In the battle to determine who will earn Hogen’s recommendation, Kasane’s in major trouble. With the courses already being difficult as is and Mashima’s continued psychological sabotaging, she’s gotta figure something out. But how in the world will Kasane manage to ignore Yashima’s unprompted thoughts and dirty tricks to win this match?
…Though as it turns out, how will Kasane and Yashima win this match when Ogura comes in out of nowhere? Forgetting that this is a three person match (Kasane, due to all the pressure) and thinking his golf game is boring (Yashima), Ogura surprises everybody — he not only catches up to them, but he even ties it up! Now it’s all set to come down to the wire…and even mother nature joins in to make everything much tougher!
In this entire volume, it is all about Kasane, Yashima, and Ogura’s battle. There is a section detailing how Chip is dominating his matchups, and ultimately having a lead over all the competitors. With only two slots though (Chip locking up the top spot), it’s getting intense. And for Kasane, it’s about both overcoming her disgusting, loud-mouthed competitor (Yashima) and her doubts at the height of competition. The creators of this manga did a great job of showing Kasane at her lowest and her feeling like she has to be docile — and then at her highest, when she realizes she’ll never show the skills she’s practiced if she lets someone like Yashima psych her out.
That’s essentially the crux of it, since Yashima, with his mean-spirited efforts, is awful. With his golf skills combined with his mean-spirited efforts, Yashima ventures into territory where you just hope he gets run over by a truck. It’s that bad! Which probably is a good thing since the tension is high, and it just makes you want to root for Kasane more. But there are times where it can be a bit overdone in manga, which is why it’s praiseworthy in Kasane no Tao. It helps that there are different visual cues at good times; one example is Kasane as a boxer facing off against Yashima during a stressful part of the match.
However, Kasane no Tao volume 3 makes a point to the two that they better not overlook their competition. Ogura, criticized by Yashima for his golf game, ends up coming out of nowhere to challenge them. And it was nothing special he did — he just had a plan, and it all centers around his way of golf. The manga does a fine job of also giving Ogura some backstory, and while you know he’s likely not gonna win it all, an additional challenge has occurred that Kasane never saw coming.
One of the more important things this series has done is showcase each character’s hidden personalities in tough situations. This is a huge thing in volume 3 since these games are close and a recommendation is on the line. In some cases, either of those personalities showing in key moments (where it’s deciding to swing at a golf ball with a crab…yes, a crab under it) help or hurt the three in big spots. And it’s drawn with such nice touches that I either feel their anger or their excitement…and their mood swings at the same time.
Kasane no Tao volume 3 also showcases more interesting golf techniques and why this is also a sport. It seems easy (years ago I was one of them) to say golf isn’t a sport like basketball or football, etc. But this volume manages to show how — from just the physical toll to play different parts of a golf course, to the mental toll it takes if you’re up or behind. Iwatani, through drawing, showcases with either examples or visual cues so when a term is being explained or if there’s a stoppage in play. Because of that, it’s hard to find this boring. I personally find golf boring to watch — but in this manga, I can’t help but turn the page.
And yes, I will continue to turn the pages for Kasane no Tao, as it’s pretty incredible. The only bad news this time is this also ended in another cliffhanger. It has brought some sabotage to the course that Kasane, Yashima, and Ogura has to deal with in volume 4. Also they’re on the last hole, so this is it. I’m totally looking forward to how Kasane absolutely crushes Yashima.