MANGA REVIEW | "Ayashimon" - Volume Three [FINALE]
Ayashimon had a lot of potential. An imaginative world, some great fight sequences, and a good dose of humor made Yuji Kaku’s latest series very enjoyable. Unfortunately, like a few other series I’ve reviewed in the past, Ayashimon was cancelled before it could reach full throttle. And in its third and final volume, many will read and wonder, “What if Ayashimon didn’t flop?”
Maruo and Kotton’s battle reaches its climax, with the leader of the Todoroki Alliance swearing allegiance to to Urara. But as the battle finishes up, Doppo Akari’s strength and skills reach scary levels. As such, Maruo needs to train a bit more before he can take on Akari and take Kabukicho back for Urara. However, before the final battle can commence, Urara gets balls-deep into trouble with some yokai. The gross part: I mean that in a literal sense!
There are some great things about this third and final volume of Ayashimon. The training method involving Maruo pulling chestnuts from a fire sounds silly at first, until he’s forced to use a new technique in a life-or-death situation. Yes, punching fire sounds like something a certain chainsaw-loving manga writer came up with first, but it’s still a cool concept when it’s executed as well as it was here. It’s a technique that comes in handy for Mario’s next fight, and its deals with some pretty evil tanuki!
This is where Urara shines as both a leader and a fighter. Even when she’s told to stand down and leave Kabukicho, her face and words hold a demeanor that demonstrates her will to win and survive. It’s even more impressive seeing her keep her cool when she and her cohorts find themselves stuck in a tower made out of a ballsack, a sight that made me wince just a bit when I saw just how detailed Kaku made certain…things. Thankfully, Maruo arrives in the nick of time for the battle to commence.
And here’s where things get weird with the final Ayashimon. There’s a bit of a meta moment involving the creation of the manga. It was like Kaku saw the writing on the wall, and during a big bout, decided to pull out a new twist. The problem: it’s good, but it’s done far too early. Had this manga lasted a few more volumes, it could’ve been cool; instead, for its third and final volume, it comes off as slightly desperate.
The worst part: the story doesn’t have a real conclusion. We end right when the fight between Maruo and Doppo is about to commence. Is Kaku hoping to maybe get a chance to revisit it one day? With the success of the Hell’s Paradise anime adaptation, who knows what could be in store. Maybe Ayashimon might return in manga form or — if Hell’s Paradise continues to be a success — MAPPA might option it for an anime and give it the proper ending Kaku wants. Either way, Ayashimon ends things mid-climax, denying readers the pleasure of one final explosive spectacle that Kaku was doing his damndest to bring his story towards.
FINAL GRADE (Volume Three):
FINAL GRADE (series):
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
