draagon's reviews
352 reviews

This volume had me dying of laughter at several points, especially in the first half. I love the dynamic between Mugi and Kei's friends, and how they can bond over how weird and different they are after spending time with them. Mugi is one of the funnest and funniest characters I've experienced in a while, her no-holds-barred antics never fail to bring a sardonic smile to my face. Her willing to help out at the café was also really sweet, though that storyline did feel a bit rushed and could've been utilized more effectively.  I also really appreciate how Kei is depicted. It's easy to fall into the trope that the "cold" guy is just emotionless and always closed off, but in this volume, we really see the human side of Kei, and he's given the space to simply be a teenage boy. He laughs, he gets grumpy and mad at unnecessary things; he really feels like a real person who could exist.

 I love this series to bits, and this volume is no different. I really appreciate how much weight is given to Seoha's grief, how sometimes it can feel like he's ready to move on, and other times it can come flooding back without warning and cause him to take five steps back to where he was before. Of course, Ji-eum is the best as always, giving him the space he needs while also seriously weighing what is the right course of action regarding her wants versus how it will affect Seoha. The storyline between Cho-won and Do-yun is also quite interesting and I wonder if his conviction to stay in the background and refuse to embrace what he wants in fear of the criticism it might bring, not just to him but also to those around him.  

I really like Lillias as a setting. It's very distinctive from the palace, both in how obviously cold it is, but also there are subtle differences in how people behave more relaxed and there's a more mix of cultures and various types of people. This volume is also a good contrast to the earlier similar plotline of Shirayuki having to solve the case of a mysterious illness happening in a confined place -- this time, she is completely separated from Zen, and while she has people who will help her like Obi and Izana, it is mostly through her own force of will and determination that she is able to push through and not only solve the mystery but also take the necessary bureaucratic steps to close off the city. It shows how much she has grown as a character, and also how much value she places on pursuing a path that will put her on a more equal level as Zen. 

Obi is a great character. I love how the mangaka does a lot more show than tell when conveying how much these characters care about and treasure each other. It's in the little reactions, the small sentiments, the meanings between the words actually being spoken. We get a little bit of insight into Obi's past, and it could've been something that the mangaka milked as it seems to be quite tragic and full of hard moments, but rather than dwelling on that, Akiduki instead keeps focusing on the present -- how interacting and living amongst Shirayuki and the others has shifted Obi's overall perspective on how to live life. It's a beautiful microcosm of what makes this series special in the first place and makes for a volume that's a pleasure to read.

This was a fantastic volume. I love how it was structured. The middle of the series followed more of a formulaic monster-of-the-book plotline, and while those stories were necessary, I couldn't be happier that we are far away from that format by now. Now, we're getting into the meat of the story, the payoff for all of that character work and world-building: The section when we have to confront the real monster that was lurking in the background this whole time, that of humanity's shortcomings and egos that created the Legion in the first place.

In this volume, we follow several plotlines simultaneously, bouncing between them multiple times within the same chapter, which sounds like a confusing mess just typing that sentence out—but, delightfully, it isn't. All the storylines seamlessly intertwine and weave into each other as some characters depart on journies of redemption or yearning, others of desperation, while the others are stuck in place, either frozen by their own moral misgivings or by another's hand.

The Federacy has had no qualms with blaming and pointing fingers at the Republic for how they treated the 86 and how that society chose to prioritize and ensure their own survival, but when similar extenuating circumstances begin afflicting their own capital, with refugees streaming in, crowding those so-called equality-focused streets of the Federacy, with the Legion slowly yet steadily chipping away at the battle lines and encroaching ever closer, with not even their beloved holidays safe from the consequences of being caught in a decade-long war, will they really be able to say they are morally superior to the Republic as these situations begin provoking a more desperate struggle for survival? Can humans keep that splendid humanity they always claim to have even when they're stripped of all structure and left in a free-for-all? Or will they break into groups of Others, dividing into Us and Them in a desperate attempt to make sense of the chaos again? Those are essentially the core questions of this volume, and they're explored through so many thought-provoking eyes.

We get the perspective of the Acaecton, who through no fault of their own have become the catalyst for everything coming apart at the seams as people begin blaming something, anything for all the problems that have suddenly crept into their supposedly safe city tucked away from the war front. Soldiers begin resenting this never-ending war, wondering who or what they are fighting for, and start deserting in droves when a satisfactory answer can neither be given nor found. Shin begins folding into his inner darkness as his world narrows when he is kept apart from Lena for a frustrating reason, and due to his duties, he cannot go and protect her immediately. Dustin is kept prisoner by his own claims of Goodness, of always rejecting the "wrong" society, and thus traps himself, and is trapped by his love, in a loop without escape that steals away his ability to discern the "right" way to live. The story encompasses everything from a macro view of how a supposedly superior democratic society can fail on all fronts simultaneously and simply self-combust, to the micro ways the small decisions of individuals affect countless lives in ripples that combine into waves as they crash into a sense of order already hanging by a thread.

It's hard to explain properly, but all of these frustrations are folded on top of each other in such a masterful way that I can honestly say it was a literary pleasure reading every chapter, as I took my time absorbing everything that was going on and appreciating the (unfortunate) ways this fictional world is reflecting our current one. The bombshell at the end was something I would never have seen coming, and I am both greatly anticipating and dreading where the final arc takes us.

This series just gets lovelier with every volume. I love the conclusion of the action-packed Sea of Claws arc. The reason why the *handsome* young lad was chasing after Shirayuki was revealed and it's quite endearing. We get to see Shirayuki and Zen get closer, only for Shirayuki to look on below, on the commoner level, as Zen fulfills his royal duties from above, which is always an excellent way to demonstrate the vast gap in status between two people hoping to be a little more than acquaintances. There were also what I would classify as "filler" chapters in this volume, though they do add to fleshing out the side characters and are a fun read. We get to see just how deep Mitsuhide's absolute loyalty to Zen runs, but we also get Obi and Kiki bringing him back down to earth in a style very adherent to their individual personalities.

Ok, yeah, I get it. The premise is beyond disgusting, from the 11-year age gap with a first-year high school student to the suddenly lusting after the little girl you raised from age 5, not to mention the absolute grown adult 26-year-old enrolling as a first-year in high school to bark at all these young youths who dare breathe in Isaku's direction. This is problematic, full stop. In the world of fiction, though where you are allowed to suspend your beliefs and explore lives outside of your morals, this story isn't bad in the way it's told. I found Isaku to be a really engaging female lead, and her personality is portrayed in a lighthearted yet also grounded way. I love how she can keep hold of her own boundaries even when trying to find a friend group for the first time. All the problems lay with Keiya, his selfishness and absolute urge to control every aspect of Isaku's life. It's despicable, but also... kinda riveting. How low can this full-grown adult go to chase the minor he's been entrusted with since she was a young age? It's like watching a train wreck, and thus despite all the alarm warnings blaring, I'd continue reading just to see where it goes.

This was a really good first volume. You get sucked into the world, and Satoko's predicament, right from the get-go and also get a good taste of how she deals with conflicts -- with as much poise as she can, until the fire within breaks her façade. I really like how healthy her relationship with her dad appears to be, that's refreshing from the usual rich-girl-dad hateful relationship. I'm also a sucker for twisted, unhinged male or female leads (only in fiction, of course), and that is exactly what we get in Goto, so I'm excited about how the story will develop.

This volume goes from zero to one hundred pretty quickly. I love how much Raj has changed due to his interactions with Shirayuki (and fear of Zen's wrath). We also get to see more of Zen's "princely" side and how he handles himself in intense conflicts. My heart really went out to Shirayuki, what an incredibly scary predicament she found herself in, kudos to her for keeping her wits about her. We also get to see more sides to Kiki and Matsuhide and how they both support Zen and hold their own when they have differing opinions from him.

Hina is such an engaging character. I really love being able to follow her around as she experiences all these new events for the first time and throws herself into getting as much praise from Kyuta as possible. Speaking of Kyuta, it's also lovely to see some of his walls come down, though he is still understandably reluctant to go all-in for the vamp fam. I love Hina's dynamic with Viktor as well, and the whole maid café bit was hilarious with the new vampire appearance. I'm loving the direction of this manga, and I hope it keeps up with the same pace and continues to expand its world and characters.