Title: Silver Spoon Vol. 13
Author: Hiromu Arakawa
Publisher: Yen Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Genre: Slice of Life
Publication Date: February 18, 2020
The Story
Volume 13 of Silver Spoon brings us right into the horse jumping competition where if they win, they get to go to Gotemba in the summer. Of course, Hachiken was extremely nervous and almost ended up getting them removed from qualification but Mikage came in and saved the day with a score high enough to get them in.
Ookawa and Hachiken then begin to focus on their business and they wanted to try their hand at making German Pizza. Once Ookawa hears about Hachiken going to Gotemba for the nationals, he wants him to bring back some of the high-grade pork there as part of product research. Once the pizzas are cooked, they gather data from everyone who sampled them and use that knowledge to work towards a new goal.
The volume fast forwards to Gotemba and we get the results of the national competition. I’ll let you figure those out for yourselves; however, the manga does another time skip and we are brought to the end of Hachiken and Mikage’s time as part of the equestrian club. It’s time for Mikage to really buckle down on getting into college. Everything seems to be in focus when Komaba calls Hachiken out of the blue and says he needs a favor. This is where our volume comes to an end.
Arakawa wasn’t kidding when she said that everything would be sped up. I knew that these events were coming but I didn’t think that they would end up happening this quickly. I know the end of Silver Spoon was announced in Japan not that long ago so I guess it’s only natural that the conclusion is fast approaching… even if it’s still publishing in Japan (as of the time of this writing). The story is progressing at a breakneck speed; however, it’s not doing so in such a way where you feel things are moving too fast. The time skips are a bit jarring but there is enough material there for you to digest what is happening in that period while making you realize that the time skips aren’t really that big of an issue.
While the story is jumping from point to point, you realize that there really isn’t a need to drag it out by detailing everything. What you’re given in each short burst is enough for you to realize just how the world keeps moving and how things around the school are changing yet remain the same in the process.
Characters
The Hachiken x Mikage ship is still going strong. Hachiken even let one slip while at the competition and right when you think those two were going to share a special moment, Hachiken’s father shows up in glorious fashion.
Speaking of Hachiken.. not really character development, per se, but Ookawa and Hachiken’s business did see some growth here. It seems as if their hard work and determination is actually beginning to take shape and pay off. While it’s nothing major, it should be an incredible life lesson for them. I can’t imagine it going off without any issues but whatever may come should strengthen their characters and renew their determination!
Komaba continues to work in Tokyo, stating that he has something that he wants to do. This was all leading up the ending of the volume where Komaba checked his bank account and decided to call Hachiken for a favor. Hachiken even noted that it was really out of character for Komaba to call him and even mistook him as a scam caller! One of the things I predicted a while back was Komaba working for Hachiken. It seems like with the money he’s raised, perhaps he wants to invest in Hachiken’s company in exchange for some status… perhaps a board member or something along those lines. Just me thinking out loud as this favor could be just about anything.
Final Thoughts
Another fantastic edition of Silver Spoon! German pizza sounds interesting even if you’re mixing bread with potatoes… my God those carbs…
The time skips didn’t really bother me but it did make me realize that we are speeding towards the conclusion even faster now. I don’t really expect the time skips to continue, though as Arakawa will need to slow down at some point in order to flesh out the bigger story points and set up the ending. I feel like we will see the manga return to a bit of a slower pace next volume so that these new developments can be given time to breathe.
I’m guessing that we’re going to see Komaba’s favor, Mikage study and take her college entrance exams as well as the results of Hachiken and Ookawa’s first job as a business. I would venture to guess that the volume will end on the results of Mikage’s scores… either revealing them to set up some drama or keeping them hidden to give us some suspense. Of course, my predictions all along will have Mikage fail and she’ll end up joining Hachiken’s business. For that to happen, Hachiken’s first job must be a success… either that or it goes just okay enough for a new opportunity to arise from it.
I always like speculating! All that is left is to wait for Volume 14 and see if any of those guesses are actually correct. Don’t worry, I’ll be back with another review where I end up sticking my foot in my mouth again because I was way off!
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This item was provided for review by Yen Press
