The first volume of the Handyman Saitou in Another World manga felt aimed at introducing the party over a series of brief stories, while also helping to establish the world with short looks at other adventurers. It was handled quite well and was quite effective at making the world seem appealing. However, it ended with the suggestion that something else might be going on and a hint at greater mysteries. Now that Yen Press published volume 2, more character background is on display, there’s an actual storyline tied to the initial vignettes, and Kazutomo Ichitomo is focusing more on telling a specific story in this entry.
Volume 2 of the Handyman Saitou in Another World manga begins with everyone getting to go deeper into the Great Labyrinth because of Saitou’s discovery in the past entry. Saitou, Raelza, Morlock, and Lafanpan didn’t get to go first, but they’re among the secondary batch heading down into the depths. So are all of the adventurers we happened to see in the past volume, and hey! They get names this time! More characterization too, which is also great. It also means once things get going, it’s actually a more structured and typical story, which is handled well considering how the first volume felt more like a compilation of related short stories.
What’s fun is that the first fourth of this volume is dedicated to showing more about Saitou and his team, but usually in the context of interacting with these other people so we can know more about them too. Ririza and Gible are my absolute favorite non-members of the party, as every one of their appearances are rather fun. But the growth of Monpui is also pretty good. Not to mention that the antagonists for this installment are absolutely fascinating. Both the first and second entries are great at establishing just how human and multifaceted these characters can be, even if they only appear briefly, and the execution of the ninja and crystal fairy are fantastic. Though, to be fair, Morlock does steal the show for part of this tale as well.
But even though volume 2 of the manga does shift up the format a bit, it still maintains what is great about Handyman Saitou in Another World great. The first fourth of the book keeps up with the concept of vignettes that can sometimes focus on other characters as much as or more than Saitou’s party. Once it hits chapter 2 and the rest of the volume, it is much more like a traditional manga that is telling a story as it happens, in order. But even then, there are times when it can feel like, “Yes, I can read this one portion on its own, step away, and enough happened for it to be satisfying for now.”
I think what I like most is the potential direction that volume 3 could take. It feels like that installment could be more like volume 2 of the Handyman Saitou in Another World manga. We could see more of these slice-of-life moments showing what warriors go through, while also featuring some story elements over a few chapters that offers insight into characters, the world, and Saitou’s situation.
But just generally, everything about how Handyman Saitou in Another World works is fascinating in each volume of the manga. Reading more about other adventurers and what they deal with is always a delight. Noticing how fantasy RPG tropes are twisted to feel fresh is great. Coming to understand what happened to Saitou is also a delight, especially since it isn’t a typical isekai. It makes me wish I didn’t need to wait until 2024 for more.
Volume 2 of Handyman Saitou in Another World is available now, and volume 3 will release on January 23, 2023.
