switch, Vol. 11

Switch #11

by Otoh Saki, Naked Ape

Kai Eto may look like a squeaky clean kid, but the Greater Kanto Narcotics Control Division's new investigator hides a violent alter ego and a dangerous past. Together with his stoic partner Hal Kurabayashi, Kai is assigned to track down and stop the distribution of dangerous new drugs.

Hiki and Kajiyama nail a small-time student drug dealer. The student folds like a napkin, and they turn him into an informer. But when things start going wrong, Hiki gets suspicious of their new stoolie and begins to wonder who is really playing whom.

Genres: Manga, Shonen

184 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 2007

About the author

Associated Names:
AIKAWA Lira
LIRA Kotone
SAKI Roka

Part of the mangaka group Naked Ape.

Along with her Naked Ape partner NAKAMURA Tomomi, the two frequently release doujinshis as part of the Acute Girls doujinshi circle.

Additionally, often works with the mangaka YAMAMOTO Kana, as part of the doujinshi circle Negahyst.

Reviews

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume begins with a case which happened when Hiki and Kajiyama were only officers and partners, the case which first developed their bond. Hiki shows just how devious he was even in his youth, while the Ryugen first stirs in the shadows of the main cast. It’s followed by a closer look at Miki Tachibana, all she does to support the various departments of the Kanto Narcotics Control center, suffering from a crush on someone of a much greater height (not that it stops her from teasing Mari). There’s another blast, or perhaps blow from the past when Akimune Narita receives a gift of pomegranates at the police station from a mysterious sender. This sends Narita on a trip down memory lane to when he was a rookie cop and his first partner, Yoshiaki Saiga. Not that Kai and Hal are left our of the main spotlight for the entire book. It ends with an interdepartmental sparring contest where Kai reveals just how far he’ll go to protect others.

These stories all fleshed out the leading side characters, adding pieces to the puzzle which is the overall plot. Once again the drama and darkness was neatly balanced with the humour and character driven quirkiness. Readers got to see Hiki when he was in a far less powerful position, how he won over Kajiyama, gaining the other man’s trust and why Hiki decided he needed keep Kajiyama at his side. A glimpse was offered of how serious and conscientous Narita was in his youth and how he might have picked up his irreverent sense of humour from Saiga and Kosaka, two men from his past who present an intriguing mystery, along with the case they were involved with. Just how do they relate to Narita’s current case and the gift he received?

For building up an intriguing puzzle, connecting the past with the present, all the while deepening and developing the characters, this gets four stars.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so suprised at parts and it made me want to read all night long.