It is back to the beach once more, as I shall be sharing my thoughts on the second volume of Nyoijizai’s Harukana Receive manga. This volume contains chapter seven through to thirteen.
Front cover of the second volume of Harukana Receive, featuring Kanata Higa
Taking on the world one beach volleyball at a time!
Since moving to Okinawa, Haruka has gotten sucked into the world of beach volleyball and even formed a team with her cousin, Kanata. Now the duo is taking part in their very first tournament! Will Team Harukana have what it takes to win?
This volume of Harukana Receive starts with Haruka and Kanata training with Emily and Claire. It is through this training that Kanata steadily returns to being her old self, regaining the confidence to use the pokey.
Training together also sees Haruka and Kanata grow closer, even going as far to drop the honorifics from each others name. Then we have the pair shopping for matching swimsuits, which ends up becoming a love confession of sorts after Haruka has a certain pattern added to them.
Whilst Team Harukana do enter their first tournament, the focus is solely on their first match against Ai Tanahara and Mai Sunagawa – Team Aimai. It’s a pretty enjoyable match. It seems one-sided at first, but Team Aimai manage to turn things around in the second set. From that point, Team Harukana have their work cut out in order to win.
Whilst the training and the tournament are more serious moments, there is also a fair amount of comedy as well. Emily and Claire’s interactions are fun, and there is also the part where Claire tells Haruka about a certain issue with her bikini bottoms. Haruka immediately takes Kanata somewhere else after that, and whatever happened between the two is left entirely to the imagination. When Kanata returns, she is looking rather flustered, though.
I could mention fanservice as well, but being a beach volleyball manga, that is kind of a given.
Overall, a pretty great volume; Haruka and Kanata grow closer to each other, and they have their first official match. Good stuff all round.
Rory Muses 