Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki’s Conjecture Vol. 5 (manga) by Toji Aio, Mikage Sawamura: review

5/5 stars on Goodreads

Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture vol 5 by Mikage Sawamura

Volume 5 manga was released before vol 5 light novel, which is postponed to January, so here the manga catches up with the original. The volume starts by wrapping up the case of cursed office workers that was left unfinished in the previous one. But the most important part of that case is that Naoya learns that he’s not the only one who’s experienced the festival of the death, with the same consequence for his fellow of hearing lies.

It’s a pivotal moment in Naoya’s life so far, giving him new kind of focus. He really wants to go with Akira to the village where it happened, despite the warning of his counterpart of not returning there. But the other person also gives him advice on how to live with the condition without losing his mind.

The most exciting part of the light novel was the surprise visit of Akira’s uncle who lives in England. Akira used to live there with him as a teenager, and he’s the only family member he’s close to. Manga doesn’t quite capture the meaning of his visit, and he’s relegated to a background character. And the extra story where he tells Naoya of Akira’s life in London is left out completely. Unless it’s added at some later point, the readers of manga only will miss out on a large part of what makes Akira tick.

Most of the manga volume is taken by a mermaid story. Akira, Naoya, Kenji, and Akira’s uncle travel to the seaside where there’s been mermaid sightings. They encounter a little boy who insists she’s his mother, only to learn from the child’s father that she has drowned, and he hasn’t quite figured out how to tell that to his son.

It could’ve been left at that, a private tragedy, but the story takes a twist. Because it turns out, the boy could be telling the truth after all. The mother’s childhood friend is very mysterious, someone who has maybe lived a long time. And she knows just by reading Akira’s palm that he’s not alone in his body. But she disappears before he gets to the bottom of the matter.

The last story is from the volume 5 of the light novel, which I haven’t read yet. Akira’s students hold a night of one hundred candles, where they gather to tell scary stories in candle light. This too will have consequences, but the manga ends before we get to those.

This volume had a better pace than the previous one, which was too hectic. The art felt more restful too, and so different that I had to go back to older volumes to see if there has been a great change in style. The panels were maybe larger in this one, with fewer of them per page, which added to the calmer feel. It also allowed the artist, Toji Aio, to draw close-ups of the characters, giving the volume an over-all different feel. I hope this style continues in the subsequent volumes.