The Spring 2022 Manga Guide

Let's Go Karaoke

What's It About? 

Satomi, president of his school's choir club, gets embroiled in a bizarre situation when he's asked by Kyouji the yakuza to give him voice lessons. Surprisingly, Kyouji's quite serious, and diligent in his practice too! As the two spend time together, where will this odd friendship take them...?

Let's Go Karaoke! has story and art by Yama Wayama and English translation by Leighann Harvey. Yen Press has released its first volume both digitally and physically for $6.99 and $13.00 respectively.

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

While it isn't quite as odd as the creator's previous release, Let's Go Karaoke! is still a strange book. The story follows the relationship between a yakuza in his late thirties and a third-year middle school student; the yakuza, afraid of doing poorly in a gang-wide karaoke contest, basically kidnaps middle school third-year Satomi and makes him coach him in singing. Why Satomi? Because he's the lead of his school's choir and Narita figures that that makes him the best possible coach. Why a middle school boy? That question is never answered.

While this never quite veers into the truly absurd, there's still a sense that the book is deliberately trying to be as weird as possible while still attempting to make a point. What that point is precisely is up to your own interpretation; a good case could be made for the idea that Satomi is at a bit of a crossroads in his singing life with his vocal change steadily creeping up on him, robbing him of his beautiful soprano. Narita forces him to look at singing in a different light, as something that he can teach as well as practice while simultaneously he learns that people can't always be their jobs or appearances. Narita really does seem to like Satomi (in what way is a bit ambiguous, especially by the end of the volume), and he tries to look after him while he's getting his lessons. And despite himself, Satomi does become attached to the older man to the point where he gets upset when he thinks he'll never see him again.

All of this does make for a somewhat uncomfortable relationship dynamic, because while the age gap won't be a problem later in life, if there is an implied romance, it's definitely crossing a line with Satomi's current age. The role of singing in the book is also a little awkward, as it seems as if the story can't quite decide between making it about enjoyment versus competition or not ascribing any meaning to it at all. Both could easily be true, but the ambiguity doesn't necessarily serve the plot well. Add in art that relies heavily on grey shades and has slightly off perspectives and proportions, and this can just be…unsettling. But it's also very much something a little different as well as another entry into the burgeoning “yakuza do non-yakuza things” genre, so if you don't need to walk away from a book with a lot of answers, it's an interesting piece.