REVIEW: ‘Last Round Arthurs,’ Volume 2

Last Round Arthurs Volume 2 is published in English by Yen Press, with translation from Jan Mitsuko Cash and lettering by Phil Christie. The volume’s original story is by Taro Hitsuji, with art by Yuzuriha, character design by Kiyotaka Haimura and storyboards by Taisuke Umeki. Volume 2 picks up right where the first volume ends, seeing overpowered protagonist Rintarou Magami face off against Felicia Ferald and her vassal Sir Gawain.

Let’s get this out of the way: Last Round Arthurs Volume 2 is not good. Comprising chapters six through 14, Volume 2’s 256 pages are a slog to get through. While the first volume failed to impress, it still set up a story and world that could have led to something good, though Last Round Arthurs Volume 2 makes it pretty clear it won’t be going anywhere worthwhile.

Everything in this manga comes together to create a cacophony of mediocrity.

The art by Yuzuriha isn’t the worst in the world, but it fails to ever look better than just fine. At its worst, characters look really rough, and at its best, it’s just passable, blending in with every other low-tier manga on the market.

Even worse, the action featured in Last Round Arthurs Volume 2 is laughably bad. Seeing as how Last Round Arthurs’ main hook is that it’s basically a giant tournament arc, one would at least hope that these battles would be enjoyable to read. Pairing them with lackluster art and constant use of McGuffins makes them all a slog to read.

Without likable characters, it’s nigh impossible to become invested in a story. Literally, every single character in Last Round Arthurs Volume 2 is unlikable. Rinarou is an overpowered, cocky jerk, making him impossible to root for. Luna is a brat and is also incredibly cocky, with next to no good traits. All of the villains feel generic and lack weight because the reader knows that Rintarou will be able to destroy them without much effort.

Last Round Arthurs Volume 2 even manages to make fanservice unenjoyable. When presented correctly, fanservice can add to a manga, but it seems like it’s only present here to distract readers from the terrible story. Sir Kay only seems to exist to be put in different revealing costumes or have her armor blown off in battle, which came off as much more annoying than was probably intended.

It doesn’t take much to make a fantasy world interesting in manga or light novels. With interesting characters or a good hook, even a rote, generic world can be turned into something worthwhile (just look at great series such as Konosuba or Reincarnated as a Slime).

In Last Round Arthurs, however, readers are constantly given tons of exposition during battles that, instead of making its world feel fleshed out, just makes it feel convoluted. 14 chapters into the story, I still don’t feel like I have a grasp on the world or how anything works. It’s just bad storytelling.

Last Round Arthurs Volume 2’s saving grace is the English translation and lettering. I was constantly impressed by the choices made throughout the volume with the lettering, which felt like it had a lot of hard work put into it.

Overall, Last Round Arthurs Volume 2 fails to save the series from being another generic fantasy romp. With a terrible story, bad fanservice, unlikeable characters, and uninteresting action, there really isn’t any reason for anyone to pick this one up.

Last Round Arthurs Volume 2 is available now wherever books are sold.