Real Account – Vols. 3-4 (Manga Series)
April Marie
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Written by Okushou
Illustrated by Shizumu Watanabe
Published by Kodansha Comics
Suitable for ages 16+
Coming straight from reading Magical Girl Apocalypse, we can’t help but have a feeling of intense déjà vu. Real Account Volumes One and Two focused on the story of Ataru Kashiwagi as he struggled to come to terms with his current predicament. From the very beginning of Volumes Three and Four, we are plopped into a new storyline with a brand new character, Yuma Mukai. Much like Magical Girl Apocalypse, this is a new timeline where the previous hasn’t happened yet. We’re beginning again anew with an all new cast of characters. Thankfully, the writer and illustrator assure us that we haven’t seen the last of Ataru and the companions from his storyline.
Within this paragraph we’re going to spoil the biggest reveal in Real Account Volumes One and Two, so this is your paragraph specific SPOILER ALERT. Skip down below if you haven’t read the first two volumes yet. In Volume Two of Real Account we discover that Ataru had a twin brother at one point in his life. Ataru’s brother was always the popular one, and everyone liked him more. When an unfortunate accident killed the real Ataru, the “Ataru” we know took his identity. His name is actually Yuma. At the very end of Volume Two of Real Account, we discover that the real Ataru is still alive, and similarly sucked into the RA games. He’s ranked highly in the RA winner’s circle, and that’s how “Ataru” discovers him. Therefore, in Volumes Three and Four, “Yuma” is actually Ataru who is somehow still alive. It’s incredibly confusing when read in a summary, but within the series itself it’s thankfully easy to follow.
To those reading this who still haven’t read Volumes One and Two of Real Account, do yourself a favor and go read them right now. Technically you don’t have to read them to understand Volumes Three and Four, but it’s worth it. With such an intense beginning two volumes, you have to wonder if Real Account can keep up to its balls to the wall pacing. The stakes are just as high in these two volumes, but at this point we the audience have gotten used to everything. We know the players will be competing in games. We know that a lot of people are going to die. We know that there are some players who will do literally anything to survive. All of these are true here as well, but we’re already a little desensitized to it. That still doesn’t mean it’s not interesting.
This storyline occurs parallel to Volumes One and Two of Real Account, but doesn’t parrot it in the details. Sure, everyone’s still sucked into cyberspace, Marble still steals their bodies, they still die if they have zero followers and their followers die with them. However, the characters, situations, games, and strategies are all new. For instance, Yuma technically loses all of his followers when he plays the first game in RA. Everyone in the real world unfollows him including his own girlfriend. But moments before she does unfollow him, he makes a deal with another girl in the RA cyberspace. She too was going to lose all of her followers because her older brother waited until the last minute to unfollow her. So unlike Ataru in the first two volumes, who has always had his sister following him, Yuma has to use his brain to save his life from the very beginning. The irony is painful if you put the two stories together. “Yuma” who was once the apple of everyone’s eye (including his sister), ends up with no one wanting to save him right from the get-go. He has to rely even more on his smarts than Ataru. That’s definitely saying something since Ataru comes up with incredible strategies to win in Volumes One and Two.
Needless to say, Volumes Three and Four of Real Account are very different from the former two, while still connecting. There are subtle moments that compare between the two, and these are bound to continue in future volumes. Especially since the author and illustrator promise to blend the two timelines together down the road. The most obvious example of course is when Yuma is declared a top player in the RA rankings. This is the moment that Ataru discovers his twin is still alive. So while it doesn’t mean much in this timeline, we know the significance of it in the other. A much subtler example would be when a character from Volumes One and Two is mentioned within Yuma’s tweetts to his friends. The tweetts are only shown to illustrate in the moment how important Yuma’s online friends are to him. Reading the content doesn’t forward the current plot at all. Fact of the matter being, pay attention to all the little details in these two volumes and you’ll be rewarded with easter eggs.
Brutality is still prime and center in these volumes of Real Account. Players will do anything to survive. One game in particular utilizes live streaming. Those involved in the game separate into pairs and are all given a private room with a couch, television monitor, and webcam. They are allowed to do anything they want, but have to reach a certain number of viewers within a time limit. Yuma looks at the other streams to see what is getting the most views. The channels that do the best in this game involve either sex or violence. One really popular stream is run by an emerging character named Mizuki Kurashina. It’s clear that he’s a psychopath very quickly. In his stream he tortures his teammate for the entire time limit without killing him. He brings him to the very edge of death for views. At one point Yuma recognizes him by name as someone to watch out for, “This guy’s seriously bad news.”
It’s obvious that Real Account is a social commentary on the prolific use of social media, and the world’s addiction to technology. However, that’s not unusual in popular culture spaces. It’s been done before and will be done again. What makes Real Account unique, and successful, is how savage it is. Players do normally unspeakable things to save themselves, or to purposely kill others. It’s a Battle Royale style fight for survival in the Real Account games, and frankly we can’t get enough of it.
Real Account has gotten a ton of things right so far. It’s illustrated some of the darkest recesses of humanity when personal safety is at stake. It’s shown us some of the most brutal things humans can do to each other when pressed. It’s made us think twice about who we follow online. No matter how you feel about the comments it’s making about modern society, Real Account delivers dread on many levels. Sure, we’re a little desensitized already from the first two volumes. But honestly, that’s the only negative we can come up with thus far for Real Account. We’re only four volumes in, and it’s already shaping up to be one of our favorite manga series of the year.
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Manga
Categorized:Reviews
