Our look at the manga series Parallel Paradise continues! This is going to be more of a short point form version this time. As I have said in previous manga posts, sometimes there just isn’t enough to happen in a volume that is worth full paragraphs. Short and to the point has always been the mantra here at Shallow Dives in Anime, and sometimes that means cutting to the chase. Either way after the title, let’s take a dive into the eighth volume of Parallel Paradise!
- There are two big twists in this volume, the first it seems to have been a mistranslation. When I was first reading the series, Yuuta believes that the shattered landscape of Sandrino is actually the real world, but instead in the official translation he just sees it as “hell.” I wonder if that is an overcorrection, or if the author is trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
- The second is that the deeply jealous god seems to be Nishina, Yuuta’s childhood friend who confessed her love in an attempt to get him to not jump out the window. I am current with the manga, so I know where this goes, but I have to admit I was floored when I first saw it. It’s an interesting twist and you can be sure that Nishina’s role in the story is just going to be another notch on Yuuta’s bedpost.
- Paradise has always been a series that doesn’t skate away from showing the kinkier sides of sex. While it never goes full hentai, there has been enough that makes you raise an eyebrow or two. This volume has one of those, with a scene that while it doesn’t go the distance, it is something to behold.
- Going back to the first set of girls was a nice thing to see. Cast bloat has ruined many good manga series, and even Paradise with its rotating cast has many faces that feel forgetful.
- I also liked how apparently everyone in the world knows each other, or has a passing familiarity with the other towns. I wonder if that has something to do with my theory of all the girls being sex-bots.
- Like any good post apocalyptic story, I enjoy how the series is able to make modern technology feel magical. The ‘magical spell’ they need to unlock the door being just a 5-6 digit code is great. I love little things like that.
- The baddie of this arc just deciding to not kill Yuuta and the others does feel like a bit of the author going “no, it can’t be that easy,” though I did enjoy the bait and twist with who it actually ends up being. You can see it from a mile away, but the execution is solid for a series like this.
- It is shocking to see how much Yuuta has changed in the series so far. Gone is the happy-go lucky hero who think he has hit a (heh) paradise. He just treats the whole thing like his job, and is so indifferent to trying to get the girls to like him. It feels very in line with how a character like this would end up becoming.
- Overall, Parallel Paradise volume 8 is another solid outing, with events that really start moving the plot along, and will help shift the status quo of the main characters. Good twists, good art and as always, good sex.
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