Archive for the Otherside Picnic Category


Otherside Picnic, Volume 12

April 9th, 2025

Two women hold hands, looking at each other as they jog forward out of the book cover frame.by Sandy Ferguson, Guest Reviewer

Otherside Picnic manga, Volume 12 concludes “The Whisper Is At-Your-Own-Risk” then launches into “About That Rush” concluding with Kozakura’s rebuttal, “Flashback To That Night”.

Another intense read, from gripping action, troubling revelations and a trip to the Otherside where Furth Kind idol Runa will discover the consequences of meeting your idol.

And then there is Toriko’s declaration of her feelings for Sorawo. The conclusion to “The Whisper Is At Your-Own-Risk” is exhausting and satisfying, there are a lot of moving parts and the artwork makes sure that you will be shocked. And then the “About That Rush” gives us a guided tour of The Mountain Ranch, the place created by Runa’s fan club to be a conduit to the Otherside.

So safe to say, there is a lot going on in this volume.

I have often explored Otherside Picnic as an exploration of trauma, of how victims try to navigate the legacy of their trauma. This volume is certainly in this case as Sorawo struggles with a critical question, can Sorawo deal with the fact that other people care for her? And that other people are even willing to risk their lives for her? This is a profound challenge for Sorawo as we are reminded that she was a victim of her own family who tried to destroy her.

So, as well as intense action, there are some intense emotions floating around.

And then to add to the pile, Sorawo also is forced to deal with the consequences of hiding stuff from people she is learning to care about, the stuff they desperately want to know. She fears the consequences of her actions, but eventually also takes ownership of them when the truth is revealed. This leads to Sorawo being confronted with a new situation, people will not abandon her.They may be mad at her but are willing to stick around to try and figure out what the hell is going on with Sorawo, because despite what Sorawo might think about herself, she is worth their care. Cue more angst from Sorawo, after all she is still figuring out what it means to care about other people and that sounds like too much work! Especially in the middle of a crisis.

And it is not just Sorawo who is going through an emotional wringer here. We see Toriko beginning to deal with her own trauma as she is confronted with a dose of reality about the gap between the Satsuki she yearns for, and what Satsuki has become.

And there are her feelings for Sorawo.

Sorawo and Torino’s relationship has mediated through the Otherside is one of a messy rebirth of 2 wounded people learning to care for themselves, one another and other people, something that is heavily illustrated in this volume.

After the intensity of the conclusion of “The Whisper Is At-Your-Own-Risk,” with an interlude where Kozakura hosts the Otherside after party we begin “About That Rush,” which focuses on the messy aftermath of the clean-up of the Farm created by Runa’s cult. There we meet a new group, Torchlight, a security group that participates in this operation. Then we are treated to an idyllic moment in the last chapter as Sorawo and Toriko explore the new possibilities of the Otherside and their growing relationship.

And then everything shifts, and we are given a heads-up that in future volumes Sorawo is going to be facing some unfinished business from her past.

In “Flashback To That Night” Kozakura provides her perspective on the events of “The Whisper Is At-Your-Own-Risk,” as she reflects on the actions of Sorawo and Toriko, and the encounter of what Satsuki has become. Kozakura gives us a glimpse of the gap between the Otherside Satsuki, and the Satsuki she knew.

Ratings:

Story– 9
Artwork– 9 The artwork is intense and vivid, something I learned while enjoying a coffee and a donut, as I followed the confrontation in the Otherside.
Character– 9, there is a lot going on with both Sorawo and Toriko in this volume.
Service– 9
Yuri – Toriko is a 10, Sorawo has some catching up to do, maybe a 8?

Overall – 9

Volume 13 is headed our way in November.





Otherside Picnic, Volume 9

April 4th, 2025

I have one real beef with Iori Miyazawa’s light novel Otherside Picnic, Volume 9. It was too short.

I’m not joking or saying that like “Tee hee, it was so good, I wish it kept going, I mean it more like, “Dude, this thing needed a denouement, a coda, an epilogue, something, sheesh.”

Aside from this one thing, this volume was excellent. ^_^

After Volume 8, it would be really hard for any author to build a compelling narrative. But, as I said in my review for the previous volume, “Because Sorawo is our narrator and protagonist the story has allowed her the time and space to be unaware that she even is a mystery, or to have any real insight to the mystery that is her.” and, later, “One of the deep leitmotifs of this series is communication – or the lack of it. Sorawo doesn’t understand people and isn’t great at understanding herself. ” This is the main thread here. Once again, under the cover of Sorawo’s disassociative cluelessness, we watch as the people around Sorawo flounder trying to understand and accommodate her needs, while she moves the goalposts as fast as she sees that a goalpost is needed.

All of this is happening as DS Research asks Sorawo and Toriko to train their mercenaries to be as prepared as possible to face the kind of horror the Otherside presents. Along with Runa and the enigmatic “magician,” Tsuji, they set up The Farm to be a kind of terror-generator. Stuck in a campsite whose only goal is to push people past their normal limits of reason and sense, Sorawo struggles most with the banalities of life and she –  and we – must confront her worst fear as she is forced to understand who people give a shit about her and want her to reciprocate.

What really got to me is how relatable Sorawo’s confusion was, even as she’s being an annoying dipshit. ^_^  It was not at all surprising to learn that other people have a strong reaction to Sorawo, although she kind of sees everyone else as Toriko and not-Toriko.

What made this book work, from beginning to end, was the inclusion of former cult-leader, touched-by-the-Otherside Fourth Kind, Runa. We are reminded endlessly that she is a minor, but we’re never really given her age. I think this is an important distinction. She’s prone to sulking like a child, and having hissy fits, but is probably older than she acts…and, we think, has no real sense of the place of family and friends in a normal life. Runa’s skill in crafting deeply unsettling Otherside horror-inducing rooms makes for outstanding story-telling. But it is her relationship, such as it is, with Sorawo that will change the story.

I haven’t mentioned Kozakura, for a reason. When we meet her, we are told she is an adult…but until Volume 9, we really have only had the vaguest glimpses of it. Now that she (too) has someone to care for, her house is becoming a home, her maturity is suddenly apparent and it deeply affects Sorawo, who is not used to feeling…things… about people.

Everything is changing and despite herself, Sorawo may have built a family. If only she can see it.

Ratings:

Art – I really do not know, let’s talk about the art next volume
Story – Also don’t know, but wow it was compelling
Characters – 9, also compelling
Service – Either no or I am getting used to it
Yuri – 9

Overall – 9

An incredible book, but it still needed a denouement. ^_^;





Otherside Picnic, Volume 10

July 24th, 2024

Two women stand back to back. The shorter with collar-length dark hair in a green jacket over striped shirt holds her hand up to her face near a blue eye, that does not match her other brown eye. Behind her is a taller women with long, blonde hair, looking back over her left shoulder at us. In the background are a tall girl with red hair, her hand on a shorter girl's shoulder. The shorter girl holds up a fist as if ready to protect the other girl.by Sandy Ferguson, Guest Reviewer

Otherside Picnic, Volume 10 includes the satisfying conclusion of ‘Sannuki and the Karate Kid’, the beginning of ‘The Whisper Is At-Your-Own-Risk’ and the always welcome bonus Kozakura story ‘Getting Lost in Self-Loathing’, the title is a bit of a spoiler…

In this volume the events of the stories happen in our world. Sorawo and Toriko do not enter the Otherside, instead they are responding to the Otherside interacting with our world in both stories, though in very different ways.

Throughout this volume Sorawo shares her thoughts concerning the nature of the Otherside and how it becomes part of our world.

And through conversations Sorawo explores the distinction between those who actively seek an encounter with the Otherside, people like her and Toriko who are willing to risk the consequences of such an encounter, compared with those who stumble on a ‘patch’ of the Otherside that has somehow infiltrated our world. This is partly as an explanation of why she is willing to help those who stumble into the Otherside, but as she also makes clear she doesn’t want to deal with them being a nuisance who might get in the way of her and Toriko’s fun.

We hear more of Sorawo’s definitions of urban lore and ghost stories and why the distinction is so important to her, with a harrowing glimpse into her childhood to explain why this is the case.

One aspect of Otherside Picnic I appreciate is the ability to portray the presence of the Otherside in an ordinary setting that I find unsettling. For example, Sorawo’s response to seeing Satsuki in a crowd and what happens next.

Satsuki Uruma looms more and more into the narrative throughout this volume in a variety of ways, such as Sorawo becoming annoyed when people are happy to tell her that she looks like Satsuki.

Satsuki haunts Sorawo’s life, not just with her presence, but her fears of what will happen if she shares with Kozakura and especially Toriko that she can see Satsuki. We see more of the connections that Satsuki made, the young women who were drawn to her and who she recruits. The question that arises is what was Satuski’s objective bringing these young women into her vision of the Otherside?

In ‘The Whisper Is At-Your-Own-Risk’ we meet Runa Urumi, also known as Luna-sama, a Satsuki devotee touched by the Otherside with a talent that is a powerful illustration of the consequences of what happens when elements of the Otherside being deliberately introduced into our world.

But it is useful to remember that Satsuki and her ilk are not the only people bringing the Otherside into our world. Sorawo uses the gift of her eye to prepare Akari for her confrontation with the Kano Sannuki.

‘The Whisper Is At-Your-Own-Risk’ is one of my favourite stories from the novels, and the manga has already got a good start in its version of the story, with its dramatic recreation of the kidnap, the story of Luna-sama being touched by the Otherside and Sorawo’s realisation that she has to face the trauma of her past as she is confronted by held captive by a cult who worship Luna-sama.

I am really looking forward to Volume 11, which comes out in November!

I was particularly drawn to the bonus short story, “Getting Lost in Self-Loathing”. As always, we are invited to witness Kozakura’s perspective on events, and this one was a doozie. Kozakura’s honesty about her complicated feelings about Satsuki, Toriko and Sorawo and how they had drawn her into the Otherside is compelling and raw.

Sorawo’s role in Kozakura’s musings are particularly interesting, as Kozakura expresses a combination of annoyance with a dash of gratitude over how Sorawo has changed her life.

Ratings:

Story – 9

Artwork – 9 “A whole lot of…teeth?” is a scene that will be haunting my dreams. And then there is the ethical dilemma, can we enjoy the wonderful artwork of Akari beating up what looks like an old woman?

Character – 9 We are given more glimpses of the complexity that is Sorawo, how she responds to the trauma of her childhood and how this has shaped her ability to be in relationship with other people. And ‘Getting Lost in Self-Loathing is an excellent character study of Kozakura

Service – 7

Yuri – 8 In this volume we are introduced to more potential Yuri thanks to Natsumi and Akari.

Overall – 9





Otherside Picnic Manga, Volume 9, Guest Review by Sandy F

May 8th, 2024

Two women sit on a bench outside a dilapidated building, eating. The blonde holds a rise ball in both hands one of which is transparent, the brunette with one blue eye and one brown eye holds a sandwich, as she speaks animatedly, smiling.Recently, to much excitement, the cover for the ninth novel of Otherside Picnic was revealed. What I noticed was how it was a neat reminder of the importance of food and drink in this series.

And food is certainly a theme in Otherside Picnic manga, Volume 9.

We have already witnessed the importance of food and drink as a way for Toriko and Sorawo as a way to recover from the trauma of the Otherside. In the conclusion to ‘The Little Birds in the Box’ Toriko and Sorawo are joined by Kozakura for a meal. A meal that leads to a conversation where Kozakura struggles to understand the hold that the Otherside has over Toriko and Sorawo despite their best efforts to explain it.

And then, with Yamanoke Presence, we have the main event! In volume 3 of the novel series, we finally had the picnic that the title promised us, and now we have it in the manga series.

It is a fun moment, with just a dash of weirdness. But in Yamanoke Presence we are reminded of what I find to be one of the compelling strengths of Otherside Picnic; its ability to shift from a cozy slice of life moment to encounters with horrors that will haunt your dreams with a dash of ‘what the heck is going on?’ conversations. For example, one of my favourite moments is watching an absolutely clueless Sorawo trying to understand Toriko’s family solution.

In this volume we also witness moments of Sorawo and Toriko’s vulnerability, particularly in the aftermath of The Little Birds in the Box. I was struck by the sight of Sorawo without her glasses, lying in a hospital bed hand in hand with Toriko. For me this moment was a reminder that Sorawo and Toriko are young women who may be strong enough to face the terrors of the Otherside, yet at the same time are struggling to connect with themselves and one another.

One of the many things I appreciate about Otherside Picnic is how Iori Miyazawa uses dialogue to make observations about larger issues. For example, Toriko’s response to Sorawo’s description of the Yamanoke critter possessing women and Toriko responds with a compelling question, “why do so many of these things go after women?” One aspect of the artwork I found very compelling is how successfully conveys Sorawo’s struggles with the Yamanoke as it possesses her. We definitely get the sense of the Otherside seeping into Sorawo’s consciousness.

Remembering that the entities of the Otherside take forms shaped by folklore and urban legends created by people, creating stories where women are all too often the victims.

We also have the first chapter of Sannuki and the Karate Kid, and A Daytime Guest which gives us Kozakura’s perspective on ‘Karate Kid’.

I confess that I enjoy watching Sorawo in full panic mode as she tries to figure out how Akari Seto found out about Kozakura’s place, and then more panic as she faces being dragged into someone else’s problem. The mention of Satsuki Uruma doesn’t help the situation, especially as her baleful presence has been noticed by Sorawo throughout the volume. Sorawo wonders what does Satsuki want, and how much of a threat is she to this unfamiliar sense, for Sorawo, of being happy? Through conversations and reflection we gain more insights into Sorawo and Toriko that reveal their unique path towards being in relationship with one another as they learn more about themselves.

Another great volume in this series.

Ratings:

Story – 9|
Artwork – 9
Character – 8|
Service – 6
Yuri – 8

The mutual nature of their relationship is growing as Sorawo muses on how much she enjoys sharing the Otherside with Toriko. But for a brief moment I do have to give a 0 rating with Sorawo’s complete befuddlement over Toriko’s parents!

Overall – 9





Otherside Picnic Manga, Volume 8

January 26th, 2024

Two women hold their hands over an ornate box, out of which fly red bird shadows. Sorawo and Toriko take steps to explore the Otherside on a more permanent basis in Otherside Picnic, Volume 8. At the same time, they learn about the consequences of contact with the Otherside….will this deter them?

No, obviously not.

The gate opening in Kozakura’s front yard is a boon for Sorawo and Toriko, even if it is a burden for Kozakura. She’s living in fear most of the time now, and is starting to get used to it, something that does not thrill her.  She’s worried about the other two, too. Their reckless behavior (from her perspective) is going to get them in trouble and she’s half annoyed she’ll have to pick up the pieces and half upset that they will get themselves hurt. This would all feel more adult, if she wasn’t portrayed like a child, honestly. It’s nice to have an adult in the room, but it is hard to take Kozakura seriously as an adult.

Now that Sorawo and Toriko have determined to investigate deeper into the Otherside, they are taken to the halls of DS Research, the obscure organization that is buying the artifacts they bring back. While this book has always had a horror element to is, relying on netlore and urban legend for the weirdnesses of the Otherside, for the first time, our intrepid adventurers come face to face with the results of digging too deeply into the “Ultrablue Light,” or UBL.

As if on cue, Uruma Satsuki appears and leaves behind an item that is a very direct attack on Sorawao and Toriko. The Toribako, a curse box full of bird-like shadows that fly through one’s body, shredding it from the inside, was illustrated in the manga as horrifyingly as it was described in the novel. Up until now, the Otherside has been vaguely menacing, but now…now it it actively trying to kill our protagonists.

This is one of the two scariest moments of the novels and once again Mizuno Eita does an absolutely outstanding job of illustrating it. I cannot get over how much the art enhances the already subtlely terrifying aspect of the UBL. Much as with Aonoshimo’s art for I’m In Love With The Villainess manga, the compelling narrative of the novel really is enhanced here by the art.

Now we must wait to see if Toriko and Sorawo will survive Uruma Satuski’s attack.

Ratings:
Story – 9
Art – 9
Character – 8,
Service – 0
Yuri – 7

In the meantime, Toriko has pointed out to Sorawao how she is changing  and becoming more caring about other people … and that terrifies her. Intimacy is the great hurdle here and will be for some time.