MANGA REVIEW | "Romantic Killer" - Volume Three
Poor, poor Anzu. First, she has her three favorite things taken away. Then, she’s forced to interact with hot guys that she has zero interest in. Now, she’s embarking on her most harrowing challenge yet: going on a date with that rat bastard imp fairy Riri! But as the third volume of Romantic Killer shows, even someone with no need for love can find joy in the company of the opposite sex.
For starters, Anzu is starting to get used to having Tsukasa and Junta living with her, to the point where they watch TV, cook, and deal with cake-shaped cockroaches roaming about. But when Tsukasa’s sister Arisa comes around, a bit of the stoic teen’s past begins to be revealed. However, with zero progress made in this romance experiment, Riri needs to take drastic measures to make their plan work. Their solution: switch genders and go on a date with Anzu!
Of course, Anzu doesn’t warm up to the plan initially, until Riri bribes her with a mighty need. What follows is a step-by-step reenactment of every droll first date shojo manga has ever shown, from a trip to the movies to sharing rabbit poop boba tea. Although she has her reservations, it’s a moment that allows Anzu to loosen up a bit and actually have fun with Riri. Even if the imp fairy is doing this for job reasons, Riri also appears to be having a ball on what is supposedly a practice run.
That’s when Romantic Killer decides to throw in a nice twist regarding Junta. The fact that he’s actually connected to Anzu’s past shows how deep of a bond they actually have. More-so, Riri’s explanation of what imps fairies are allowed to do in the human world shows that any feelings Junta has are actually genuine. This, naturally, puts Anzu in quite the pickle, as she now realizes that Junta actually has feelings for her.
But that’s an issue for another day. A class reunion puts a spotlight on how much Anzu and Junta have changed since their grade school days. It even leads to one of Anzu’s old friends to confess some deep feelings for the lover of cats, chocolate, and video games. Naturally, confessing feelings to Anzu equates to falling in love with a brick wall, but one can’t blame the guy for trying!
The strong comedy and character development is what makes Romantic Killer a fun and satisfying read. Volume Three does a great job with setting up Junta as a possible romantic path for Anzu, while also having Tsukasa still be the main guy. However, those who’ve watched Netflix’s excellent anime adaptation will know that the fourth and final volume will go down a very unexpected path. Those who have yet to watch it best prepare themselves for when Romantic Killer goes down one anxiety-riddled path!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
