set a mood or get the characters’ feelings firmly established.  For wanna be rock stars, these guys are rather plain and don’t grab much visual attention, either.  Also, word balloons float around, unanchored to speakers, so at times I couldn’t tell who was talking. 

Hard Rock is sadly bland.  Instead of capitalizing on the potentially interesting storytelling style as Shouri, Ai, Nozomu, and Yumeji are each given a chapter to strut their stuff, the plot just sputters along.  If you’re at Anime Expo this weekend, you can pick up a copy from DMP at booth #801 for three bucks.  If you’re not, you might want to check it out from the library instead.

Grade:  C