Eyepatches, Handguns, and Young Love

I can't decide if those would work better as lyrics in some sad Alanis Morissette song, on in some screaming Scandanavian death metal.

The battery on my laptop has crapped out entirely, but as long as I keep the computer plugged in it still works, so let's look at the second volume of Atsushi Suzumi's Venus Versus Virus. It's kind of weird, the volume lists the book as illustrated by Atsushi, but doesn't list a writer. Not sure what that means.

The basic premise is there are monsters running around, referred to as "viruses". Some of them look like vaguely human-shaped oily blobs, but some of them can either assume human form or possess someone. There's Lucia, with her mysterious eye patch and the Gothic Lolita fashion sense, who's been fighting them for some time, and Sumire, who Lucia saved recently and has just started training to fight them as well. Sumire seems to have a high sensitivity to the viruses, which both helps her see them and draws them to her, but this volume establishes that she has something else going on, too.

 

When Sumire's exposed to the "antivirals" they make to kill the monsters, it provokes a sort of berserker state in her (one that turns her pupils into little plus signs or crosses and gives her a deranged smile.) One which seems to make her really want to attack Lucia, who is reluctant to harm her. The precise abilities change depending on which she's exposed to, but the end result is always her trying to attack. It's also during the first of these attacks that Lucia's inner monologue suggests either she isn't entirely human, or doesn't consider herself human. That along with a conversation she has with her mentor/Alfred figure later on, make some pretty strong hints about Lucia's father.

In the midst of the three of them trying to get some handle on this weird ability, and Sumire trying to figure out what exactly it wants her to do to Lucia, she meets a guy hanging out in a playground. He's very polite, and nice, and seemingly non-threatening. Lots of those bashful, eyes closed smiles. Almost constantly, in fact. All that smiling makes him seem untrustworthy. He also doesn't seem bothered when another lightning wielding virus shows up to test Sumire. Or when Sumire pulls a gun and tries to shoot her. We already know there's someone watching Lucia and Sumire with interest, so, you know, he's probably evil. More so than even your average teenage boy.

 

Hey, I was a teenage boy once, I know how it is. Although I was more a mixture of sarcasm, false cynicism and apathy than straight up evil. Like Dre said, ain't too much changed.

Also, I don't know how old Sumire is supposed to be - old enough no one thinks twice about her having an after-school job - but between the school uniform she wears and his severe height advantage over her, the age gap feels like it would be questionable? Who knows, she's probably like 15 and he's 17 or something (assuming he's human).

The volume ends on Sumire seeing that Lucia has vulnerabilities as well, and that one lightning-wielding virus possessing Sumire's classmate and getting into their home. At which point Sumire decides to try and put this berserker thing to use. Guess I'd have to get volume 3 to see how that works for her.