“When Mero Fukagawa—a classmate with a crush on Kanade—invites her and Otoha to attend Ultima Rock Fest in Shibuya, it's the girls' first time at an urban music festival. With the opportunity to visit a bevy of smaller venues and get closer to the bands than ever before, this event is a far cry from the outdoor performances they've experienced. Mero is actually playing at the festival himself (and he hopes to show Kanade his best side), but his competition is stiff: Kanade's favorite band, Daze on Youth, is also there!” (Yen Press)
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As the “Days on FES” keep on rolling, the series finally sees the main group parting ways on their own adventures, while simultaneously introducing a new character and giving some backstory to the girls favorite group “Daze on Youth”. In addition, the series takes music fandom from the large festivals into the more intimate small venue circuit, showing Kanade and Otaha's continued growth as audiophiles. Essentially, the release is starting to mature with the youngest of the recurring crew while shining a light on the indie music scene.
Tonally different from the last volume, the third entry marks the most diverse and entertaining release to date. Expressing a love of music festivals, the next logical step was to take that passion and apply it to the indie scene. As regular concert goers will tell you, there is a certain charm to the dingy club with a small devout following cheering up-and-coming bands – an experience which can equal the massive scale shows. Keeping to the theme of personal discovery, the change of scenery allows Kanade and Otaha to once again approach a new scene as outsiders – the transition from being fearful of being in a small intimate crowd melting away to the joy of being upfront within reach of their rock idols. Beautifully capturing the anxious anticipation leading to full embrace of the small venue gig, this volume showcases Oka's familiarity and love of diversity within the music scene.
Slwoly expanding beyond its original cast, Mero Fukagawa is a slightly intense character that it will be interesting to see how Oka develops. Try-hard and vocal, his inclusion will certainly change the group dynamic if he manages to win over Kanade. Notably, readers will have reason to be apprehensive, particularly if it changes the joyous dynamic between Kanade and Otaha. The other introduction made in this volume comes via the girls' most beloved band, specifically the backstory of the lead singer of “Daze on Youth”, Haruto Aizawa. Not necessarily changing the narrative focus from fans to performers, his origin playfully explores the bands humble beginnings and how the singer uses music as a way to manage his own anxieties. Thankfully, any trepidation of having Mero, possibly, play a more active role is made up in the emotionally resonating backstory of Haruto.
Given the broader scale of story and locations, Oka's art continues to impress in the small intimate venues and close-ups of performers. In particular, the backstory of “Daze on Youth” that focuses on the band's first performance beautifully captures the energy of a live show, increasing frenetic movement as the jitters transform into a euphoria and atmosphere that cemented the group's legacy from their first performance. Ultimately, “Days on FES” feels like a constant expansion of Oka's ability as a visual storyteller, with each volume having instances that further adoration of their aesthetic.
“Days on FES ” is shaping up to be my personal favorite manga series of 2021, a fact hard to hide with how integral romanticization of live music is to hold the series in such high esteem. However, its charms as a work of ‘slice of life' is just as apparent, capitalizing the genre's ability to make events outside of one's own interest an endearing character study. As such, the series comes highly recommended for fans of slice of life, and a quintessential read for music lovers.
