Momentum maintained!
Opening remarks:
If you read my review of the first issue you'll know that I was quite taken with it and had high hopes for the second one. Thankfully, this one manages to keep up with my possibly too high expectations and delivers on the goods.
Story:
We pick up from the end of the first issue, namely Alex trying to adjust to having a personal android. Even though we're only two issues in we have a good feel for his character and his reaction, while both hilarious and expected, feels well-suited. We also learn a little bit more about the android: she sleeps, eats, and is limited in the physical activities she can do as she can neither handle money nor drive. As of now we don't know if her restrictions apply to all androids or just those of her model, but that's not a major part of the story.
Although Alex is conflicted about the android, her presence clearly benefits him as he's noticeably a bit more chipper at work the next day. There's a really funny scene that takes place after he gets home that resulted as a miscommunication between the two. Before leaving, he was at the door and told her to not go anywhere, so she waited by the door all day without moving and startled him when he came in. It elicits a warm chuckle and further builds on the overall character focused nature of the series. Most of the story takes place at Alex's apartment and the relatively slow pacing and limited settings may throw off some readers but I find them quite enjoyable.
Art:
Not much has changed in this regard, except that in this issue we get a lot more smiles and contented expressions which is never a bad thing. The art is clean, simple and further lends believability to the book's premise. On the other hand, I could see some readers seeing it as "sterile" or "uncreative," which is understandable. One thing that I did notice, late as usual, was that the characters' faces are generally devoid of much skin detail and what have you, except for the Grandma. Wrinkles abound on her face but don't look bad.
Towards the end of the book there is a particularly clever, touching scene that echoes her activation in the first issue and the following page flows from this naturally and just feels right. Another nice touch in the book are Ada's movements. While only engaged in talking, she looks unnaturally stiff which makes sense given her nature and the fact that she and Alex haven't built a rapport and routine that would keep her more engaged.
Reasoning:
So far, there's been good pacing, focus on characters, and just a genuine good feeling that comes from reading this series. I really look forward to what's to come as this title not only feels promising, but delivers on an emotional level. That being said, there is the risk of reader expectation not being met as the bar is set pretty high. Still, if you like a book that gradually yet steadily builds on itself, is light-hear ted in nature, has realistic art, and a sci-fi story, you can't go wrong with this book. Final rating: 5/5
Afterword:
(Spoiler-ish?)
Geez, can't this guy shut up, you're thinking. I just have one more thought to add. Even though you already know the android's name as it's featured in the series title, Alex doesn't name her until the end of this issue and the timing of this even works really well with the way the story has been built so far.
