Title: For the Kid I Saw in My Dreams Vol. 2
Author: Kei Sanbe
Publisher: Yen Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 184
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Publication Date: June 18, 2019
The Story
Volume two of For the Kid I Saw in My Dreams picks up after Senji and Sejima was kidnapped. They end up getting Senji to hand over all of the savings he made from his money recovery scheme. From there, Senji feels that even without the money, he needs to continue to seek out and kill “The Fire Man” for murdering his brother Kazuto.
Senji meets up with Togashi, who is one of the people who kidnapped him, in order to get some information out of him. This leads him to a shady loan place called Momomiya but he’s tailed by Togashi who ends up saving Senji from being caught snooping around. From this point on, Senji needs to think of a way to find leads since snooping around Momomiya isn’t going to do him any favors. He decides to visit his old house and Enan tags along with him. There, Senji takes a hike through the mountains with Enan to an old radio tower that played a prominent role in Senji’s backstory. While the two of them slept under the stars, Senji has a vision in his dreams.
That is when Senji comes to a shocking revelation… and our volume comes to an end!
The story was a bit slower in this volume but it was still highly interesting. We got some nice backstory on Senji and how he came to know Togashi, Naitou, and Totsuka. We also got to meet Senji’s grandparents, as well as get a bit of a deeper connection between him and Enan. It was about a 50/50 balance between character development for Senji as well as plot progression and it was a nice balance for a second volume.
The major revelation at the end could be a series-altering moment. Goals could change but I have a feeling that they won’t. The focus of Senji’s mission might stay the same but the path he will walk may end up being incredibly different now. Still, it set up a really interesting twist that is changing the entire premise of the series.
Characters
Senji received the most backstory in this volume. We saw some more details with him while he was at the orphanage. He liked to play rock-paper-scissors with himself in front of a mirror. While that may seem odd, there was a deep and moving reason behind it. We also got to see how he met his “partners in crime” which wasn’t as elaborate as one would think. He simply walked right up to Togashi, Naitou, and Totsuka and just started talking to them. Pretty straightforward stuff there. Then again, when dealing with thugs like that, you kind of have to be plain and simple with them.
Through this plus what we know from the first volume, you get to really feel just how complex Senji’s life was for him and how it shaped him to be the person that he is today. One of the common themes for Senji in the back half of the volume deals with him thinking about the future. When I say that, I don’t mean Senji himself but rather people like his grandparents and Enan. They want to know if Senji is considering a future and if there is any chance that he would be happy in it. Just bringing something like that up will help shape Senji’s character by having him make different choices. It gives him something to think about and because as such, Senji might not act so irrationally as he has been. We’ll see if those words resonate with the character, though. I have a feeling after the huge revelation that he had at the end of the volume, we might see a character shift for him coming as soon as the next volume!
Togashi received a little development here. Moreso in the personality department more than anything. Togashi could read Senji’s eyes during their discussion and found him interesting. This is why Togashi felt like he could help him by providing him information; however, Togashi’s suspicions on what Senji would do with that information were spot on which is why he decided to throw him a bone and save him getting caught at Momomiya. Afterward, Togashi states that he lost interest in Senji but I don’t think the two of them are done by a longshot. I can kind of see Togashi becoming a voice of reason for Senji and while Togashi seems content with ending their acquaintance right then and there, I have a feeling Senji will be going back and looking for him again at some point.
Lastly, how cute is Enan? She looks after Senji like a big sister but that’s to be expected since they knew each other from the orphanage. Even still, she repeatedly says “there’s something I’ve always wanted to ask/tell you” during this volume but with the way her actions are, she hasn’t asked Senji the one thing she really wants to say. Without having to read too much into it, it’s pretty obvious that Enan likes Senji which is why she’s always so worried about him. It seems that her worries go beyond simple friendship but I felt like she was trying to find the courage to tell him that but couldn’t so she diverted into asking him tough questions as a subtle way of saying “hey, I care about you.” Maybe that wasn’t intended and she was just playing the “childhood friend/sister” role but I still think it’s pretty obvious that they’re going to end up together one day.
Final Thoughts
Volume two hasn’t let its foot off the gas when it comes to generating interest. While the volume was a little slow at times, it still had you turning the pages as the information was a bit thought-provoking. The volume does get a little philosophical but it was all for the sake of character development which is exactly what a second volume should do. Once the world and plot have been established, the characters need to get their time in the spotlight and this volume accomplishes that perfectly.
The ending has such huge implications on this series so it makes me wonder when their third volume will take us from here? It could signal the change in Senji as a character or goals could remain the same for now. There are a ton of different directions we could go in and that’s the exciting part! It’s everything that a cliffhanger should be as it generates interest in reading the next volume all while giving the reader the ability to try and predict what will happen!
For the Kid I Saw in My Dreams is shaping up to be another phenomenal series from Kei Sanbe. If you haven’t started reading it yet, do yourself a favor and pick this one up!
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This item was provided for review by Yen Press
