MURCIÉLAGO, Volume 10 almost seems relaxing when it’s compared with the mayhem of previous volumes. When a giant shark yacks up a human arm, it sets Kuroko into the middle of a religious boondoggle, but that’s only what gets the gang to the location they need to be in.

More than anything else, this volume is almost wholly about Hinako and her multiple obsessive pursuits. What is the deal with Hinako? So far, we’ve only had portents and implications, but here in Volume 10 we can say with absolute confidence…that we have no idea. ^_^; She is obsessed with food, beetles, is a competent, if bizarre, ninja and she drives like she’s in Crazy Taxi and otherwise who or what they fuck is going on with her is unknown.

Almost shockingly, we get a genuine moment of sincere affection between Chiyo-chan and Kuroko. That’s almost immediately supplanted by arm-yakking giant shark and Kuroko perving on a girl with a large chest, so all remains normal in this volume.

But seriously, if we are reading Volume 10 of this “violence Yuri” series, we don’t need to be convinced to show up. Giant sharks are nice, but we’re here for the dead bodies and predatory lesbians.

Ratings:

Art – Well, it’s not getting worse
Story – 8
Characters – 8, although Hinako has been given an extra helping of weird along with her maguro
Service – 4 Shockingly low for this series
Yuri – 7 Chiyo and Kuroko’s moment was so sweet…until the shark yacked up the hand and died.

Overall – 8

As I said in my review of this volume in Japanese, “[n]ot *quite* as awesome as Giant Snakes, but Giant Sharks are cool too. ^_^”