Multi-Mind Mayhem: Isekai Tensei Soudouki is not much like what I expected. I knew a moneygrubbing samurai and modern otaku were sharing the same body, and I thought the series would be about the two spirits (and perhaps their host) squabbling or having conferences, something like the mental meetings of the various Katarinas in My Next Life as a Villainess.
But that’s not the case. Separately, Oka Sanai Sadatoshi and Masaharu Oka (perhaps related?) slowly realize they’ve died, and then there’s a mysterious light. Then Bard, the son of a count, wakes up after being ill just as his father hears from a healer Bard has two extra souls in his body.
Then time skips ahead to when he’s a young teen, learning swordsmanship from his strict mother and beginning to find new sources of income for his family’s territory. With help from his allies, Bard isn’t going to let anyone stop his new products from hitting the shelves.
Multi-Mind Mayhem stitches together a lot of popular tropes, but it doesn’t introduce us to this world well. The way the first chapter ends, readers assume that Sanai and Masaharu have gained consciousness in Bard. They obviously influence the young noble, as Bard keeps coming up with groundbreaking (in this world) ideas like refining sugar from beets. But Bard doesn’t seem to know he has other souls inside him, so right now, the title is a bit of a misnomer. The three of them are hardly in conflict. And while others are impressed by Bard’s unusual ways to wield his magic, I’m not really sure if this is Bard’s own ideas of if it’s supposed to be Masaharu inspired by anime and games. The story doesn’t really give a clear picture of how Bard views himself, and even how magic works in this world is barely explained. I’m not sure if this is more the fault of the original novel or this manga adaptation.
Instead of fights inside of Bard, there are fights over Bard. Seillune, the strict but doting maid, and Selina, the slightly ditzy head of a trading company, both act like their relationship with Bard is professional, but they’re not about to let that girl get close to Bard. The Masaharu inside of Bard is delighted by this fact, but Sadatoshi is more interested in tough battles.
While Seillune’s and Selina’s fawning and squabbling over Bard can get old quick, I do applaud Multi-Mind Mayhem for having some kick-butt females. The unfortunately named Maggot, Bard’s mom, is a legendary warrior, and Bard himself hires his mother’s friend to protect his land. They reminded me of women from Fullmetal Alchemist, and since that manga had no shortage of awesome gals, I hope this series continues to follow those footsteps.
The art is definitely at its best in high-pressure scenes. Going back to the Fullmetal Alchemist comparisons, Bard has a bit of an Edward Elric vibe in both appearance and temperament, especially his love/fear of his female mentor (in this case, Maggot). I thought Bard might be the usual all-too-perfectly-talented lead, but he’s actually acts more like his age than I would have thought. I like that he’s not some super-mature teen.
But Honoji doesn’t have Arakawa’s comedic chops. The characters in SD form are too simplistic. In some cases, it looks like someone just discovered the joys of a compass and started layering circles to call that a face. A lot of the humorous panels seem more like Twitter scribbles than an actual manga. It’s much better when Bard is plotting or swords are a-swingin’ and arrows a-flyin’. The characters have actual dimension, and the screentones and the inking are much more pronounced.
If volume 2 of Multi-Mind Mayhem: Isekai Tensei Soudouki can get the manga to look less flat while Bard is swooning over animal ears or crumbling in fear from his mother, that would go a long way. But moreso, I want the story to start to explore the dynamics between Bard and the two souls inside of him, whether he’s able to directly communicate with them or just access their memories. I think I could have enjoyed the story with Bard just as a typical short-tempered shounen action hero, but with a title like Multi-Mind Mayhem, I want to see internal conflicts as he — well, they — explore this fantasy world.