 Volume 2 of Legend of Black Heaven - will Oji's newly-restored
love for guitar-playing force him to choose between his music & his
family? At least we can be sure that Layla isn't just after him for his
body...
5 - These are the Days
All is not well in the Tanaka household - Yokko's becoming increasingly
suspicious about Oji's recent behaviour & occasional
disappearances, while Oji's getting more into his new role &
reverting to his rock & roll self again - with poor Gen stuck in
the middle. He's even taken up songwriting again, but his new rock
ballad just isn't what Layla and her people need to power their
ultimate weapon - meaning Oji's getting on the bad side of everyone.
But Layla's people are about the realise that it's not Oji's music
that's been powering their weapon...
6 - Walk Away
His dreams shattered, Oji's quit guitar playing - to the disappointment
of the women at work, who quite enjoyed his air guitar. He's even
turning down tickets to see his idol in concert - all that he wants
from here is a normal family life. Meanwhile, Layla's people are
tackling their problems from two angles - the 3 stooges are down on
Earth trying any dirty trick they can think up to persuade Oji to go
back to his guitar, while Layla is back on her ship, trying to figure
out why Oji's last performance didn't trigger their weapon...
7 - In Need
Oji's back, but his guitar-playing still isn't having the devastating
effect it used to have. Layla's worried he's pushing himself too hard,
but Oji realises himself that his heart just hasn't been in it. Hamill,
chief scientist on Layla's ship, seems to have figured out way, but are
her methods a bit over the top?
'Crisis of confidence' is pretty much the theme of this disc, as Oji
wonders why he's playing & what Layla's true motivations are. He
wants to be playing for people who love his music, so when it turns out
it's just the effect of his playing they're after he's naturally
disappointed. Very much exploring the mid-life crisis aspect of the
show as Oji tries to work out what's best for himself.
It's also good to see his relationship with his family improve over
the course of the disc, which gives you a bit of a hook into hoping
that Layla's charms don't prove too much for him - so as well as the
Oji -vs- the aliens aspect there's now a definite hope that events
won't leave him without his wife & kid.
Overall, then, slower than volume 1 but still rewarding to watch.
Not quite what I expected when I bought the series - somehow I had more
blowing up of aliens in mind - but definitely recommended. |
