Review: AFTER HOURS Volume 3

AFTER HOURS, VOL. 3
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Yuhta Nishio
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Abby Lehrke
LETTERS: Sabrina Heep
EDITOR: Pancha Diaz
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0071-4; paperback (December 2018); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
288pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

After Hours is a yuri manga from creator Yuhta Nishio.  “Yuri,” also known “girls' love,” is a genre that depicts romantic situations between female characters.  After Hours is the story of Emi Ashina, a 24-year-old, unemployed young woman who does not know what to do with her life.  At a club, Emi meets another young woman, Keiko “Kei” Yoinoma, a DJ and who becomes first, Emi's friend, and later... much more.

As After Hours, Vol. 3 (Chapters 11 to 16 to Final Chapter), Emi, Kei, and Kei's crew put the finishing touches to their long-planned rave.  Kei will DJ, and Emi will VJ, but an act of petty crime may put a crimp in their plans.  Later,  Kei disappears and Emi begins a frantic search for her.  Will Emi's new-found confidence, determination, and focus falter now that her mentor and lover is gone?

[This volume includes bonus manga, “Chapter 1 (reprised).”]

The After Hours manga is my first experience with girls' love manga.  This is a sweet, almost PG-rated-like romantic drama that is a gentle introduction to the girls' love genre.

After Hours Graphic Novel Volume 3 is the final volume of the series.  This volume is 128 pages longer than either of the two earlier volumes.  This allows Yuhta Noshio to depict the rave – both on stage and behind the scenes – in detail.  Those extra pages are also really good for detailing the story behind Kei's disappearance.

I like that After Hours Vol. 3 does not play it safe or predictable, especially after two relatively tame volumes that really were not intense.  This final volume makes an argument that there should be more After Hours.  In the meantime, the three volumes of After Hours that we have offer a nice story of young love... after hours in Tokyo.  Plus, the bonus manga offers a nice reprise of this romance's love-at-first-sight.

A-
7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: AFTER HOURS Volume 2

AFTER HOURS, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Yuhta Nishio
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Abby Lehrke
LETTERS: Sabrina Heep
EDITOR: Pancha Diaz
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0025-7; paperback (June 2018); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
160pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

After Hours is a yuri manga from creator Yuhta Nishio.  “Yuri,” also known “girls' love,” is a genre that depicts romantic situations between female characters.  After Hours is the story of Emi Ashina, a 24-year-old, unemployed young woman who does not know what to do with her life.  At a club, Emi meets another young woman, Kei, who is a DJ and who becomes a dear friend.

In After Hours, Vol. 2 (Chapters 6 to 10), Emi and Kei tell Kei's DJ crew about their plans for a big musical event.  Emi is still a little unsure of her feelings for Kei, and Emi still has an apartment and a live-in boyfriend.  When Kei learns Emi's status, she turns distant with Emi, whose secrets and anxiety are starting to catch up with her.  Will that ruin her new relationship?

I think that I had heard about girls' love manga before reading the After Hours manga.  Now, I am reading it and Sweet Blue Flowers, a yuri title also published by VIZ Media

After Hours Graphic Novel Volume 2 deals with the awkward stage in a relationship, when secrets can quickly end everything.  Emi is trying to find herself as both a VJ and as part of Kei's professional world.  This volume is a pivotal entry in the series as far as romantic developments go.  People who read Vol. 1 will want to show up for Vol. 2.

A-
7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: AFTER HOURS Volume 1

AFTER HOURS, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Yuhta Nishio
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Abby Lehrke
LETTERS: Sabrina Heep
EDITOR: Pancha Diaz
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9380-7; paperback (June 2017); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
160pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

After Hours is a yuri manga from creator Yuhta Nishio.  “Yuri” is “girls' love” manga, a genre which depicts romantic situations between female characters.

After Hours, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) introduces 24-year-old Emi Asahina.  She is unemployed and does not know what to do with her life.  One night, she is supposed to meet her friend, Mayumi, at a night club, but discovers that Mayumi has ditched her for a guy... again.

Emi decides to hide in the corner of the club, because she really does not like the club scene.  When a guy tries to hit on her, she is rescued by a young woman who introduces herself as Kei, a DJ.  Kei seems determined to be friends with Emi, and by the end of the night Emi will discover just how far Kei wants that friendship to go.

I think that I'd heard of girls' love manga somewhere in the last decade or so of reviewing manga.  My VIZ Media rep sent me a copy of the first graphic novel in the After Hours manga series, giving me my first chance to read “yuri.”

After Hours Volume 1 did not shock me at all. The first volume of yaoi or boys' love manga that I read was pretty surprising, but I can't remember which manga it was.  The characters in After Hours are interesting because there seems to be some mystery about the leads, their motivations, and their plans.  Beyond that, they are not particularly strong characters... yet.  I anticipate lots of drama in this series, just going on a few cues and clues, so I want to see more of this.

B+
7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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