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Title: Yozakura Quartet Vol 2

Author: Suzuhito Yasuda

Publisher:  Del Rey

ISBN:  9780345504104

May Contain Spoilers

I don’t remember being overly fond of the first volume of this series, but volume two struck a chord with me.  I loved the moody atmosphere, and the sudden changes of pace from more somber reflections to goofy comedy sequences as the large cast of characters interacted together.  The numerous personalities did have one drawback, and that was it was occasionally hard to keep them all straight.  There are a lot of characters in Yozakura Quartet, though Akina and Hime are featured predominately here.  I like both of them, especially when they are pensive and uncertain of what path to follow.

Akina and Kyosuke have a heated confrontation, as Kyosuke accuses Akina of causing grief to the demons of Sakurashin by not tuning them.  It’s his duty to become the oyakume, but Akina is reluctant to do so.  Akina just wants everyone to live together happily, both the demons and the humans.  And though life can be a little rowdy in Sakurashin, everyone seems to get along, so he doesn’t want to rock the boat. Besides, he’s become very fond of his friends, and he doesn’t want to send them to the afterworld. 

By following the family tradition, Akina has a lot to think about.  Sending a demon to the afterworld severs their connection to this dimension, and by his way of thinking, that equals killing them.  He’s been carrying this emotional burden around since he was a kid, trying to reconcile his duties with his feelings.  Is he supposed to send his friends to the afterworld, as Kyosuke suggests, cutting them from his life forever?  It’s an interesting problem he has to weigh, one that I found very compelling.

After this dose of serious soul searching, the story wanders off in a more lighthearted path.  There’s some public drunkenness that doesn’t devolve into the mess it easily could have.  Since most of the drunks were demons who possess some pretty amazing powers, their restraint is probably appreciated by the townsfolk of Sakurashin.  Suzuhito Yasuda has made Sakurashin a fascinating place, and the mix of comedy and melodrama kept me engaged in the story.  The characters all interact very believably, as egos clash and friendships are cemented.  The art ties it all neatly together, as clean, firm lines etch vivid expressions across the rambunctious cast of characters. 

Yozakura Quartet is shaping into a fun series,though the large cast is occasionally overwhelming.

Grade:  B+