Manga: Final Fantasy Lost Stranger 2

Final Fantasy: Lost Stranger Volume 2 
Rating: 4/5 
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review! 

Shogo and his party continue their trek up the mountain. At the summit, the dragon that killed his sister awaits. The group's perseverance has earned them a spot on the raid team, but the respect of Randolph, the raid's leader, is another matter entirely. All is silent... and then suddenly, the dragon is upon them. Throwing caution to the wind, the adventurers pelt the creature with arrows, spells, and strikes, but their efforts are in vain. In an instant, the team is decimated. Randolph orders the few who escape the beast's wrath to retreat, but one man remains, standing tall amid the falling snow...

Shogo is struggling a little bit as we join him at the beginning of this volume, he can't quite keep up with the others but I liked that and seeing the contrast between him taking charge and leading everyone a little bit later. 

A good chunk of this volume is taken up with trying to defeat our characters winged nemesis, the dragon, who they swiftly face, along with the aftermath of that battle. I enjoyed how Shogo used his game knowledge when it came to battling the dragon and I love how little tidbits about FF are scattered throughout thanks to Shogo's narrative. I was a little worried that that aspect may end up getting forgotten and therefore dropped but so far it's been consistent without being too much. 

With this volume that particular chapter of the story is neatly closed and Shogo makes some progress by getting recognised as an adventurer just in time to head off to Mysidia, as he sets out to find what he needs to revive his sister. Of course, it's not that easy and we soon discover his next obstacle and his possible ways around it....along with a surprise reveal about Sara. 

We also get introduced to our next antagonists, the Forbidden Arts guild who are kind of terrorists and it was literally a matter of time before they showed up after they were teased at one point. They're the Magus Sisters, bosses you might recognise from FF4. 

While we had a quiet little interlude between the epic battle with the dragon and the battle with the sisters, it wasn't long before the action sparked off again and there appears to be a bit of intrigue to do with Shogo. 

This volume moves steadily forward with a nice balance between action and calmer moments, moving the story forward and dropping some fun game bits in too, along with a dose of intrigue!