In the continuing adventures of Yuu and his new inhuman sister Chiyo, they continue to spend time together at the house. Whether it’s dealing with a mosquito bite to some watermelon smashing, they each get to know each other intimately.
That doesn’t mean it’s all nice and sweet — mysterious creatures gather in the area, and as Chiyo has to be introduced to humans, Yuu’s got a bit to deal with in regards to that. With that and his uncle’s past beginning to crop up, he may soon realize he might be in over his head.
That being said, it doesn’t really feel like The Elder Sister-Like One wants to get to that last part any time soon. By far, the biggest strength of The Elder Sister-Like One is the artwork. Seductive and very well drawn, Iida Pochi’s artwork is still the main draw to this series. As, of course, this “relationship” between supposed brother and sister play out, both are drawn in various states of emotions — kind, sexy, funny, etc. And it’s great to look at. Of course, this specific part involving the watermelons was unavoidable, so it’s no surprise that was in there, and it was funny. And other parts that are supposed to be sweet (more towards the end of the volume) are touching and drawn with care.
But the biggest weakness continues to be these different stories, as none are all that interesting. How Yuu and Chiyo interact with each other (sharing saliva, how Chiyo deals with Yuu getting a mosquito bite, for example) can be entertaining, but the stories on how they get to know each other are pretty boring. The best one was their summer escapades involving the watermelons, and everything else is pretty unmemorable. At this point, the intrigue should lie in Yuu’s uncle and his family, but it’s not really elaborated enough.
But instead we get Chiyo going to the store with Yuu, which means her leaving the house.
The Elder Sister-Like One volume 2 likely needed to expand on a few other story elements rather than continue in this fashion, but in the afterword, Pochi wanted the narrative to be in the summer. That’s set to continue in the next volume too, so I’m very much hoping these stories will be either funnier or more intriguing than what’s been established so far. The art can only hold you for so long.