VOICE OR NOISE, Volume One by Yamimaru Enjin
© BLU
Mania Grade: C+
Story and art by: Yamimaru Enjin
Publisher: Blu
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Price: $9.99
Story and art by: Yamimaru Enjin
Publisher: Blu
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Price: $9.99
VOICE OR NOISE, Volume One
By: Nadia OxfordReview Date: Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Some of my earliest memories are of me playing with my grandparents' German shepherd, Barney. I'd tug on him, climb on him, stick my hands in his food and sail boats in his water dish. When I learned years later that Barney had actually been considered "vicious" by most standards, I couldn't believe it. I always knew him as my ideal playmate; none of my other friends let me lift their lips and count all their teeth.
All right, so I really dig dogs. In fact, I like animals in general. And like many female manga fans, I won't shy away from the occasional yaoi title. So it's especially disappointing that Voice or Noise, a manga that combines boy love and animals (not boy love with animals, thankfully) could turn out so bland.
Junior high school student Shinichiro owns an unhappy dog. Though there's nothing physically wrong with "Flappy," he's restless, disobedient and makes all sorts of racket at night. Shinichiro's vet tells him to take the dog to Narusawa, a college professor who can supposedly talk to animals. Narusawa, however, is hardly Doctor Doolittle. He initially has no interest in helping Flappy or his owner, but when it becomes apparent that Shinichiro might also possess the talent to talk to animals, a tentative and turbulent relationship develops between the two of them.
Individual parts of Voice or Noise fare well on their own, but they combine to make an average manga. Narusawa is a potentially interesting character because he can talk to animals, yet he has little talent with them. Shinichiro is also intriguing because he's more of a "bleeding heart" and when he can sense an animal is suffering, he feels compelled to whisk it away from its owner. As Narusawa points out, there is a line between a pet and an owner that has to be respected, and kidnapping other people's animals--even if the intentions are good--can bring nasty repercussions.
But every time Voice or Noise strikes an interesting plot point, the manga seems to shift to some lover's misunderstanding between Shinichiro and Narusawa. There's little spark between the characters, so any attempt Enjin makes to draw them together just feels like a distraction. There's little interaction between the animals (except for the humans' conversations with Acht, a very cool black cat who is an outcast for his own reasons), which is disappointing. Flappy's problem bears resolution, but it's written out of the plot without any follow-up.
Voice or Noise definitely has the potential to deepen with future installments, especially since volume one ends with an interesting twist. Here's hoping, because the manga has the potential to be a lot of romantic fun. Volume one retails for $9.99.
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