MANGA REVIEW | "Colette Decides to Die" - Volume Four
It’s interesting whenever a manga decides to take the focus off of the main characters, but it’s even more fascinating when they do it for a long story arc. Colette Decides to Die went one step further in its fourth volume, as it places the spotlight on an unlikely person. Or, should I say, an unlikely animal. But even then, Colette Decides to Die knows how to spin a fun and entertaining web, even when the titular character and Hades are acting as support characters.
But before we get to that, Colette is on a journey to her original home. Along the way, she runs into Hercules, who gives her a lift. But a pit stop before arriving at the home has Hercules feeling embarrassed, as he’s surrounded by people who push his tales into a legendary stratosphere. Finally, Colette reaches her destination and is reunited with an old friend.
This return to home has some bittersweet elements to it. On one hand, Colette is rekindling her friendship with her past coworkers and the like. However, she’s surrounded by new faces, and the area itself has had its fair share of changes. As such, Colette starts to feel weird about being back, as if she’s returned to a home that no longer exists. Thankfully, her friend Marie finds a way to bring that homely feeling back to her.
A good chunk of this story is focused on Marie and the other master, Itan. Two trainees have huge problems with Marie’s constant scorning, but seeing their quality of work isn’t great, it’s fairly understandable. However, the bad mouthing gets to a point where even Colette is about to explode on them. (Seeing her vent to Hades about everything is a funny sight to see.)
We see how much Itan and Marie have bonded together, both professionally and personally. It shows that the original master, Anno, picked the right people to continue on his legacy, with their work in the apothecary field being just as respected. And while Marie is often trash-talked by those she’s training, they quickly see the importance of the work she and they do, even if it’s just something like doing the laundry.
Hades gets a turn for a story, as he takes Charon to see Apollo for an annual physical. There’s a mish-mash of things that occur, from Apollo’s hoarding problem to Charon’s checkup fears, both of which are framed humorously. However, the big story involves Hades possibly joining the other twelve Olympians in their council. The reasons he should join and the reasons why not are fairly understandable, but it’s Hades himself who knows better why he should stay separate from the group.
All of this leads to the tale of Kotsume, who steals the Colette Decides to Die spotlight for the manga’s second half. He’s a little otter who worked for Poseidon, only for a screw-up on the job resulting in his banishment. With the aid of Colette, Hades, and the best skeleton crew around, Kotsume does his best to learn how to be a better helper. But with his tiny hands, learning how to carry food or wine is a lot easier said than done.
It’s funny seeing this sea otter take over a bunch of chapters of this series. While adorable and relatable, having our focus go from Colette and Hades to this fuzzy weasel lookalike might raise eyebrows for the manga’s readers. With that being said, not only are these chapters entertaining, but they push a very valuable lesson throughout them. That being said, it’s good to want to push yourself to be at your best, but know when to take a break here and there!
Although Colette and Hades play second fiddle for the most part, Volume Four of Colette Decides to Die is filled with plenty of fun and heartfelt moments. Marie and Kotsume may not be permanent players in the series, but they make for a wonderful addition to the already-massive crew. Even in the Underworld, there’s bound to be a friendly face or two waiting to help cheer you on. Colette Decides to Die showcases that strongly, thanks to its witty writing, lovable characters, and beautiful visuals.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
