It’s basketball season for some, but here at Miso we’re celebrating Manga Minis March Madness Part 1! Instead of having (usually) monthly installments of Manga Minis, this month I plan to release four columns! These smaller bite-sized columns will be two-packs, which means more to love more often. This time around, we have two spin-offs from VIZ Media, so let’s check them out now.
Beast Complex Volume 2 (VIZ Media)
Way back when I wrote for another outlet, I said that Beastars Volume 13 felt more like filler. I still believe this to be true, but the Beast Complex subseries justifies the setting’s plot relevance. While the first volume of the manga was filled with one-shot tales, this one contains characters from the original Beastars.
The second volume of Beast Complex revolves around the apartment’s zany cast of characters. For example, you have a Sea Eagle that’s a freeloader and a taxidermist pig! Each of these tails… erm, tales highlight a small slice of the characters. I especially enjoyed “The Chipmunk and the (Mountain Hare)”, which organically mentions the Beast Complex while delving into herbivore/carnivore dynamics. It’s also the closest to the Legoshi/Haru dynamic that we’ve grown accustomed, which is a great parallel. “The Shiba Inu and the Shiba Inu” also highlights how expressive Paru Itagaki’s art style can be. Mugi is adorable, regardless of if he’s his chubby 40-year-old self or cosplaying as an idol. These characters get a day in the limelight, and provide a lot of necessary worldbuilding to the world of Beastars.
If there’s one complaint (other than a lack of Sagwan, the nudist seal) it’s the general brevity of each story. While all of the stories have an ending, a lot of them feel unfinished. The mangaka might return to these characters, but a lot of stories could be resolved in a few more pages. It doesn’t help that the final story (which revisits our main cast), feels out of place with the rest. Sure, Legoshi is part of the Beast Complex too, but his tale should be told somewhere else.
All in all, Beast Complex Volume 2 does what a good spin-off manga should; focus on worldbuilding and lesser-known characters. While I’m sad the main manga is finished, I know I can still dive into the world of Beastars.
Rating: 4 out of 5 UwUs
My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions Volume 3 (VIZ Media)
Rounding out Manga Minis Madness Part 1, we have the third volume of My Hero Academia: Team-Up Missions. While I don’t mind this series alongside the main one, I feel like it’s not living up to its potential.
This volume has seven chapters of (maybe non-canon) hijinks in a more comedic bent. Mineta acting as a dog to infiltrate the girls’ rooms but unwittingly orchestrating an animal trafficking sting. Some Class 1-A girls want to slim down for summer, and Class 1-B members get in touch with their instincts. There’s also a story featuring Rody from World Heroes’ Mission as he and his siblings visit Japan for the day. All these tales are completed in their standalone chapters, which means they’re easy to digest.
The same problems I had with previous volumes are present, mainly that many stories end in an action conflict unnecessarily. It’s definitely fine to have a slice of life chapter without it turning into a battle manga, but I digress. This volume also features plenty of Midoriya and Bakugo, and I would rather focus on the lesser-known cast members. Thankfully, their presence usually is offset by other characters, so they aren’t hogging the spotlight.
With the main My Hero Academia series delving into serious territory with its endgame, it’s nice to have some levity. It’s not a groundbreaking spin-off series, but it does the job in providing an entertaining read. Just don’t expect too much out of it.
Rating: 3 out of 5 UwUs
Thanks for reading Manga Minis March Madness Part 1! Stay tuned for another column!
