There are a lot of stories about second chances spanning all demographics of manga, anime, and light novels. In most of those cases, the protagonist of the story desperately wants a chance to go back and fix a mistake or rectify a problem, and many others wallow in the nostalgic notion that life was somehow better in high school. But for Juzo Ogami, protagonist of Kill Blue, that's not the case. He does not need to relive his life, has no interest in romancing a younger girl, and he'd like to get back to his almost forty-year-old body. It's not necessarily a difference that the plot leans into, but it's enough to help the series stand out.

Juzo may not be the world's happiest middle-aged man, but he is comfortable. Taken in by the highly suspicious organization he still works for as a child, he never went to middle school, dropping out to work as an assassin after finishing elementary. He doesn't appear to have any regrets on that front because he's still made a decent life for himself. He was even married and had a daughter before his amicable divorce, and he is still friends with his ex-wife, although he does seem to wish he were a better dad. But having a daughter in middle school shapes his view of his fellow students once he's returned to his younger body: to him, they're all kids his daughter's age. He's friends with a couple of them, but the plot steers clear of any romantic entanglements in these two volumes. Instead, his interactions seem designed to help him realize that kids are still people, which could further his desire to interact more with his daughter, something he's not entirely comfortable doing.

The other unforeseen side effect of his return to thirteen is the realization that he really loves studying. It's honestly really wholesome to watch this man, who has killed more people than he can count, geeking out over world history or struggling with algebra or having his mind blown by the existence of negative numbers. Juzo's not at school to make friends or get a girlfriend; he's there to learn, and that's just because he discovered that he loves it. His regression may not be with the same goal as many of his brethren, but he's nonetheless rectifying a situation by delighting in his education.

But of course, his stated goal is to get closer to Noren Mitsuoka, the daughter of the pharmaceutical group that developed the wasp whose venom changed Juzo's age. Noren's situation is one of the strongest elements of these two volumes, not because of her relationship with Juzo, but because creator Tadatoshi Fujimaki (of Kuroko's Basketball fame) does a solid job of understanding and depicting how terrifying and annoying it is to be an attractive girl. As the daughter of a wealthy man who has made no secret of the fact that her eventual husband will inherit his company, Noren is constantly pursued by men and boys of all ages. Her father regularly introduces her to adult men as potential husbands, she's hit on whenever she's out of the house, and boys at school are constantly asking her out. Her only defense is to hate men, and while Fujimaki does try to lighten the situation a bit by having her determined to take over her uncle's ramen shop rather than bend to her father's will, he also acknowledges Noren's feelings and situation seriously. In volume one, she tells Juzo, “My parents sometimes introduce me to men whom they consider to be good marriage prospects…They were trying to set me up like an adult even though I was still in elementary school. Almost as if I were a grown woman already.” In her mind, rebelling and allying with her uncle is the only way she can stand her ground and show that she has worth beyond her parents' money and her looks. This is a running theme throughout both volumes, and while it decreases a bit as the story gets sillier, it's still an important acknowledgement and key part of Noren's character.

The descent into increasing goofiness isn't in itself a bad thing, but it does feel like Fujimaki isn't entirely sure where he wants the story to go. As another assassin joins the cast (this one is middle school age, but with crippling anxiety that can only be quelled by sucking on a pacifier) and then a self-important sports whiz, the plot feels like it gets a little lost, although the final page of volume two brings it back. The art is a bit inconsistent, particularly when it comes to how heads fit on bodies, but the action is dynamic, which helps. By its second volume, Kill Blue isn't quite as good as it started, although it still has time to balance itself out. It's fun and has some solid story beats, but it already seems to be losing steam, and that's worrying.