Welcome to the devil school! Iruma-kun: Iruma Mafia Edition For a series that started with “What if everyone wore a suit?”, there are definitely some dark turns taking place. Not that these sets are still impressive – seriously, Az looks OK – but with these three volumes, the series really stands out. If you’re already familiar with and are a fan of the game, there are still some elements that might be more interesting XixiuWhat started out as a back-alley doctor with Balram has become its own thing.
This is largely due to the expanded cast. These volumes bring us Asmodeus, Clara, Ameri, Balam, Robin, and a few other familiar faces, all of whom have at least a tenuous connection to their original selves. Clara is the closest thing to a ram-horned demon girl we know and love. exist Irumafiashe’s a circus performer, which suits her well. But her backstory is grim: Her family was their own circus, but they were broken up and sold. Clara was bought, forced to perform night after night, and when she wasn’t on stage, she lived in a cage. Desperate to find her family, she made herself a little bean bag with their faces to keep her company. It’s a horrific tragedy, and while Iruma is able to free her and vow to find the rest of the Valak family (thus kicking off the black market auction and human trafficking plot in volume four), the darkening of Clara’s backstory is drastic.
This is also normal for most characters. Asmodeus primarily goes by “Alice” in the series, possibly to differentiate himself from his normal self, who faces a similarly difficult situation involving police corruption. By volume four, he has to do some serious self-examination about what “justice” really means, and whether it matters who distributes justice and how. Later, Nishi comments that she’s pretty sure the original Aziz will be killed by his Irumafia character, that may be true, but it also makes it clear that this isn’t just a reimagining of the original series. It’s its own story, filled with violence, tragedy and careless use of Italian words.
For the record, that’s not a bad thing. once you leave the routine Iruma-kun There’s anticipation at the door and there’s plenty to enjoy. The plot is fast-paced and even serious plot points, such as the power struggle between Améri’s street gang and the Babel family for control of the favela, are entertaining. In this particular case, which takes place in Volume 3, Ameri’s gang (made up of student council members from the original series) challenge Iruma, Alice, and Clara to a game of Capture the Flag paintball. It’s about as crazy as you can imagine while still sticking to the violence present in the rest of the story. Iruma’s solution of not wanting to actually shoot anyone (even though he does often carry a gun) is both ingenious and very recognizable Iruma…even if not everyone appreciates his approach.
Ameri is another highlight. The new story and setting allow her to be as badass as possible, and she looks gorgeous too. (The same goes for her street-punk aesthetic.) As Iruma’s childhood friend, she believes Sullivan kidnapped him, which gives her more leeway to express her feelings than she’s usually given in the main series, and she’s also clearly the smartest woman in the room, even if her emotions sometimes get out of hand with her. When things happen in volume four, she and Clara make a surprisingly good team and become foils to the opera and Alice, who are either angry or very, very conflicted. Character dynamics are one of the highlights of this spin-off, and it’s interesting to see how they fare – Kalego, for example, is more overtly concerned about Iruma’s well-being, even if he’s still a grumpy, fussy person.
And of course there are suits. Hiroko Not very good at drawing female characters, especially around the hips, but overall this looks really good, and not just as far as Hot Alice is concerned. The art is very dynamic, which is especially important for Clara, who is always on the move, and the backgrounds are richly detailed with a solid sense of place. The environments are rough but look like where people actually lived, except for Sullivan’s huge, immaculate house – which was almost certainly intentional.
Irumafia These volumes really come into their own. New/old characters take the plot away from the original, and while it’s dark and full of gun violence, it’s a story worth reading. Don’t expect much more from this series, but it’s a very entertaining one for some old timers.