I personally enjoy reading about highly energetic and proactive characters, but a danger in writing them is that they can become spastic and can infringe upon the areas in which other leading characters should be asserting themselves. Hinata's hyperactivity overshadows Mikasa in too many panels to really make them coequal leads in this single volume. It gets to the point where all the yelling and motion just tires me out, especially since much of the supporting cast is more energetic than Mikasa whenever they take the stage.

By the end of this single volume, I was worn down by the action and had stopped caring too much. I think the mangaka could have somewhat solved this by giving the quieter and more deliberative Mikasa more spotlight and more things to do, to give some breathing space between the episodes of Hinata's antics.

Additionally, the characters' hyperactivity combines with the art being hard to follow in the busiest panels to create an overwhelming experience that is hard to take in. Not in the sense that it's too meaningful to absorb in a glance, but that there's too much noise and not enough signal.

... Last updated on August 27th, 2021, 4:52pm