Otherside Picnic, Volume 7 is an excellent read on every level. In fact, please feel free to stop reading right here and just go read the 7th novel in Miyazawa Iori’s scifi-horror series. It’ll be worth the time and you’ll probably get more out of it than reading me talking about the book.That said, I have quite a lot to say about this volume. ^_^
When the cover was released, you could hear the cries of fandom Internet-side. This cover presaged an intense volume. It wasn’t lying.
Volume 6 set up a newish conundrum for Sorawo and Toriko. Having established that they both have reciprocal feelings does not actually help Sorawo at all to sort out how she’ll deal with her partner.
As the curtain opens on Volume 7, important things have shifted. Sorawo still isn’t really able to human quite yet, but she’s…different. Her ideas are better formed, her goals are clearer, and in this volume she steps into a leadership role that suits her well. Toriko is struggling with the idea that she’s been one of many women for Satsuki Uruma, and, for the first time, Kozakura joins the adventure as an adult, and equal. Up to now, she’s acted much more like the child she resembles, rather than the adult woman she claims to be. In essence, our team has begun to find themselves in the middle of the chaos of the Otherside.
As a thriller, this volume was super solid. The main plot, the way the Otherside in general and Satsuki in specific, responded to Sorawo’s tactics were fantastic. This volume successfully rehabilitated several previous characters, while never losing site of humanity’s weaknesses. The climax was excellent. Well-conceived and executed…this was a genuinely outstanding volume.
shirakaba’s art is back to illustrating the people but there’s been visible improvement in the art, so it feels less like a sop to the concept of a “light novel” than it used to.
While the series does feel a bit like it must be winding down at this point, there’s still some cleaning up remaining. Or…I certainly hope so. This has been a wild and creative ride – I’m reluctant for it to end. We need more Yuri scifi. I need more Yuri scifi. This volume had some outstanding horror beats and even more excellent emotional beats.
For a series built around unspoken fears and emotions, Otherside Picnic has done a fantastic job of expressing the unspoken fears and emotions of humanity at large and the individuals it features. As a result, I’ve been able to learn about myself, as well. If you’ve been hesitating picking up this series, I think it holds up under scrutiny. Give it a try.
Ratings:
Story – 9
Character – 9
Service – 1
Yuri – 8
Overall – 9
I’ve managed to review this without spoiling it at all. If you’ve already read it, I’d love to hear what you think in a spoiler-free manner in the comments!
My only spoiler – I was so glad to see Kokkuri-san in this volume, I applauded. ^_^
I’m so happy you reviewed this book so quickly. I shoved things aside to make room for reading this book when it arrived.
I agree that this felt like a wrapping-up, but hope it’s mostly just a wrapping-up of the Satsuki story-arc.
Agreed that it is good to see Kozakura “grow up”.
That the conclusion of this volume only represents a way-station on the journey is indicated, I think, by the way Sorawo is developing a theory that entities on the Otherside are trying to communicate with them.
I was a little surprised at the path to redemption opened for one of the characters (and think the rocky road she is likely to need to travel could form the core of a potential “next arc”). I just wasn’t expecting that character to develop beyond the role they’ve already played in the story. The ethical concern for the treatment of that character was a good thing for a book of this nature to touch upon.
Plus, there’s the matter of Kasumi (a (surprising) part of Kozakura’s growth).
Agreed on all counts! The one thing I think was extraordinary was Sorawo’s evolution to team leader. She was looking to Toriko, then Kozakura, then Migiwa for leadership, but this volume cemented her as the leader.
Now that you point it out, I think you’re correct about Sorawo growing into the leadership role. It slipped right past me — but I think that’s partly because it seems like such a natural flow. The thing I did notice was both her growing self-confidence and her growing ability to “read the room”.
The anthropology seminar at the start of the book was great! Some of Sorawo’s fellow students appear to be able to go with the flow of her ideas, and the professor looks to be a good mentor-at-a-distance.
Also agreed. One good teacher can affect great change.