Manga-ka: Yuki Fujisawa
Publisher: Dr. Master
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: June 2008

Synopsis: “A glimpse of hope comes to the survivors as they are joined together with another party that was stranded in the upper basement. However, their relief is short-lived as they see no signs of resce and the shortage of food creeps up on them. Frustration ensues. After a hostile takeover by the other party’s leader, Mishima and his party are threatened to leave the basement back to the Metro. How long will they be able to survive in the rodent-infested Metro?”

As one would unfortunately suspect, things get a lot worse before they can get better here in volume two of Metro Survive. After a run in with another group of survivors leaves the main cast in an even more desperate situation, a cave reveals one of the greatest strokes of luck they’ve had since the massive earthquake struck the city of Tokyo and left them trapped. Unfortunately it doesn’t take long for the same selfish and conniving group who trapped them in the barren lower levels in the first place, to learn of their discovery and come to claim it for their own.

Metro Survive remains a story of survival of numerous kinds. All the characters must survive the dangers of the uneven ruins around them, survive their hunger and thirst, and worst of all, survive each other. For some it’s a desperate will to get home, others a tragic though accepted fate and for others a matter of disposing of obstacles.

For all the contempt I held for some of the characters in the first volume, here it’s even worse! It’s sickening to think that people could treat others stuck in the same situation as them with such callousness and backstabbing. Those who took this evil road soon become each other’s worst enemies as they become the next obstacles to get around. The worst of the bunch are undoubtedly two men from a host club, both of whom hold no one in regard nearly as high as themselves and see no fault in blood-stained hands.

In contrast, those in the other group, led by the hesitant but level-headed, Mishima, live a much more moral-driven life in the shattered building but sadly it accounts to little when it’s a few men, women, a child and an elderly couple against champion Judo players, knife wielding psychopaths and three skeezy teenage girls who will go to any level to remain on the winning side. Rooting for the underdog is certainly what readers will spend most of the time doing, white knuckled sometimes and later triumphing at any small victory, be it their miracle discovery or the hope of a rescue.

Of course I don’t want to ruin the ending, volume two concluding the series, but I can safely say that’s its richly satisfying. Some characters finally crack under the pressure, others finally come around for a moment to shine, and some meet their fate in gruesome poetic justice. But for whatever you’re waiting for, volume two of Metro Survive should deliver. It’s as tense and dramatic as the first and reading this gritty, realistic tale of survival remained nothing short of enthralling.

Accompanied by a wonderfully complimenting art style and a nicely packaged release job by Dr. Master, Yuki Fujisawa’s two volume series makes for a compelling tale of a human’s will to survive and the real strength it requires. Metro Survive is definitely a recommended read.

Review written October 8th, 2008 by Lissa Pattillo.
Book purchased online from Chapters

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About the Author: Lissa Pattillo

Lissa Pattillo is the owner and editor of Kuriousity.ca. Residing in Halifax, Nova Scotia she takes great joy in collecting all manners of manga genres, regretting that there's never enough time in the day to review or share them all. Along with reviews, Lissa is responsible for all the news postings to the website and works full time as a web and graphic designer.