The test is finally come to figure out who can make it into the hunter’s guild. This book doesn’t go all the way through the task. Its 130 pages of Hunter’s Guild and the last 70 pages were two stories that have nothing to do with this book. One story is about hermit crabs that grow and start taking human houses, and the other one is romantic comedy. I had someone ask me if the series was canceled and it feels like maybe it should be. Nothing happened in book 2. They didn’t even finish the test which only lasts for two hours so to me this volume was unsuccessful and I have no desire to read the rest.

This was a great volume! I like that we finally are getting to the disembarkment exam. I really like that we are getting to see more of the characters that are on the Ironworks. I can't wait to read the next volume to see how the exam ends!

Another solid entry with more exploration on the world and guild, action was good and I like the growth in the characters.

Before we begin this review, I would like to thank NetGalley and Viz Media for the opportunity to review this title.

We’re back in the world of the Hunters Guild: Red Hood, this time, things are beginning to pick up. Since our last review, Velou and Grimm made it to the mobile training facility known as the Ironworks. As many hunters know, the world isn’t exactly all sunshine and rainbows, it can be a pretty mean place, especially when you’re facing threats like werewolves. Anyway, back to the topic on hand, after three grueling months of nonstop training, Velou and the other examinees are about to face their most difficult trial yet, the Debarkation Exam! The name of the game is Cops and Robbers, and Grimm and Debonair are the Cops! The Trainees are on the run as the robbers, but Velou has a trick up his sleeve, but will his teammates trust him enough for the plan to work?

I had some nitpicks in the last volume review for Yuki Kawaguchi’s Hunters Guild: Red Hood but the second volume was a step up. One of my earlier complaints was that it felt more like a Demon Slayer story, but set in a Fairy Tale World, that observation still stands. There is more to it thankfully, he improved on his previous mistakes from the first volume and brought us memorable characters that make you want to cheer for their success and ones that you would love to hate. Their Debarkation Exam felt more like a familiar call back to his previous time with Kohei Horikoshi on My Hero Academia. It’s not a bad thing, it is a good thing for familiar readers.

It gives readers a break from the storyline’s serious tone by providing an edgy, humorous approach with a rousing game of Cops and Robbers! At the heart of this story, it holds the secrets and dark truths of this new world. It also is a good tribute to The Brothers Grimm, who not only popularized, they are the best-known storytellers of Folk Tales. Out of the characters that were introduced in the second volume, I would have to say that the Hot-Blooded Debonair Diamond is my favorite of this series. She is fierce, strong, and reminiscent of the Amazons in Greek Mythology, not to mention the curse that was placed on her by a witch, which causes her body to emit scorching levels of heat. But luckily, she can use it as a weapon.

As for the trainees, we’re only introduced to a handful of them but it is expected in most stories, especially when one is reduced due to cancellation, shortened to three volumes. The biggest highlight of this exam was the fact that Velou was a strategist, Tytlf’s situation involving his failed attempt in the previous exam, Merriopios remarkable talent, and Bonkers’ Backstory. As far as it goes, it is a step up but also a step back, the artwork and story have improved but it has been sped up to the final arc. Hunters Guild: Red Hood Volume Two is available now wherever books are sold, it is unfortunate that the series is coming to an end so soon but someday, it could get an anime adaption. Only time will tell!

My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

The fan service, incredibly difficult to follow action sequences and ugly artwork just bring this book down for me. I like the story, the characters are interesting, I like how the MC H is trying to get everyone to work together so no one fails (honestly, you would think the Hunter's Guild would want as MANY people who are skilled as they can get, yet they make the tests so hard, there are years where NO ONE passes? And with Hunter's dying/aging out, you would think they would be less hardcore. Also, two of their BEST hunters are doing the training, which takes MONTH on a ship, so they can't get back to land to help if Bad Guy Disasters happen and you have plot holes I am only now realizing...) but after realizing the gaping plot holes, I'm seriously re-considering if I like the plot anymore....

Ok, still like the MC H. And I didn't HATE this book, so it's 1.5 stars, rounded up to 2.

I'm not hunting (pun intensional) down the next volume, but if it comes to my store, I'll give it a page through. The mystery is interesting, but not a big enough draw for me to want to read the next one.

If you like action and don't require plot to hang your hat on, along with teamwork, this might work for you. It didn't for me.

The Hunters Guild: Red Hood Volume Two introduces several new characters through the hunter training camp.

The Hunters Guild: Red Hood Volume Two
Written by: Yuki Kawaguchi
Publisher: Shueisha Inc.
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: February 14, 2023

Right at the beginning of Volume Two, there’s a scene with Lycaon (the werewolf don), the mayor of Kasoka, and Cinderella (Lycaon’s witch partner). While the discussion starts out talking about the guild and revealing that the mayor used to be part of it, the main emphasis is on “writing a story” and how the mayor “edited the script.” Unfortunately, this is all we get for these characters, because we don’t see them again for the remainder of the volume. Hopefully more will be explained about this concept in future volumes of the series.

After this opening scene, the rest of the volume focuses on the hunter training camp. We meet two new characters, Bonkers and Merriopios, who become roommates with Velou and Tylty after the two newcomers’ previous roommates dropped out of the camp. However, we really don’t get much in the way of character development for either of these characters until the final exam of the hunter training camp is underway. Basically, we get this scene introducing Bonkers and Merriopios, and then there’s a three week timeskip to the final exam. The final dialogue in the scene mentions the three weeks, and then the story just jumps ahead to the exam. While this scene is important, because it’s referenced during the final exam, it comes across to me as a reader that the author just wanted to get right to the final exam because that’s the story they he truly wanted to focus on. As a reader, I thought that the three week timeskip felt a little jumpy. Why make a point of three weeks remaining in the final panel of the scene, and then jump ahead in time three weeks?

The final exam turns out to be a version of the kids’ game “Cops and Robbers.” Debonair (the head of the camp) and Grimm are the “cops,” and all of the students are the “robbers.” The time limit on the test is two hours, and whoever isn’t in “jail” at the end of the two hours will pass. Velou thinks something is off, and by talking with some of the other students, they figure out what’s bothering them about the setup of the test. During the portion of the exam that’s covered in Volume Two, Velou is portrayed as a strategist, which is something we hadn’t really seen much of previously. There are a total of 30 participants at the training camp, but the reader is only introduced to a handful of them during the exam. The biggest highlights during the test reveal how Tytl failed during his previous exam and how it affects his thinking during this one, the talent that Merriopios has, and the backstory for Bonkers.

But with the exam being an altered version of “Cops and Robbers,” there’s plenty of action taking place throughout most of The Hunters Guild: Red Hood Volume Two. When you add in the character development moments, there’s a good mixture of action and story taking place.

Unfortunately, the exam isn’t concluded at the end of Volume Two. Of the 200 pages of this volume, only 129 are dedicated to the story taking place in The Hunters Guild: Red Hood. To pad out the page count, there are a couple of one shots and a “bonus manga” for The Hunters Guild: Red Hood.

The first one shot story is titled, “The Land of Hermit Crabs.” Hermit crabs were growing bigger and bigger in size, until they got to a point where they could occupy and borrow houses, which caused an invasion. The story seems to be set in 2050, and we see a young rich woman losing her new vacation home to a hermit crab. The Kamikanda Crew is called in to demolish the house and exterminate the crab. The young woman constantly shows disdain for the group, which is picked up on by a young man in the crew named Buchi. They don’t entirely get along, but Buchi gives her a communication device in case anything else happens. Well, it turns out another crab decides to claim her mansion, and we see Buchi and the others work at saving the woman’s butler and do their job of exterminating the crab and destroying the mansion.

This was an OK one shot, but it’s likely not one I’d be in a rush to read again. The art style in this story isn’t as strong as the style in The Hunters Guild: Red Hood. You can see the elements and designs that Kawaguchi utilizes for the manga series, but it’s rougher here.

The other one shot is “No Hope, No Pulse,” which is supposed to be a romantic comedy. In the introduction to this piece, Kawaguchi says he can never bring himself to look back over the romantic comedies he’s drawn because it’s embarrassing. After reading this one, I can see why. The basic concept he was going for is fine, but the execution could have been better. The art in this one shot is also rougher than what I’m used to from The Hunters Guild: Red Hood. After reading both this and “The Land of Hermit Crabs,” it’s clear that they were included simply to bulk up the page count for this volume. Neither one seems to have any real connection to the manga series, and Kawaguchi himself admits that he’s embarrassed by “No Hope, No Pulse.”

The bonus short for The Hunters Guild: Red Hood talks about how the Ironworks, the craft they travel on for the hunter training camp, conserves its water. It focuses on Grimm, Velou, Bonkers, and another student named Porschen. It’s supposed to be a gag about Grimm seeming like she’s taking a bath while using a lot of water and then forgetting why she called for these students to see her in the first place. To be honest, I didn’t find this bonus short to be funny or worth my time.

The Hunters Guild: Red Hood Volume Two isn’t bad, but I did have two complaints about it. That three week timeskip near the beginning felt awkward, and it was frustrating that the ending of the main manga story happens so early in the volume that it forces the publisher to have to include unrelated material to pad out the page length. The spot where the main story ends is a good place to end a volume, but perhaps some time could have been spent earlier on introducing and developing other participants in the hunter training camp to fill in some of the time missing in the three week timeskip. If Kawaguchi hadn’t rushed to get to the final exam, perhaps Volume Two wouldn’t have fallen nearly so short on page length.

Outside of these two complaints, The Hunters Guild: Red Hood Volume Two was a decent read. If you read and enjoyed the first volume, then you might also find enjoyment in Volume Two.

Continuing where the last volume left off, Velou and the other hunters in training are on their way to take the guild test. Backstories are being relayed and relationships are being established between characters. A little bit rushed toward the end, Velou and company must play a game of Cops & Robbers in order to pass the next test. They need to avoid being caught by the teachers and placed in "jail" by any means necessary before time runs out. I did enjoy getting to know the background for some of the other characters. Fan service was a little over the top for the two teachers with exaggerated chest sizes and figures. Still a fun and fast paced action manga. It sort of makes me think of Seven Deadly Sins with the art style.

That opening was extremely meta, and I wish it had played around with it a little bit more before going back to the plot, because it had my attention. What took up most of the volume was a test of cops and robbers, which is sure a way to do an exam arc! Different characters get to show off, leading to some fun action scenes. I appreciate that this series doesn't take itself too seriously, I find the "just roll with it" humor to work in its favor. It's a fun, silly romp where one of the characters is legitimately named Bonkers, and I can't fault it for having fun.

The next stage to becoming Hunters for the guild begins with a master test... Cops & Robbers??!

This is the sort of humour and edge I like in manga stories; it gives a fresh take to the storyline's seriousness. At heart, this story holds secrets and dark truths in a world we are just entering, but by working the story this way, we see more/newer sides to characters in ways we aren't used to. I love the original take!

I continue to love this series and cannot wait for more!