Love of Kill Volume 11 drags quite a lot since the duo Ryang-Ha and Chateau are not together. Many volumes give backstories, but it’s getting tiring because it hampers the current events. This volume felt stagnant. Chateau’s looking for Ryang-Ha, someone’s torturing him, and a peek at another point of Ryang-Ha’s past. Love of Kill shines best when it pairs people up, but Love of Kill Volume 11 feels too dreary rather than hitting different emotions.
Love of Kill Volume 11, written by Fe, serialized in English from Yen Press with translation by Eleanor Ruth Summers and lettering by Chiho Christie, continues with Nikka’s odd pairing with Chateau’s team. Chateau and Nikka seek to confirm whether Ryang-Ha is dead. Though her boss Ritzland helps her, he does so with strings attached; she must sever her strange connection with Ryang-Ha and capture him.
Love of Kill Volume 11 Has Little Tension
Even seeing Ryang-Ha undergoing torture, there’s not much tension. The stakes are apparent, but the volume drags because of the switches between Chateau and the others searching and flashbacks. Sure, the flashbacks clue readers into why Ryang-Ha’s targeted, but the execution doesn’t work in this book. Still, despite the lack of suspense, it’s easy to root for someone to rescue Ryang-Ha. He’s too funny to die, same with Nikka.
The conversations feel overly dramatic or vague. Regarding Chateau, it’s preferable that she makes a choice and sticks with it regarding Ryang-Ha. After all, they’ve been through, dragging out the uncertainty this long seems pointless. The lack of interaction between the characters makes Love of Kill Volume 11 a low point. Chateau shines when Ryang-Ha’s there and vice versa, or with Nikka paired with them, but it’s just searching, torture, and backstory.
Ryang-Ha’s Mental Struggles
Amidst his abuse, Ryang-Ha keeps reciting phrases that he doesn’t want to be hurt. It’s hard to understand Ryang-Ha’s motivation entirely or if he’s mentally stable. Considering the abnormal circumstances and physical torment, it’s understandable that he’s struggling, but clueing readers in moves at a snail’s pace, along with almost everything else in this volume.
Brief Moments of Entertainment
The small moments of entertainment are when Nikka and Chateau work together; his responses and her expressions are comic relief. Unfortunately, those moments are few; the majority of the emotions here feel deadpan or pained. Still, the bright moments of comedy and brief moments of action deliver. Hopefully, the next volume gives more rather than flashbacks as Ryang-Ha waits in a room.
Love of Kill is usually fast-paced, with dynamic action interspersed with comedy and drama. However, this lacks much of what makes this series shine. Love of Kill Volume 11 feels like filler till the excitement kicks back into high gear. The tension feels nonexistent, and the volume drags with only occasional moments of relief. While I enjoy the series as a whole, and this book will most likely make sense in the overarching story, Love of Kill Volume 11 fizzles rather than sparks a flame of entertainment.
