No. 5 Volume Four is an omnibus edition that includes two volumes in one, and it is the final omnibus release for the series. This volume marks the first time that this part of the story was released in print in North America.

No. 5 Volume Four
Written by: Taiyo Matsumoto
Publisher: Shogakukan
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: April 19, 2022

Between the two volumes included in this omnibus, there was so much action and backstory crammed in here that it made me feel like a lot was being thrown at me and made it harder for me to process everything that was going on. By the final chapter of this volume, I felt like it was going through a little bit of sensory overload and it was a bit overwhelming.

One of the big reveals in this volume is the truth behind Matryoshka and who she is supposed to be. Unfortunately, it took until almost right near the end of the series to finally understand why she was supposed to be as important of a character as she was. This section of the story also allows the reader to truly be able to understand the character of Mike, who is being targeted by the government because he’s become too popular with the masses. And No. 5, the title character of the series, finally reappears into the story, and it turns out he’s instrumental to bringing about what happens at the end of the story. While everything does come together at the end, it’s an overwhelming ride for the reader to get there.

I apologize for how vaguely I’m talking about the final portion of the story for No. 5. Unfortunately, if I try to go into much more detail, I run a serious risk of providing major spoilers, and I don’t want to potentially ruin any surprises for readers who haven’t read the series (or this section of the series) yet but plan to at some point in the future.

When all was said and done, I didn’t think that No. 5 was a bad series, but I never truly found myself becoming invested in either the characters or their story. Details were so vague early in the series, so it made the story rather confusing to follow. But even as more information started coming out over the course of the series’ run, it didn’t mean that it suddenly became easier to follow what was happening in the story. Speaking of vague, I felt that the ending of the story came across as being vague as well. Perhaps it’s a good thing I never became terribly invested in the characters, because I would have been more unsatisfied with the ending of this series than I am. In the end, I was just left feeling kind of “meh” about the whole thing.

Even though I wasn’t terribly impressed with the No. 5 manga series, I refuse to judge Taiyo Matsumoto on just this one work, since this is his only manga title I’ve read at the point that I’m writing this review. While I’ve seen the anime adaptation of his Ping Pong manga, I haven’t read the actual manga yet, so I can’t truly judge Matsumoto’s telling of that story and compare it to No. 5. If I ever get the opportunity to read another title by Matsumoto, I will give it a chance and base it on its own merits.

If you’ve read the No. 5 manga series and enjoyed it more than I did, perhaps you might have a stronger appreciation for this final volume of the series.

Ok, here's the thing: I have a vague idea of what's going on here, but I wouldn't say I totally get it, and I'm cool with that. Sometimes it's nice to just go with the flow. This has such a trippy, weird vibe, it's easy to let it wash over you.
There are lots of battles in this volume, someone important dies, we learn a bit about Matryoshka's past, Mike (No. 1) holes up in the citadel and dreams of a utopia, and waits for No. 5. And the end? It happens, that's all you need to know.
I wish this had been made into an anime (though I doubt it will), I would've like to watch this play out onscreen. The art is very detailed, there's lots of sort-of dream sequences, some crazy action scenes, and a whole mess of "what the bleep" to mess with your head. This can be vague, but it's addictive, and I really enjoyed it.

#No5Vol4 #NetGalley