Wandervogel Vol. 1 Manga Review (Minor Spoilers)

Synopsis

Okitsu, a man with severe claustrophobia due to past trauma, works at an izakaya in Okinawa and spends his nights sleeping outdoors. The night of a typhoon, his boss asks him to make a delivery to izakaya regular Ibu’s home. Ibu convinces Okitsu to stay and take refuge from the storm. It turns out that Ibu is actually a popular novelist who claims to be able to read other people’s minds and turn their thoughts into novels. For some reason, he has taken a special interest in Okitsu. As the storm rages on through the night, what mysteries will be revealed?

The Actual Narrative

This is the premise that the publisher is using to promote Wandervogel. So I was surprised to find an entirely different narrative when I started the first volume of this boys’ love (BL) manga. The opening pages present a trio of male college students and club members. When one of them calls up a classmate from junior high to see if he remembers him, it prompts another club member, Shirou, to reminisce about a friend he had as a kid who suddenly disappeared. The story he recounts of how no one believed his friend existed, traumatizing him so much that he left school to go through extensive therapy, makes up the first two chapters of the volume.

As I read these chapters, I kept scratching my head, wondering if I had the wrong manga. The story I was reading had nothing to do with the mind-reading novelist and “romantic mystery” the promotional copy promised. While there was some intrigue in the premise surrounding the childhood friend that disappeared, it wasn’t the story that I was anticipating.

This story goes on for a little under half of the book’s page count. After two chapters of this narrative, titled “An Invisible Friend,” the story switches to the titular “Wandervogel,” after which I realized I was in fact reading the correct manga. While the two stories do connect, I won’t describe how… This is partly to avoid spoilers. But also because I’m still wrapping my head around it.

A Confusing Mix of Ideas

If I had to describe Wandervogel, Volume 1 in one word, it would be confusing. Not the fun kind of confusing you’d find in a winding mystery narrative that slowly reveals shocking truths. Instead, Wandervogel stitches together a few interesting ideas that unfortunately do not enhance the larger narrative. None of the characters are appealing, and the story jumps around so much that there is no time for them to develop. When things did happen, I found myself wondering why, but also struggling to care.

There also isn’t enough sex to recommend this volume for some fun porn where you don’t think too much about the plot. The one non-consensual sexual encounter in particular rubbed me the wrong way (pun intended) with how absurd the premise was.

I would also be remiss if I did not touch on the dubious depiction of psychiatry, mental health professionals, and mental illness. This manga is so outdated in how it handles these topics that it could’ve been written over 15 years ago. While it’s clear the author wants to tackle difficult themes and weave together an intriguing narrative with scenes from the past and present, I think this manga could’ve benefited from more time in the oven.

Verdict

I don’t like to be so down on a manga series, especially a BL title. But Wandervogel was just too confusing and disjointed. While I enjoy Sakae Kusama’s sketchy art style, the plot’s presentation left me scratching my head. Perhaps the story will make more sense once the second and final volume releases in April 2026.

If you liked Wandervogel, Volume 1, you may also like…

• The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window
• The Troublesome Guest of Sotomura Detective Agency
• Total Eclipse of the Eternal Heart

Credits

Story and Art: Sakae Kusama
Translation: C²
Editing: Andy Rogers
Retouching and Lettering: Vibrant Publishing Studio
Cover Designer: Yeonwoo Baik
Published in English by Tokyopop

Thank you to Tokyopop for providing a review copy. Receiving this copy did not affect the reviewer’s opinions as expressed here.

Article edited by: Adam Wescott

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