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Hotaru has always been a compelling lead, but they can sometimes feel distant—an untouchable genius. This volume humanizes them. We see cracks in the armor, specifically in their interactions with a dogged insurance investigator who serves as the perfect foil. Their cat-and-mouse game provides a necessary grounding wire for the high-flying plot.
The supporting cast of "marks" is also superbly drawn. Unlike the caricatured villains of Volume 2, the antagonists here are terrifyingly competent. Watching Hotaru dismantle people who are actually smart makes the victory taste sweeter.
While Vol 4 is the best volume, it is not a standalone. New readers will be lost in the web of recurring motifs and callback gags. However, for those who have read Volumes 1-3, you will find that Vol 4 rewards loyalty like no other. Every throwaway line from earlier books—a mention of a lost watch, a strange scar on Hotaru’s shoulder, a forgotten safe house in Osaka—pays off here with devastating precision.
If you were going to buy only one volume of the series to understand the hype, Vol 4 is the answer. It is the Empire Strikes Back of swindler manga: darker, smarter, and infinitely more complex.
| Volume | Heist Complexity | Emotional Impact | Re-read Value | |--------|----------------|------------------|----------------| | Vol 1 | 7/10 | 5/10 | 6/10 | | Vol 2 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 5/10 | | Vol 3 | 8/10 | 9/10 | 8/10 | | Vol 4 | 10/10 | 10/10 | 10/10 |
Hotaru has always been a compelling lead, but they can sometimes feel distant—an untouchable genius. This volume humanizes them. We see cracks in the armor, specifically in their interactions with a dogged insurance investigator who serves as the perfect foil. Their cat-and-mouse game provides a necessary grounding wire for the high-flying plot.
The supporting cast of "marks" is also superbly drawn. Unlike the caricatured villains of Volume 2, the antagonists here are terrifyingly competent. Watching Hotaru dismantle people who are actually smart makes the victory taste sweeter.
While Vol 4 is the best volume, it is not a standalone. New readers will be lost in the web of recurring motifs and callback gags. However, for those who have read Volumes 1-3, you will find that Vol 4 rewards loyalty like no other. Every throwaway line from earlier books—a mention of a lost watch, a strange scar on Hotaru’s shoulder, a forgotten safe house in Osaka—pays off here with devastating precision.
If you were going to buy only one volume of the series to understand the hype, Vol 4 is the answer. It is the Empire Strikes Back of swindler manga: darker, smarter, and infinitely more complex.
| Volume | Heist Complexity | Emotional Impact | Re-read Value | |--------|----------------|------------------|----------------| | Vol 1 | 7/10 | 5/10 | 6/10 | | Vol 2 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 5/10 | | Vol 3 | 8/10 | 9/10 | 8/10 | | Vol 4 | 10/10 | 10/10 | 10/10 |