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Did I just see a man have sex with a ray?
Yes, yes, I did just see a man commit bestiality with a sea creature. And evidently, he usually pleasures himself with an octopus.
I really wish I just hadn’t eaten fish before reading this…I may never eat seafood again…
If you couldn’t tell from the cover and the title, Hinowa ga CRUSH! is a direct sequel to Akame ga KILL! If you’ve skipped the original series completely, author Takahiro states he plans on writing something that new fans can enjoy. Still, most of you will want to finish that before picking this up, as it explains how Akame ended up in a strange land. Akame isn’t the titular character this time around, but she’s still important.
The manga introduces Hinowa, a lady leading a troop for a naval battle. She decimates the enemy troops, the first steps toward making a name for herself. But she ends up facing Yomihime, an enemy warrior with strength beyond that of a normal human’s. Here is the twist (slight spoilers): Hinowa dies. The titular Hinowa is actually Hinata, Hinowa’s daughter who takes up her name in her memory. That was a surprise — in a good way.
The manga initially overloads readers with all the names of countries and commanders, but it’s better once the Elder explains the current state of the world to Akame. Anyway, Hinata/Hinowa and other town misfits join the army to fulfill their dreams of glory and/or money, and the volume ends as they find themselves in their first real battle to defend the country of Soukai.
It’s hard not to make Akame ga KILL! comparisons with the country involved in a war, a group of tight-knit warriors, and the fact that the enemy’s commander appears to be a calm, powerful monster. But Hinowa vs Yomihime will be a much more personal battle than Akame vs Esdeath. Even moreso, the difference is that Hinowa ga CRUSH! is setting the stage for a huge continental conflict versus a civil war. Plus, no Teigus means that the battles rely on personal skill and strategy, not some special weapon. Their commander is no Najenda, and Hinowa and company are ostracized in their town, so I’m cautiously optimistic that this won’t just be about fighting the enemy nations. Because if one of the first Soukai commanders introduced is a pervert, could that mean the actual enemies are even worse?!
What I’m not sold on is the art. The first chapter wasn’t too bad, but it took a dive in the second. Characters’ eyes are often unbalanced, and faces are flat. Akame looks older on the cover, but I don’t think this story takes place too far off into the future. (She doesn’t look like she’s aged as much in the actual story.) Like its Akame predecessors, the violence is graphic, but it doesn’t have Zero‘s fanservice. For me, that’s nice considering this is about war, not finding excuses for the girls to strip.
The Hinata/Hinowa was a great way to flip the table on readers’ expectations, but the rest didn’t live up to that moment. The cast is fine, but the art is shaky…and, of course, the whole sex-with-sea-creatures thing. I’d rather not spend a manga worrying whether there will be more on-screen depictions of bestiality — or worse. Please kill him fast, Hinowa and friends! The sake of my stomach — I mean, the world — depends on it!