Asadora vol 5 by naoki urasawa

This volume follows the three very different storylines of our leading ladies on the cover. Asa and Keiichi, the research assistant, took off in her plane at the end of volume 4, and now they're trying to figure out how to take out the giant monster before it makes landfall off the coast of Kamakura. Keiichi is frantically trying to decipher the professor's notes that potentially have a weakness identified, but the professor's handwriting is too illegible to figure out. Yone was scouted by a talent agent in the last volume and he brings her back to his office, but someone claiming to be her guardian comes to "rescue" her from the scout taking advantage of her, but also "advocate" for her with outfits that accentuate all of her assets. Miyako is cornered in a warehouse by hooligans who want to have their way with her, but she's saved by members of a clandestine women's fighting ring. Asa and Keiichi get themselves into trouble when Asa flies too far out to sea in a plane that isn't rated for night flights.

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Each of our three heroines find themselves in a terrible position, mostly pretty unsavory. The series has been rated for older teen, and this volume is where we start to get into some of those situations that would elevate the series away from younger readers.  Also, these darker situations are more in line with Urasawa's other series, which are usually much more focused on the dregs of humanity. At the moment, the three stories are still pretty disparate, but the payoff for sticking through Urasawa's stories to their full development is usually well worth the wait.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4  ​

Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: April 22, 2022
ISBN: 9781974727902 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Action Adventure, Historical Fiction, Family, VIZ Media