As always, Time Flyz begins with a recap as part of the narration by one of the characters (I hope Tak gets a volume, as I’m sure he has interesting things to say about ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~). This is acceptable, given that the series is being directed toward relatively young children. Once again, I find myself forced to admit that this really isn’t a bad series given the target audience.

This volume has a more involved plot than some of the previous, getting a lot of elements on the table and resolving them without feeling forced. At the same time, it has laid seeds for future volumes that should result in more integrated storylines. It’s also nice to see one of the scientists play a larger role in the plot, both directly and as it relates to the ongoing character development.

Let me get a few negative things out of the way first – the rivalry between Mother Mass and Wormhole is unfortunately back… but that’s nothing compared to the secondary development concerning the two of them. All I’ll say is that it wasn’t what I expected. It also raises a ton of questions, particularly about the nature of the Flies and their creator.

We also have some serious mucking around in time, which I think I just have to let go as simplistic time travel. It’s a difficult subject that we know little about, objectively, so I guess you have to roll with whatever the author decides. I do, however, have to complain that increased mass does not equal increased velocity due to gravity.

But there are also some interesting developments. We have foreshadowing and encounters with a future generation of characters, complicating matters considerably. These may be reintegrated into the plot or they may be a hint about the future of the characters after the series, either of which could work naturally. Also, apparently in the future the Flies are a super sentai team.

Characterization continues to be strong when it comes to the humans. The nature of the conflicts is also more complex than you generally see in this kind of story (about time, in my opinion). The physical confrontations also have enough give and take to make them interesting. Ultimately, though, this is a series for children that plays it safe and is fairly straightforward. I really wish someone would give the author permission to do a more complex story for adults.