Title: For the Kid I Saw in My Dreams Vol. 10
Author: Kei Sanbe
Publisher: Yen Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 176
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Publication Date: May 23, 2023
The Story
The name of the game this time around is Backstories because we get a lot of it!
First off, we start where we left off in volume nine, with Senri being framed by Wakazono for Kazuto’s crimes all while outing Kazuto as Three Eyes. The police head to Red Leaf where Senri and Enan are hiding out. They know Senri is innocent and want to take him into protective custody but Senri knows that he wouldn’t be able to accomplish his goals that way. He flees and Enan tails him. Senri doesn’t want to get her involved but she’s going to tag along for the ride because she wants to.
Meanwhile, Wakazono and The Fire Man meet up. Wakazono wants to know about his goals and aspirations in life and even though The Fire Man leaves without telling him anything, he begins to think and we get a full and comprehensive backstory on The Fire Man, his true identity, his motives, and how he came to be!
The volume ends in a way where it sets the stage perfectly for the final showdown!
Characters
I don’t like spoiling major details so this section is going to be brief. Nearly one-third of this entire book was dedicated to The Fire Man’s backstory. I will give you some of the non-spoiler points. His family was rich and had this weird custom that if the matriarch gave birth to twins, one of them would be abandoned. Well, The Fire Man was that twin that got abandoned so he was left at a temple where he was given a room in a storage shed and meager nutrition… but he was grateful for it all nevertheless.
Because of this kind of upbringing, he was as simple as they came. He didn’t know much about the world, didn’t know the joys of going to watch a movie, or drinking soda, or what school was and why kids had to go there. All he knew was the temple and nothing else. Even as he grew up, he was still rather impressionable. New sensations to him were rather mentally stimulating and when you’re in a situation like that, getting your first taste of murder had that impressionist effect.
I won’t go further into it but I am leaving out the major details which make his backstory incredibly layered. In some regards, it kind of turns him either into an anti-hero or a tragic villain… whichever viewpoint suits you best. It was an amazing backstory, and although some parts were pretty cliché, they were still told interestingly.
Final Thoughts
One volume left to go but it looks as if we’re going to have to wait a little bit for this as it’s not due out until October 2023. I’ll be sure to offer up my complete thoughts as well as a rating when it rolls around but for now, I will say that everything has been set up perfectly.
Ever since Wakazono was inserted as a transitional villain, I often questioned why they should shift focus away from The Fire Man. Now that I’ve read this volume, it makes me fully understand why Kei Sanbe chose to go in that direction. The way everything is linked to each other was done very well and it makes me excited to see how everything pans out.
As far as predictions for the finale go, I can foresee The Fire Man dying but I don’t foresee it being Kazuto or Senri. I think Wakazono will end up getting the final blow right before the cops show up and drag him away into custody with his mind completely broken. Kazuto will probably die as that’s been foreshadowed for a long time now… and I think Senri will end up with Enan as they raise Banri as his foster parents. I just don’t think Kazuto will get the killing blow because of Banri. Without him in the picture, I would have gone with him all day, every day… but I think Kazuto might not want his son to grow up knowing the truth. Once you read this volume, you’ll understand more of my logic.
I think Wakazono is the fall guy here. It’s like in pro wrestling. You get a tag team match featuring three of the biggest stars in the company and one mid-card talent. The mid-card talent is there to eat the pin at the end of the match to protect the other big stars. Wakazono feels like that mid-carder to me. He’s there to take the fall to protect Senri and Kazuto. Then again, I could be wrong. That’s the fun part about formulating your predictions on how a story will go!
We’ll see if I’m right in October but I will say it’s been a hell of a ride so far. I’m sad to see it coming to an end!
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This item was provided for review by Yen Press.
