Title: Dead Mount Death Play Vol. 13
Author: Ryohgo Narita (Story), Shinta Fujimoto (Art)
Publisher: Yen Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 178
Genre: Supernatural, Action
Publication Date: February 18, 2025
The Story
Volume 13 of Dead Mount Death Play continues the twin battles of Yumeji versus the werewolf as well as Polka and Katashiro vs the twin children named thirty-six and thirty-seven. The majority of the volume is all action; however, we get some dialogue during the fights that sort a few things out. Eventually, Yumeji and the Agakuras’ battle spills over into Katashiro’s. There, Yumeji discovers that Majiri is there alongside Polka who he immediately can see is not the real Polka. After Katashiro calms Yumeji down and convinces him he’s not an enemy, they tag team with the large werewolf which thirty-seven and thirty-six refer to as “daddy.”
Through all of the dialogue, we learn what Higuro’s role was in all of this and how Yumeji views Hirguro despite him being the new Mediator of Shinjuku and his successor. Once the battle’s tide is turned, Polka decides to throw caution to the wind and invoke his powers as Corpse God in front of everyone. He sends the large werewolf to the basement where Majiri grins and thanks him for showing her what she was looking for.
This takes us to a flashback where Polka, Takumi, and Civil are having a conversation about what happened between the two worlds. We finally get answers to everything… how the empire collapsed after Fram was killed by Corpse God, how a power struggle resulted in the linking between the two worlds, and why they were linked. Through Civil, we learn that there are three factions from the Byandy Empire at play… Civil’s faction who believed in Arius Sabaramond, a faction that is non-threatening and just wants to make Earth their new home in a peaceful way, the those who wish to steal Earth’s technology, bring it back to their world, and meld it with magic to build a new future… at a severe cost!
Characters
Katashiro received a great deal of development in this volume but not in the traditional way in terms of backstory. Instead, we learn how he fights and, honestly, being the Mediator of Akihabara, I should have seen it coming. No, he doesn’t use anime style to fight… he uses Dungeons & Dragons to fight! Yes, he rolls several dice. If it rolls a Nat One or a Critical Failure, he’ll purposefully miss his attack. If he rolls a D20, he will deal the most severe attack on his opponent. The fact that he goes up against thirty-six and toys with someone of superior speed and strength in this way shows just how powerful he is… despite the fact his internal monologues just paint him as a scared otaku who just wants to go home! I think this seals it. I am formally declaring Katashiro as my favorite character in this series!
With Yumeji, we don’t get much in the way of development; however, we do learn that he is of his own mind and body… by that I mean he doesn’t care about what Higuro did before him as his predecessor. Instead, after witnessing what he was involved in, his opinion of him is dwindling!
Then, we get the lore bomb dropped by Civil which explained everything that was happening between the two worlds and the different factions. It also explained why he arrived in the world and what he was trying to do. Also, through him, we get a small piece of indirect development for Takumi in the sense that Civil acknowledges that Takumi is to be feared and be wary of more than Polka/Corpse God! One can only wonder what he meant by that!
Final Thoughts
While not all of the questions were answered, the few that did receive answers were monumental questions. Learning about the three factions in relation to the Byandy Empire and what one of them wants with Earth is pretty interesting. It does make sense and, in a way, it also sheds some light on the Fire Breathing Bug even though it didn’t answer the question about him/her fully.
The action was great and, of course, the right mix of humor was stirred into the pot which made the battles very enjoyable. Katashiro stole the show here, hands down. As I said earlier, he is officially my favorite character in the series now and if this volume doesn’t make you appreciate him as a fellow otaku, you need to get your pulse checked! I also like how despite the battle, he tried to communicate with thirty-six and even went so far as to give them names… Trix and Teven (36 the brother and 37 the sister, respectively). It showed that despite having an opponent trying to kill him, he was still thinking about them enough to care.
Sayo had some funny moments… especially when she shared a little bit of the backstory of Yumeji and Polka when they were kids. Even back then she was into sharks. Majiri revealing her true goal was interesting which led to the lore reveal, too which made for quite the ending! This series continues to fire on all cylinders but we are now 13 volumes into it. Just from the way things are being framed, I would suspect that we are entering the final arc. I could be wrong but it just seems that way to me. With all of the mysteries becoming unraveled, I feel more and more will be revealed and in classic Ryohgo Narita fashion, all of the pieces of the puzzle will masterfully fall into place!
Looking forward to seeing what happens next!
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