MANGA REVIEW | "Mission: Yozakura Family" - Volume Ten
So it has finally come down to this. After years of suffering, Taiyo Asano has a chance to get closure revolving around his family’s death. With the aid of the Yozakuras, who have their own reasons for this current infiltration, Taiyo gets to place his hands on the one responsible for killing his parents and younger brother. But does Volume Ten spell the end of Mission: Yozakura Family? Well, no, but that’s a good thing.
Let’s first focus on the conclusion of Mission: Yozakura Front Lines. Taiyo goes one-on-one with Kawashita, who has his own set of skills to take on the growing spy. The Hazakura Cherry Blossom Leaf is dangerously close to initiating, and Taiyo is trying all he can to keep the dangerous plant from invading. This leads to a backstory involving Kawashita and the reason behind the Yozakura family’s invasion: their mother, Tsubomi Yozakura.
On paper, it seems like yet another tragic story where someone tries to do good, only to be treated as evil. It’s a narrative that’s very family in the Shonen Jump world, and while it has its moments, I can’t help but feel like the emotional punch is lacking here. Kawashita’s motives can seem sympathetic, but overall it feels like they were just prepping for a villainous pathway. Perhaps the sting of it all comes from Tsubomi’s involvement, which comes from her not wanting the responsibly of being the head of the Yozakura family.
Thankfully, this average backstory is met with a fantastic climax, with Taiyo first giving it his all in the fight. That’s when the rest of the Yozakura family — yes, even Kyoichiro — lend a hand while Kawashita goes berserk. It’s a battle where the wounds in these characters’ hearts have the chance to be filled again, with one less evil to deal with in this dangerous world. As the dust settles, a sort of normalcy returns to the household.
It’s a good thing Mission: Yozakura Family is letting its readers breathe a bit after such a harrowing mission. The siblings return to training, and Taiyo & Mutsumi finally get their closure surrounding Tanpopo. The dog-eared Ai becomes an adoptive part of the family, with the young married couple acting like the mom & dad she’s never had. There’s even a funny chapter with Shion trying to prepare for a first date, which goes more horrible than you can even imagine.
Alas, even as the tenth volume of Mission: Yozakura Family concludes, it becomes apparent that the big story has yet been finished. A tiny bit of what Tanpopo was creating still lingers in the air, and it begins to affect Taiyo himself. Will he be strong enough to ward it off, or will the weakness in his heart take the best of him? One will have to see, but thankfully, even if more bad times are a-comin’, at least Taiyo has a strong family behind him to help evade the worst of it.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
