Will the King manage to put an end to Tsubasa?
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Natsumi Ando
Translation: Ben Applegate
What They Say:
Tsubasa’s beloved twin sister Arisa is awake – but wants her eliminated by the King! Reeling from Arisa’s betrayal, Tsubasa falls right into a trap set by “King” Midori. The clocks tick as Tsubasa awaits her demise. Will this be her final King Time?
Content:
Being tied to a clock with a bomb sitting next to her, things don’t exactly look good for our heroine. However, rather than the dread of her imminent demise, it is the realization of Midori and Arisa’s betrayal that cripples Tsubasa. However, just as she’s ready to give up, help arrives in the unexpected form of Kudo, who was apparently also locked up in the room. After ascertaining Tsubasa’s true devotion to Arisa he frees her, and when it appears that only one of them can escape he volunteers to stay behind. Through sheer force of will, though, Tsubasa is able to save them both.
Battered and bruised from the earlier ordeal, Tsubasa drags herself to meet Arisa, and tells her that she has to visit Kudo in the hospital. Though Arisa coldly claims she doesn’t even know who he is, she later shows up at the hospital to secretly lament what has happened. When Tsubasa and Manabe arrive Arisa tries to maintain her icy demeanor, but when Kudo pressures her the mask finally cracks and her emotions come pouring out.
Back when Arisa started acting as the King, she only granted small requests. However, when the requests became more and more self-centered she became antsy, and almost crossed the line by stealing the answers for a test in order to grant a wish. This is when Midori stumbled upon her secret and offered to help. Thinking he would return the answer sheet Arisa agreed, only for Midori to release them to the student with the wish. Though Arisa tried to put a stop to his misdeeds, she was locked out of the King system and forced to watch as things spiraled out of control, leading to the situation Tsubasa discovered at the start of the series.
Even after admitting this, however, Arisa still declares that she’s returning to Midori’s side, and as the two leave together Midori turns around to give Tsubasa a menacing sneer.
In Summary:
Emotions and danger really start to reach a peak in this volume. Midori makes for a great villain here, largely in part due to his absolute lack of restraint. We also get a glimpse into what has led Arisa to her current situation, though some secrets still clearly remain. Perhaps the real star of the show, though, is surprisingly Kudo. With a good combination of emotional moments and backstory, he shockingly manages to make the turn from someone absolutely despicable into a really intriguing and strangely likeable character. Hopefully the series will manage to keep up this pace until the end, as what is presented here makes for an enthralling read.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: A-
Package Rating: B+
Text/Translation Rating: A
Age Rating: 13+
Released by: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: April 16th, 2013
MSRP: $10.99
