Light Novel Review: Cooking with Wild Game Volume 2

Along with its respectable story, Cooking with Wild Game Volume 2 also achieves moments of solid character development, as we see more depth provided to Asuta and Ai Fa, and through the introduction of several new characters. As I said earlier, the story offers palpable feelings, and I believe this is attributed to the authenticity of its characters. Starting with Asuta, while his frustration is key to this volume, his determination is just as important. We see him working through his problems, and the results are shown convincingly. It’s not just frustration either; Asuta goes through a gauntlet of different feelings, and those emotions are pleasantly palpable. And, the clashing of these inner feelings make them distinguished. Failure versus determination; worry versus joy; those contrasts add complexity, and thus more realism to him.

In addition, given his mental state, Asuta is at times quite silly in his narration to us readers. It shows that despite his trials, his good nature is a core attribute of his. He can also properly express himself beyond self-deprecation when he wants. He expresses sentimentality when he reminisces about his past, and empathy when he speaks to Vina Ruu. His sense of humor, his deeper feelings, and his drive all help to show that Asuta is so much more than his cooking.

As for Ai Fa, we see some of her hidden charm and playfulness underneath the formidable hunter exterior of hers. When anything to do with hamburgers comes up, she tends to lower her guard and can be cute too, as she loves them so. She also possesses complex yet deeply buried emotions, which are often only displayed for Asuta’s sake. Despite their short time together, she wholly considers Asuta her family, and so the anger she felt on behalf of Asuta when he was being ridiculed by Donda Ruu is felt poignantly. Her competitive spirit parallels Asuta’s own competitiveness when he shares with her his drive to cook for the Ruu again. Ai Fa states her frustrations on behalf of Asuta and faces the challenge with similar energy. Thus, her strong allegiance and sincere care for Asuta shine through.

Not all is praiseworthy, however, as this volume also does unignorable harm to Asuta’s and Ai Fa’s characters. Humorous moments tend to miss, and like last volume, the use of physicality is questionable. With Asuta, his behavior is frequently awkward, pitiful, and embarrassing. One aspect of his, his lack of strength, is brought up often. Yes, the forest’s edge folk are exceptionally strong, and as such, Asuta is comparatively weak. However, rather than working through the differences, or finding ways around them, Asuta just accepts it all without any kind of growth. I’d rather see his character begin to evolve from those circumstances. Another issue and a repeat from last volume, Asuta tends to over-describe Ai Fa’s appearance. It’s one thing to be impressed, but another when in excess, and so he comes off as creepy. Then, there are times when Asuta behaves like a complete idiot. After that unfortunate episode in which he walks in on a group bathing, in order to clear the other girls’ doubts and discomforts, he practically announces to the world multiple times that he only saw Ai Fa. Every time, it’s embarrassing and leads to Ai Fa becoming borderline abusive. It’s just a bad look for them both all around. I believe Asuta acting the fool to this extent really damages his image, so much so that it’s difficult to regain the respect he built up through his efforts at this point.

Similarly, using humor and Asuta’s idiocy as a means to develop Ai Fa’s character is a huge misstep, as she repeatedly comes off as curt and abrasive. Again, the humor via Asuta’s more awkward thoughts and behaviors only land seldom, and as a result, Ai Fa’s reactions often feel equally awkward and overly sharp. And when it relates to that bath scene, Ai Fa reacts with hostility, hitting or kicking Asuta to the point where I felt uncomfortable. Given the frequency of that scene’s discussion, Ai Fa hits Asuta a lot this volume. These moments of detriment had me putting her personality into question. Overall, it’s a mixed bag for Asuta and Ai, as the missteps are glaring, yet at their best, they are authentic and do find a rhythm with each other.

As for the supporting cast, many of those introduced in Volume 1 are given solid development. Donda Ruu is the standout, as he serves as the current face of tradition. His anger and disappointment from last volume carry over and impel his stubbornness. His ease at throwing insults, as well as his willingness to cut off others also make him out to be an arrogant, impersonal individual. Then there’s his scheme to try and scare away Asuta and Ai Fa, which really is simply an unwillingness to understand, as it would be easier for him to just not be bothered by it all. However, there are subtle signs that he knows he went too far, and towards the end, he even makes an attempt to sit with and understand Asuta’s thinking and actions. He demonstrates a glimmer of reasonableness, and should his development continue in this manner, then it seems like Donda Ruu may become a kind of bridge between the traditional and the new that Asuta is introducing. With such a strong base personality and hints at real rationality and the ability of deep, critical thought, it’ll be fun to see what the author has planned for Donda Ruu in the future.

Others, too, have their moments to shine, such as Darmu Ruu, who shows stubbornness and contempt similar to his father, and Vina Ruu, who expresses her doubts and reveals genuine vulnerability. Rimee Ruu is still a cute ball of energy and the newly introduced Lala Ruu shows off a temper as impressive as her father’s. Then there’s Reina Ruu, who seems to be hiding an intense culinary passion of her own. We are slowly, but surely, learning about the ten or so members of the main Ruu house, who will surely become mainstays in this series.

Cooking with Wild Game Volume 2 is an entertaining continuation of the series, vividly depicting Asuta’s ongoing efforts of introducing a more robust culinary culture to the forest’s edge community. The richness of characters’ emotions make for an immersive story, and the character development, especially for the supporting cast, is impressive. All of this is true both for the main story and the excellent extra story which reveals more of Ai Fa’s past. However, endless monologuing, humor that fails to land, and behaviors that do more damage than good to Asuta and Ai Fa’s personalities cannot be overlooked. The bright spots kept me engaged, yet when my attention dwindled, the story had to work to get it back. I will say, this volume eventually got it again and held it till the end. Despite the missteps, this emotionally charged volume is definitely worth the read and has me looking forward to Volume 3.