Can Mion and Shion overcome their fate as opposing forces, or can they cast aside their family roles and stay loving twin sisters?
Creative Staff
Story: RYUKISHI07
Art: Yutori Houjyou
Translation/Adaptation: Alethea Nibley and Athena Nibley
What They Say
Unable to provide an alibi for the night of the Cotton Drifting, Satoshi becomes the prime suspect for the murder of his aunt! As her friend is hauled away by the police, Shion steps forward as a witness to Satoshi’s whereabouts that night, exposing her true identity in the process. Shion may have saved Satoshi this time, but her actions have put her in serious danger. What will the Sonozaki family do to Shion when they learn of her association with Satoshi Hojo? And what will they do to Satoshi?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
In a moment of not thinking clearly, Shion reveals her secret existence to the police in an attempt to provide Satoshi with an alibi for the night his aunt was murdered. While it shows she truly loves Satoshi, it also puts those that helped her runaway from school in great danger. I mean we are talking about the Sonozaki Clan, the same clan that basically runs the town like a bunch of thugs. Needless to say, things don’t go well for Shion when she is dragged in front of the clan elders. They force her to make restitution for her crimes, and since she has to save Satoshi and the two men that helped her escape from school, she has to inflict some nasty self-torture. Truly cringe worthy.
The real kicker during all this was Mion’s vindictive attitude towards her twin, Shion. I would think that Mion would have been able to pull some strings for her sister considering she will be the next head of the clan. But no, Shion had to mess herself up. Equally surprising and confusing, Mion later apologizes to Shion. After Mion’s presentation during the torture, it seems hard to believe her. Although, Mion made her own kind of restitution for what was done to Shion, so who knows?
In a strange turn of events for Shion, but not for the reader, Satoshi goes missing. It nearly drives Shion mad with anger and heartbreak after she fails to find out how or why Satoshi went missing, especially after she made her painful restitution. This brings the unique earlier start of this arc up to speed with the starting point of all the previous arcs as Keiichi makes his appearance. I think the first volume and a half of new material in this arc really worked well as it gave the reader so much more insight to not only Satoshi’s character but also Shion.
Mion really likes Keiichi, and Shion knows it but she also likes him a little too. There are hints of Shion flirting with Keiichi, but she ultimately misses Satoshi too much. From here the story treads over the same ground of the Cotton Drifting Festival night and its ramifications. However, the author did a good job of just hitting the important parts and not boring us with too much of a retelling. From here Shion starts down her path towards Bat Shit Crazy Town. Can she keep herself together long enough to figure out who the real murderer is behind Oyashiro’s curse?
In Summary
If I have said it once, I’ve probably said it eleven times; I love this series. The juxtaposition between cute little kids and grisly murders is eerily fascinating. Plus, the retelling of a similar story with the same characters but from different point-of-views is addictive. But what I like best about this arc is the earlier ground it covers and at four volumes long, the presumed extra story at the end compared to all the previous two volume arcs.
As for this volume, I was both stunned and touched to see Mion’s self-torture mimic Shion’s restitution so that they both experienced the same pain. I have a brother, and I like him a lot, but I really don’t think I would have done what Mion did, especially if it was my brother’s fault that he had to pay restitution. Then again, we aren’t twins, so maybe I just can’t understand that kind of bond. Regardless, Mion’s sacrifice may not be enough to protect her from Shion’s growing madness.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: April 26th, 2011
MSRP: $11.99
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