Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 18, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2020

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 17.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven’t played out the way anyone expected…

With Yuzu back in Japan, In No Hurry’s yearlong hiatus is over! As the band sets out with excitement and trepidation to perform on Rock Horizon’s largest stage, how will Yuzu reconcile his past with his present? There’s no turning back once everyone’s secrets are laid bare!

Review:

Everything is leading up to Rock Horizon, where both bands are playing, the stage they've been waiting for. Finally it's here, and it's awesome for all of them.

And then Nino gets to declare her decision between Yuzu and Momo. It definitely felt like the story was leaning toward one more than the other, and I thought I knew who it was going to be, and I was wrong.

At first I was quite upset about this. While I really like them both, and both of them with Nino, even, I was leaning more toward the other one. By the time I got to the end of the volume, though, I'd warmed up to it. I can't deny their relationship is good, and that they've both grown a lot individually in order to be more stable together.

It still makes me sad for the other one, though.

Aside from the conflict there, this was a really good conclusion to the series. It's very sweet and thoughtful and heartwarming and strong. It wraps things up in a really sweet way, all the way to the last page.

I'm quite happy with this series, all the way through. Now I might watch the anime, in order to hear the real bands playing.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 17, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2019

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 16. 18.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven’t played out the way anyone expected…

After completing the in-store performance that marks their final act as an active band, the members of In No Hurry go their separate ways, each seeking a path to better themselves. Meanwhile, Momo finally crafts a song that captures his long history with Nino, but can he find the courage to ask her to sing it?

Review:

Once the band goes on hiatus, each character is able to take a little break and decide what they want, expand their talent and career as they want to. This is a big time for each of them, despite the fact their band is on a break. It shows a real maturity in them, that they're happy to work outside their band, and they're happy for each other. Particularly for Yuzu and Momo in this volume, as we see each of them focusing on themselves and their friends, but being open and happy about it. Neither of them is selfish about their music, or even sharing Nino, any more. I hadn't realized how far they'd each come until this was acknowledged in this volume.

Aside from expanding their music talents, they're also able to focus on Nino. Momo and Yuzu are friends and rivals regarding Nino, and it's finally coming to the final decision regarding the romance.

This was a really sweet volume. Yuzu has some family stuff to sort through first, and Momo is trying to catch up with the talented people around him, mainly Nino. We also got to see a bit more of the two-sided romances, both of which I really enjoy.

The next volume is the last, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all wraps up.

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 16, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2019

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 15. 17.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven’t played out the way anyone expected…

During day two of Rock Horizon, Yuzu’s concentration is shattered when he spots his mother in the audience. After a quick save from Nino, he leaps from the stage to confront her! Later, after reevaluating his life and the role In No Hurry plays in it, Yuzu gathers the band to make a shocking announcement!

Review:

The concert ends with a bang, surprisingly for Yuzu and not Nino this time. Yuzu has reached a point where he must confront his mother in order to move forward, and he's finally ready to do that.

In the meantime, Nino has finally felt the rush of performing for an audience. And now Momo is realizing that, while he was ahead of her before, she's now trying more things than he is.

It feels like things are finally starting to even-up between the characters and the bands, and thus each character gets to deal with that now.

For a surprise plot, we got to see a romance for their manager, Yana. I hadn't seen that coming, as we haven't gotten much attention from them (or at least I hadn't paid them any real attention), but it was a cute little scene. It was a little scene-stealer, honestly.

I really like all of the characters at this point. I want Nino and Yuzu to reach their potential and do the things they want to do; and I just want Momo to do good and be happy with it. Plus there's all the side characters.

I'm excited to see how this series goes from here.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 15, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2019

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 14. 16.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven’t played out the way anyone expected…

In No Hurry gears up for a second Rock Horizon show, but due to a last-minute cancellation, they have to play a bigger stage than expected. As they watch Silent Black Kitty blow away the festival crowd, the vocalist of the day’s headliner comes to Nino with a surprising proposal!

Review:

It's time for Rock Horizon again, and this year, they've got an even better slot. This new concert brings on new challenges, and a new opportunity for Nino in particular. She gets the chance to perform with another artist, which pushes her in a new way.

There's some potential progress between Kurose and An, which is good. He deserves something happy after his unrequited anguish.

Then we get a really sweet moment between Miou and Haruyoshi, in which Mious also gets some much needed closure regarding leaving the band. Somehow Miou and Haruyoshi have become my favorite couple without me realizing it, and definitely the most stable couple in this series thus far in the series.

As a note, there really needs to be a character page at the beginning of each volume.

Maybe I should watch the anime, at least to get a feel for what the characters sound like and how the bands sound. Aside from that, while this series isn't my favorite, it's still a very strong one and one that goes by very quickly. Very well written, too.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 14, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2019

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 13. 15.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven’t played out the way anyone expected…

Nino’s voice remains in terrible shape as she takes the stage at Tokyo Sailing… In a last-ditch effort, a determined Yuzu removes his mask and whispers, “Sing with me, Alice”… Will they be able to save In No Hurry’s performance?

Review:

Because of how Nino appears to be handling her struggle, Momo decides to make a drastic decision. It doesn't necessarily help in the moment, and Yuzu has to help her come to a better conclusion, still. I definitely see why Momo did what he did, but I'm conflicted about it.

It really bothers me how Nino needs someone specific to sing for, to strive for. Why can't she just do it for herself, or her fans, or her love of singing? Why does it have to be Momo? But, then again, I can see how maybe their actual relationship doesn't seem to work with what they want in life, however sad and frustrating that is.

Aside from the main triangle drama, we see Kurose making some realizations about his feelings, and fighting himself over not wanting to move forward. Yuzu has a sweet moment with Haruyoshi, and Momo gets to confront his mom and their relationship, in a real way for once.

I'm not too sure where Nino is going next, but I like where the other characters are heading at this point, at least. Still a very strong series, touching but easy to read.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 13, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2019

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 12. 14.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven’t played out the way anyone expected…

Unable to sing because she has nothing left to yearn for, Nino is caught between her love of music and her love for Momo. Meanwhile, the Tokyo Sailing concert series has begun, and In No Hurry is taking the stage with a singer who has lost her song…

Review:

The bright part of this volume is when Kurose and An go to the concert together. It's kind of a date, and we get an idea of what happened to An when she runs into old “friends”. Kurose steps up in a really sweet, necessary way for her here. I really like seeing their relationship form, as I think they'll be sweet together.

Most of the rest of the volume is taken up with Momo, Yuzu, and Nino. Yuzu is still dealing with family stuff, which is messy. Now that Nino has Momo, she's seemed to have lost her will to sing. Now that she's with him, she doesn't have anything else to sing for. Even though the band has other events to do, it's all very moody for her.

This whole thing really bothers me. I just don't get why she needs her childhood love in order to be able to sing. I get that she's been singing only for him for so long, but she could also want to sing for herself, or for the audience, or because she loves singing. It also doesn't help that I get no sense of how she's singing, so when someone comments that she's off or really going all out, it's hard to tell.

I have issues with this plot line, but we shall see how it turns out.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 12, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: January 2019

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: Some.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 11. 13.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven’t played out the way anyone expected…

The new school year brings major changes—namely, Nino is in a relationship with Momo, and she hasn’t seen Yuzu in months. Where has Yuzu gone off to? And can the remaining members of the Pop Music Club keep it together without him?

Review:

Now that Nino and Momo are official, Yuzu has disappeared. School is back in session, and the music club has a new member, a girl who throws Kuro off his guard. Near the end of the volume, Momo has a confrontation with Miou. They have an odd relationship, since they were pretty much thrown into this band together, and Miou had already been feeling like less than because of Nino when she found out their connection. It needed to happen, as Momo had already decided how much Black Kitty meant to him, and that it was separate from Nino. Miou needed to know that.

Now that Nino and Momo are together, I'm conflicted. I'm really not sure which boy I prefer for her, especially since neither feels right any more. Now she's with Momo, and I worry about Yuzu and I feel bad, and none of it feels okay. But if she were with Yuzu, I might feel bad for Momo. I don't know if there's a win here, but I don't think this is it. I think Nino and Momo are good together, though, and they're rather intense in their affection and their feelings in general.

Everything in this series is so intense, and so pointed and emotional. It's raw and also so perfectly articulated and timed. I'm not sure what's going to happen next, but I'm in for it.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 11, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5-4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: November 2018

Volumes: 17+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 10. 12.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven’t played out the way anyone expected…

Nino, Yuzu and Momo take the stage together with six years’ worth of emotions racing through their hearts. When Nino’s singing unleashes her deeply held feelings, how will Momo respond with his love for her?

Review:

Momo is helping at the beginning of their concert, because Yuzu is having problems. Nino's appreciation only serves to push Momo a little too far, though, and gives us another surprise. Just as Nino thinks she's figured out what she wants, what she's doing, one of the guys gives her another surprise. She's starting to realize that her feelings are mixed up between Momo and Yuzu. They both mean a lot to her, and they're pulling her in different directions, which she hasn't realized until now.

At one point during the concert, though, it seems like Alice was realizing her fans/the audience are there to hear her just as much as she's trying to reach Momo. I hope that becomes a motivation for her at some point.

Just as Nino and Momo seem to be steady again, as they have seemed to figure things out, it looks like Yuzu is going to mess things up again. I'm not surprised, but I'm curious to see what for. Although... I am a little conflicted, because I think I prefer Yuzu for Nino? I think I like Momo more in general, but I'm unsure for the romance...

While those three are the definite mains, I do like the little pieces of Miou and Haruyoshi's relationship. Miou's feelings for him are growing stronger, and it's nice to see Haruyoshi seeing this; it's sweet how happy it makes him, that his feelings are being returned.

Nothing comes easy in this series, and I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes next.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 10, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2018

Volumes: 16+

Spoilers?: Yes.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 9. 11.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven’t played out the way anyone expected…

With their nationwide tour in full swing, the members of In No Hurry to Shout witness a true miracle. Unable to contain his soaring spirits, Yuzu approaches Nino… Will he finally make his move?

Review:

The concert ends on a very good note, and everyone's happy, and then Yuzu gets his voice back and confesses to Nino.

Clearly this needed to happen at some point, and yet I really didn't expect it to happen like this, this soon. But I really liked the way it happened. Much like the rest of the series, it's bold and sudden and necessary. They yell, they're interrupted, they run away and then come back together. This series is very big drama, and it's done so intensely, and so very well.

I appreciate the way that Yuzu handles it, that he gets out what he needs to. And I appreciate how Nino reacts—she's stunned and unable to process, and then she runs away and yells, and has to talk to Miou about it. It's a process that they both need to go through, I think.

The volume nears its end as we see two more big moments. We see a really sweet realization and confrontation between Miou and Haruyoshi—so sweet, how they're growing together. And we get a confrontation with Momo's mom, as Nino (and the reader) gets a glimpse of why there's tension between them, and what she's like (which isn't good).

Also, as a sidenote: I really appreciate Yuzu and Momo's friendship. They have such a bromance, and I love it. It's similar to Nino and Miou—they have rivalry and conflict, and yet they also are just close, good friends. It's a pure, good theme in this series, honestly.

This series is so unabashedly good. I'm so glad it was picked up, and I can't wait for more.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 9, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: July 2018

Volumes: 16+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 8. 10.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven’t played out the way anyone expected…

At long last, In No Hurry’s nationwide tour has begun! Amidst the excitement, Yuzu—who can no longer deny his feelings for Nino—has finally declared war on Momo. And Momo, sensing the threat from Yuzu, has hardened his own resolve. But as the tour heats up, a big surprise is in store for them both!

Review:

Momo has to confront the people in his life in this volume. We get to see some of how Black Kitty formed originally, and how they reunite for this new tour. They're meeting up again on different levels now, because Momo isn't only playing and writing for Nino, and now he's looking at his band as something separate. He also has to confront his mother, though it's a little unclear why their relationship is the way it is. Him and Yuzu seem to have similarly bad issues in that regard.

As Momo seems to be getting better, Yuzu is going in the opposite direction. Everything with Nino and his mom seems to be catching up with him, and he's spiraling a little bit. Nino seems to be on the cusp of realizing what could be between her and Yuzu.

Now, I do really enjoy this series, and I like the messy relationships that there are. I'm enjoying the themes and the intensity, and I like the way they try to say something and prove something with music at times. But it's starting to bother me, how Nino keeps singing her heart out only so Momo will hear her. There was a moment a few volumes ago, where Nino realized the crowd was there to hear them, and she got into that. And now I want her to realize that she should be singing for herself. She doesn't need to reach them or have them hear her, she needs to be doing this for herself. That aspect was just starting to wear on me in this volume.

Either way, though, I look forward to seeing what happens with them all next.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 7, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: March 2018

Volumes: 16+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 6. 8.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven't played out the way anyone expected...

Nino takes the stage at the school festival, ready to deliver the message held fast in her heart. Both Yuzu and Momo have composed songs for her, but which piece of music will be the one to awaken her? Meanwhile, Kuro's secret feelings seem to have reached a turning point as well... And is In No Hurry finally ready to take things to the next level professionally?

Review:

I somehow completely skipped this volume and read the next one, and I have no idea how that happened. I will say that reading volume 8 wasn't confusing, as a new plot line started at the beginning of it. But it sure makes a lot more sense after this one.

Not a lot of action happens in this volume, but so much character progression and realization and thought process does.

Yuzu is silently competing with Momo here, as he has Nino sing a song by each of them, because he wants to see which one of them will make this work for her. She's missing something, and she's trying to find it, and he needs to know which of them will give it to her.

I'm honestly not sure which one wins. They both seem to give her something different.

On that note—I have no idea what she's actually missing. Her voice is somehow off, I guess? She can't get into the songs, or the performance, or the singing? It's really hard to tell what exactly it is that's off for her, which is probably why it's a little hard to tell what it is that she discovers mid-song. Maybe I'm thinking too hard about it?

After all of that, it makes sense why Yuzu decides to write songs for other people, after previously agreeing not to. He needs to expand his view.

I love the subtlety, the moments of realization, in this series. They're done so well, so on point and perfectly timed. I appreciate that, and it gives the series a particular intensity.

We got some progress and insight into some of the side characters, like Ayumi and his messy crush, but still most of the focus is on the main triangle. They're just such a mess, and Nino doesn't even realize it.

Manga Review: Anonymous Noise, Volume 8, by Ryoko Fukuyama

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: May 2018

Volumes: 16+

Spoilers?: Some/Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 6. 9.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Music and longing collide in this ballad of unrequited love!

Nino Arisugawa, a girl who loves to sing, experiences her first heart-wrenching goodbye when her beloved childhood friend, Momo, moves away. And after Nino befriends Yuzu, a music composer, she experiences another sad parting! Luckily, Nino reunites with Momo and Yuzu in high school, but things haven’t played out the way anyone expected…

Yuzu and Nino have been tasked with writing the debut song for a popular fashion model duo. They manage to complete their first collaboration…but to what end? Meanwhile, Tsukika goes in search of Momo, but will she be able to find him when all she has is a questionable lead?

Review:

Nino and Yuzu have agreed to write a song for this duo, and they are not quite what they expected. They give them very contrasting wants for the song, and a rather short deadline. The first couple tries they give are fine, but not what the duo want. Yuzu becomes determined to write the perfect song for them, and Nino sees something in their voices that they aren't showing.

It's a challenge, but they're determined to do it right.

Meanwhile, Momo is finally found. Both tours are drawing near. And Miou finally confronts her feelings for Yuzu and Haruyoshi. The Haruyoshi confrontation actually surprised me, but I like where they left things. I think there's still hope there, and while I feel bad for him for hanging on like this, I'm glad he's holding strong.

Of course, Nino is still between Yuzu and Momo, without realizing it. Just more torture for all of them there.

There might be confrontations coming up, there might not. It's a little hard to tell. It'll be good either way, though.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!