Secrets are revealed, but is it all worth fighting for?
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Kaori Yuki
Translation/Adaptation: William Flanagan
What They Say
Stella’s real Zeno-nii, who was thought to have died five years ago at the very first Mad Tea Party, appears…and the last and biggest of the mysteries that Tsukito has been hiding is laid bare! Amid the chaos, her father presents Stella, who has lost her will to fight, with a way to end the death game that has embroiled her and her siblings. But when she’s forced to confront the eldest of her sisters, Ibara, Stella discovers that Bloody Alice will no longer come out to play! Is Stella’s fate sealed?!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Volume 5 opened the door to expanding the universe of the series. In the middle of a battle, a dimensional rift opened and Alice rode a dragon through it and away from the Kuonji estate. Kaori Yuki uses Volume 6 to provide a more expansive backstory that adds depth to the characters and to create a new rival in the ongoing conflict amongst the family.
Often, I will leave out details of a story so that readers can enjoy the journey for themselves. This time, I’m leaving out details because the story doesn’t answer some of the questions the last volumes have introduced. We find out that Tsukito has multiple personalities, and all are spiritual. Some cause self harm and others rage against enemies. While the world being introduced offers possessing spirits as the personalities causing harm, it seems a little too close to psychoanalysis for my comfort. Tsukito’s body has incorporated the perfect projection of Zeno, Stella’s brother who she has been devoted to for the last five years since his death and resurrection by her mother. This troubles Stella deeply and causes her to consider whether the fight is no longer worth her effort.
Within Stella, Alice exists as a larvae that was bred for the sole purpose of fighting. When Stella acknowledges Alice, she can stop the personality from taking over. Alice is nothing more than a Gothic Lolita representation of rage and destruction, an element Stella needs to survive her trials.
Now for part that made my skin crawl. The father of the Kuonji clan is shown being tormented by Olga, the matriarch. After his discipline through a torture that combined his greatest fears, he comes to Stella and offers to tell her how she can kill her mother. It is like a chess match, and that is how the narrative frames it, but for someone who has read too much Freud and Lacan, it seems pretty darn close to familial taboo. It really draws on incest elements even if none of the characters are actually related by blood.
We learn that Washimiyas, a new religious cult that includes business people and actors, has been gaining strength against the Kuonjis. Both cults focus on economic control with the Kuonji family operating more like a dictatorial family while the Washimiyas like a televangelist in charge of a population of followers. Neither option seems good from the readers’ perspectives because everyone, other than the cult leaders, must sacrifice as part of their belonging to the cult. When Tsukito rejoins the group, he places himself in a condition he describes as Hell. No longer can he watch over Stella. He must lower himself before people he hates.
The dust jacket of this release fits in nicely with the previous five hardbound releases. The aesthetics of the cover mirror the hot pastels of the previous books, and this release also continues the bold character presentation of the main cover. The boards are sky blue with purple end pages. The printing of the interior pages also maintains the higher quality with visual information available without needing to break the spine. This series looks good on the shelf.
In Summary:
Readers of the previous five volumes will need to read volume 6 to get a better idea of the universe of the characters. After several good volumes pitting the Kuonji children against each other, a new twist places the central characters in a struggle against demagogues and dictators, even if they seem to only reside in the shadows of business and religion. Stella and her internal personality Alice have to learn to compromise if they want to survive, and now Stella may feel less inclined to fight for a reward she knows is hollow. This volume closes with a showdown between Stella and her older sister that will shape the rest of the series. As a reader, I am as uncertain as the central character where the story will go.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: A+
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Older Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: April 18th, 2017
MSRP: $17.00
