Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire Vol. 2 (Manga Review)

Story & art by: Naoki Serizawa

Concept by: Capcom

Viz Media          Viz Signature

Professor Wright and his nephew Ricky is back and their mission, finding the source of the virus and stopping its outbreak, continuous.  Meanwhile, Chris Redfield's team tries to close in to the professor's location. Will they get there in time? All this in a nail-biting second volume. Hit the jump for my review.

Professor Wright and his nephew Ricky continues their investigation of the biohazard outbreak at Marhawa Academy. Upon entering an underground lab where the incident first occurred, they find evidence of the hooded woman, a prime suspect in bioterrorism events worldwide. As the number of victims grows, the hooded woman finally appears. The situation then takes a grim turn for the worse...

This volume gives us a substantial plot progression. The appearance of the suspect gets them closer to solving the case, but it's not going to be easy as they fight their way through deadly zombies. Is the hooded woman really the culprit? Something tells me, if you follow the formula of any horror stories, the prime suspect is not always the real culprit. The story also dives in deeper on the character of Mother Gracia, the academy's headmistress. Her past may provide a clue to what's happening in the academy. Meanwhile, Chris Redfield's team still searches for the professor's whereabouts. Chris grows more and more perturbed as time passes without hearing back from the professor. At this point, I'm not sure exactly what their purpose to the story is. People are getting killed left and right at the academy. If they're being portrayed as the team that would save the day, by the pace they're going, there might not be anyone left to save.

In terms of the overall pace of the story, I'm liking it a lot. Not at all bogged down by unnecessary side plots. However, there's still no real standout character here so far (for me anyway). Ricky is showing some potential as well as Bindi, who's showing improved character depth. Granted, it's only the second volume so I'm staying cautiously optimistic. The use of flashbacks on this volume is good and informative albeit confusing at times as they play in and out of the present timeline. The mystery of the story is still interesting, suspense buildup is still engaging, and the art is still captivating. Although cliched at times, I'm very much invested in the series. I look forward to reading the next volume. This is definitely an entertaining read.