Children of the Whales vol 2 by Abi Umeda

Falaina is reeling from the recent attack of soldiers who look and act just as Lykos did when they first rescued her.  Chakuro uses his control over thymia to protect himself and the body of his fallen friend.  Ouni convinces the Vigilante guard to free him so that he may protect the Mud Whale, and Ouni single-handedly captures many enemy soldiers and figures out their plans.  Suou is named the new mayor of the Mud Whale, and learns that they are the descendants of banished criminals, forever hunted. Suou is tasked with carrying out the final wish of the Council of Elders - to sink the mud whale into the sand before the army comes back to kill all of the residents of Falaina. 

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There is still quite a bit of mystery surrounding the world of the Mud Whale, and the outsiders who come from a far-off nation, but this volume did give some nuggets of information that cleared up my confusion from volume one.  Our cast of characters is also getting a little more solid and developed from the first one, especially for Ouni, who was branded a trouble-maker quickly in volume one and not given much more depth.  

The illustration of this world is beautiful even amidst all the tragedy.  There are a few full two-page spreads in this volume that are really detailed and intricate.  The cover art continues to be some of my favorite in manga.

There is still quite a bit of violence, gore, and death in this volume, as there was at the end of volume one.  VIZ's rating of older teen seems appropriate, but based off this volume, I still believe a mature young high-schooler could handle this series just fine.

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

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1

Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Fantasy