Title: Hinowa ga CRUSH! Vol. 7
Author: Takahiro (Story), strelka (Art)
Publisher: Yen Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 202
Genre: Action
Publication Date: February 21, 2023
The Story
With Princess Rinzu in the hands of King Zuou, Hinowa sets out on a journey to find the wise man that Lord Enji recommended to them. When they arrive, they are greeted by The Genius Mekira and his bear Komatsu. After reading the letter of recommendation, they are brought inside where they meet Rugyou; however, he refuses to side with Hinowa. She is determined to get him on her side so she finds a copy of the book he wrote and reads it.
The tale inside tells of someone who wants to save the people and unite a land. She quickly realizes that is Rugyou’s true dream. Sure enough, he believes that he isn’t strong enough to do it in real life so he writes about his dream in fantasy. Through some encouragement and understanding, Hinowa convinces him to join them.
Meanwhile, Akame leaves the party and sets on her own journey. She recognized one of the Ten Stars and remembered him as someone she once knew (he was a character in Akame ga Kill Zero). Her mission is to reunite with this person and hopefully get them on her side to bring down Zuou and the Tenrou nation.
Once we rejoin Hinowa, Rugyou suggests heading to an abandoned territory in the far east, the nation of Tsutsuji. Despite being abandoned, they have a powerful king and army but he is more of an oppressor than a savior. Together, they come up with the plan to slay the king and take over the nation as Hinowa’s first step towards claiming the throne!
Characters
Akame meeting up with Nahashu was lost on me because I hadn’t read the prequel series to Akame ga Kill. Nevertheless, one little Wiki search later and I understood the gist and significance of her meeting up with him… unfortunately, he doesn’t remember her at all which is kind of sad but she now has a goal and a purpose to work towards. Plus, she discovers that another character from the prequel, Pony, is alive and well and hadn’t been turned into a beast. Even though Nahashu doesn’t know her, Pony continues to stay by his side and watch after him.
Mekira is quite the character. He refers to himself as a genius and is a bit full of himself. Despite those… um… qualities… he is pretty wise and can be the voice of reason at times. You can also tell he’s pretty loyal and protective of Rugyou, too… especially since he states that wherever Rugyou goes, he will go, too. In a way, Mekira acts like a bodyguard but we quickly learn that he has no aptitude for fighting at all. He’s simply just a mouthpiece.
As for Rugyou, he was very hesitant to trust Hinowa as expected of someone recommended by Lord Enji. He was called the wises of his students and for good reason. It took a lot of convincing but I do believe it was Rugyou’s intention to go with her from the start. He simply had to test her mettle first and she passed with flying colors. He is quite the strategist and can come up with plans through simple methods and rather quickly. Hinowa has gained a very powerful ally.
Hinowa herself received some development. We got to see her resolve grow. She wasn’t hesitant when it came to getting her hands dirty. She fully understands what it takes to be on the throne but despite that, with her being so young and the way her dialogue was written, one would question whether or not she could be taken seriously. She speaks too much like an excited teenage girl than a leader and that tends to hurt her credibility a bit. Although she has proven herself in battle, her youthful thinking can be seen as naivety and that could end up costing her.
Final Thoughts
Looks like we have a new story arc brewing where we’ll see Hinowa liberate Tsutsuji from its king and begin to build her empire to challenge the Tenrou nation! I can see this as a long and drawn-out story arc with many twists and turns and bloody battles that will tell deep-sewn stories with unparalleled character development that is given a lot of time to breathe and…
What do you mean the next book is the last volume?
Welp… I guess we’re getting a rushed conclusion. See you next time for the finale.
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This item was purchased for review.
