こばと。/Kobato Volume 02 Manga Review

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

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SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Kobato starts her new job at the Yomogi Kindergarten where she is well received by the kids, though Fujimoto doesn’t trust her. To complicate Kobato’s life further, she discovers that Fujimoto lives in the apartment next to hers. Not having a futon, the landlord Chitose gives Kobato an old one of theirs. In addition to working at the school, Kobato hopes to heal Sakaya’s wounded heart as well as some others.

One day, Kobato arrives at the school to see some thugs bullying two of the students, claiming to be there for a debt owed. The boy, Toshihiko, is protecting a girl and Kobato tries to help. Fujimoto ends up sending the thugs packing. That evening, Kobato finds Toshihiko alone in a park on a swing. As his single mother works long hours to support them, Toshihiko is often left alone and is the subject of gossip. However, Kobato’s honest praise of Toshihiko’s mother causes his wounded heart to heal and Kobato to have a small pellet appear in the bottle.

Kobato gets more involved in Sayaka’s problems when she takes a call from a yakuza leader who wants payment of the debt owed him by Sayaka. His manner of addressing Sayaka puzzles Ioryogi, since he’s not using an honorific for Sayaka’s name, nor is the yakuza using Sayaka’s family name, suggesting he knows Sayaka personally. Returning home, Kobato ends up taking with Chitose, where she learns that Chitose and Sayaka were classmates and friends in high school. Kobato tells of the school’s apparent financial problems and gets the idea to hold a bazaar to raise money for the school.

The next day, she presents her idea, but Fujimoto scoffs at it. Kobato is depressed by this but is cheered a bit when Sayaka-sensei decides to go for it. As preparation works begins, the yakuza leader pays a personal visit and chats with Kobato, promising to crush the school and the kids inside if they don’t vacate the place. Fujimoto gets wind of this when he hears Kobato talking to herself about the problem and he makes her promise not to bother Sayaka with it. Fujimoto places a call to the man, named Okiura — the same family name as Sayaka, and tells him to back off.

The day of the bazaar finally arrives but no one shows up. Kobato is depressed until Chitose arrives with her two daughters, stating that the signs she saw posted had an incorrect date on them. Fujimoto realizes that Okiura did this and Kobato races off to pull in some customers. Fujimoto tries to stop her, but she won’t be stopped. Kobato’s efforts pay off big time, starting with the old woman fortune teller, then many other people from town. This results in Kobato scoring a number of wounded hearts at the bazaar.

The next day, she is two minutes late to work and takes some verbal abuse from Fujimoto for it until Sayaka steps in and reveals that he was a minute late. Kobato, knowing that Fujimoto is up very early and home very late because of part-time jobs, asks if he is taking care of himself, something that takes him aback. He recovers and she’s put to work placing new blankets away. The phone rings and she answers it, only to hear the voice of the yakuza Okiura on the other end.

Thoughts/Review: Now that Kobato has her magic bottle, it appears that the story arc regarding Sayaka-sensei’s wounded heart will be the main focus for some time. Of all the “stones” (for lack of a better term) she’s collected for wounded hearts, only one received any kind of story to go with it. To be honest, that doesn’t bother me and in fact, if Kobato were to collect most of the stones without any kind of explanation beyond some throw away lines, I’d be OK with that as well. It seems her quest is less important than whatever is going on with Sayaka-sensei. After she gets her bottle filled, it would open up a whole other story I’m thinking.

Still no clue as to what Ioryogi or Kobato are though, beyond some sort of denizens of the spirit world. Still no clue as to what Kobato’s wish is either.

I do find it interesting that Sayaka and the yakuza have the same family name. I suppose Sayaka could be a rogue family member of a yakuza clan who wanted to set off on her own and borrowed some money to do it. Then again, it might be Fujimoto who has the debt and Sayaka decided to take responsibility for it only to have her family decide this isn’t good enough. I say this because Fujimoto mentions to Okiura about having been picked up as a stray by Sayaka. Up until then, I’d rather assumed that Fujimoto just had a crush on Sayaka but was being the ultimate nice guy by trying to help her. Now, I’m not so sure it is a crush, though I think it is safe to say that Fujimoto does love and care for Sayaka.

Anyway, I’m sure we’ll get this trio of Fujimoto, Okiura, and Sayaka untangled soon.

It does appear that Fujimoto is slowly warming up to Kobato and I figure that she’ll collect a wounded heart from both Fujimoto and Sayaka before the story arc is over.

On the Yen Press side, the volume meets with my honorific approval. Only a partial page of translator notes this time, but I’m glad we go what we did.

So, we have an interesting volume that goes more into plot and less on the comedy aspects provided by Kobato. I’m rather curious to read more of this one, whenever Yen Press publishes the next volume.