The King’s hidden past comes to light!
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Natsumi Ando
Translation: Jackie McClure
What They Say
Tsubasa thought she’d finally reconciled with her sister, only to watch her go back to Midori’s side! Shocked and confused, Tsubasa heads to Midori’s hometown, desperate for answers. But while she spends her time digging up the past, the King’s schemes continue to fester! Who will be his next victim?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Though Tsubasa is back to her old life, she’s certainly not content regarding how she left things with Arisa. Apparently Midori “repented” his ways and explained to Arisa that he just wanted to find his mother. Realizing that Arisa has made her decision, Tsubasa tries to run away from the problem, figuring that it isn’t her place to interfere. Even upon learning that 2-B will be attending a summit held on Christmas, Tsubasa keeps to herself. However, after viewing a random act of Midori’s cruelty, Tsubasa decides to start researching again alongside Manabe.
By working together Manabe and Tsubasa throw off Midori’s calm demeanor, with Tsubasa managing to look into the orphanage where the King grew up. There she learns the tragic past of Midori and his twin brother, who died before Midori’s eyes. With the tale of Midori’s mom’s excessive negligence, it soon becomes clear exactly where his cruel nature came from. Upon hearing the story, Tsubasa realizes that Midori isn’t looking for his mother in order to reconcile the past, but to wreak vengeance instead.
On the day of the summit, Tsubasa confronts Arisa, but Arisa holds strong to her self-sacrificing nature. With no other option left, Tsubasa restrains her twin and uses her identity once more to blend in with the members of 2-B. To make things even more awkward, Tsubasa’s own mother appears at the summit, and makes it clear that she is unable to see through her daughter’s disguise. Midori, however, recognizes the switch immediately. With his taunts Tsubasa realizes that Midori’s wanton cruelty stretches farther than she imagined, and she rushes forward to grab what she can only assume is his instrument of destruction.
The bonus chapter focuses around Mariko and a rather self-centered teacher.
In Summary
Things are really reaching a fever pitch in this penultimate volume. The star of this volume is definitely Midori, and we are given a surprisingly in-depth look at his back story. Though he certainly isn’t sympathetic considering all that he has done and still plans to do, it goes a long way to help make sense of his character. Interestingly enough, we also get a glimpse of his humanity here and there, with his emotions breaking through his cruel, calculating mask now and again. Considering how seriously things have escalated, it’ll definitely be interesting to see how the series manages to wrap things up. For now, though, this volume remains a solid entry that certainly manages to keep the reader’s attention.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A-
Package Rating: B+
Text/Translation Rating: A
Age Rating: 13+
Released by: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: September 10th, 2013
MSRP: $10.99
