What motives does the School Counselor have to pit the surviving students against each other?
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Yoshiki Tonogai
Translation: Alexis Eckerman
What They Say
The tension among the survivors of the bus accident reaches its threshold as the one-week deadline finally arrives. The three killers may have confessed, but does this mean that all their sins are accounted for?
What truly constitutes a crime? Or to what extent is an action criminal? When the gavel falls on their sentences, perhaps all might not be as it seems.
Content: (please note that content portions of this review contains spoilers):
It took awhile, but it appears Sanada is the protagonist in this series. With Odzu out of his comma after nearly being killed by a baseball bat to the skull, he and Sanada have slowly sleuthed out two of the three murders the School Counselor claimed took advantage of the bus crash. But they can’t figure out who a third killer could be. Unless the Counselor was lying; but why would he?
The only people remaining is the former idol Rika who was horribly scarred in the bus accident, and Amano. Then again, Odzu could be lying to Sanada. That aside, signs begin to point to Amano when Rika calls Sanada from a park asking why he asked her to meet him there and then didn’t show up. Taken by surprise, Sanada rushes to the park when Rika’s phone call is mysteriously cut short. Can Sanada reach her in time?
Maybe not when someone pushes him out in front of moving traffic! Luckily he survives, but who did that, and will he find Rika alive or dead? Why would Amano want Rika dead and is he really the third murderer? Why the heck did the School Counselor try and set the students against each other with his accusations and one-week time table?
Pick up this final volume to find the shocking reasoning behind it all!
In Summary
Secret proves to be an interesting and entertaining short story along the themes Yoshiki Tonagai usually tackles; student murder mystery. The first volume established the story with a school bus crash that leaves only six student survivors. Initially, it seemed like a terrible accident until the School Counselor tells the six survivors that three of them are murderers! The odd part of the Counselor’s accusation is that he demands the students figure out who the killers are in one week’s time before he reports to the police. Just as he wants, the students turn on each other and the body count continues to climb. The initial mysterious motive behind the Counselor’s plan takes until the very end of this final volume to determine, but it is plenty shocking.
An entertaining murder mystery with a small investment at only three volumes. Recommended.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Older Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: November 17th, 2015
MSRP: $13.00
