Love Of Kill Volume 07 by Fe with translations by Eleanor Ruth Summers and lettering by Chiho Christie may be 90% flashback, but I still could not put this manga down. Yen Press put out a terrific manga because I love the chemistry between Ryang-Ha and Chateau. Ryang-Ha may seem comical and clingy, but he is also deadly, and he compliments Chateau’s chilly personality. I love Fe’s work because the characters stand out from looks to mannerisms, and the story is a page-turner.
Meet-Cute That Is Not So Cute
The flashback starts with the original Ryang-Ha and the currently named Ryang-Ha swiping a car to escape with Chateau. Neither knows why her father had to hide her, or even what the actual Ryang-Ha’s boss wanted with her, but the future-named Ryang-Ha has enough dreadful life experience to know they need to move. Chateau finally remembers what led up to her adoption by the Dankworths. We already know cops found her asleep in the backseat of a car with a dead young man in the driver’s seat but now we have the pieces put together.
Though we know who winds up dead because of who out of the trio is alive in the present, it was impossible to anticipate what occurred until later. Love Of Kill is a fantastic series, but there are not a lot of happy childhood memories. We also understand the connection between Ryang-Ha, why he took that name, and Chateau, but there may be more. After all, there could be more to who Chateau is and what transpired beyond what we have seen. Especially since people are still pursing her as an adult, it may be more than them seeking the “one that got away.”
Grim Flashback You Must Read
This volume is dark with the first unfortunate and indecisive Ryang-Ha’s demise, though the later-named tries to Ryang-Ha warn him. This volume is not all gloom, thanks to Fe’s lightheartedness. When the Ryang-Has consult a psychic, it is hilarious. The psychic shows them some images, and both the psychic and future-named Ryang-Ha side-eye the original Ryang-Ha. All I can say is anyone would react the same way. I loved his reference to Negan from The Walking Dead and the accompanying drawings.
Love of Kill Volume 07 is not as graphic with some violent scenes; instead, showing events at a distance, but that makes the few close-ups stand out. A couple left me gritting my teeth the way you do when you see something painful happen. Though most of the volume is a flashback, readers have been waiting to discover what happened. Nor does Love Of Kill Volume 07 drag. The pacing and tension feel reminiscent of horror movies where you see two people in different locations and wonder who the killer is going after.
Chateau and Ryang-Ha Are Dynamite
Ryang-Ha (the present-day one) and Chateau, combined with their story, which feels fatalistic and deadly, make Love Of Kill Volume 07 gripping. Usually viewed as opposites in films and stories, it is always great to see comical characters who are also tough. A person can be hilarious one moment and dangerous the next, just like Chateau’s Ryang-Ha. I hope we get more backstory for Ryang-Ha and Chateau and her team. There are dark moments, but Fe knows how to keep it light in between, and I love that.
Sounds like a winning series of manga to read and enjoy. Thank you DarkSkyLady for your wonderful review.