A super cute girl with ice powers and the goal of killing all Comrades shows up in this volume. Sounds like a good thing, especially since she knows martial arts. Only problem is Taisuke is just another Comrade to her. This could definitely end badly for Taisuke.
Creative Staff:
Story: Tadashi Kawashima
Art: Adachitoka
Translation/Adaptation: Anastasia Moreno
What They Say
SUICIDE VIRUS
A strange virus is making its way around the globe, causing its victims to commit suicide–and becoming a lethal pandemic in less than a week. Now a group of Tokyo teens who have survived the outbreak are wondering why they are still alive.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Every time Yuuta and Taisuke get close to tracking down the Comrades and rescuing Megumi, something interferes and slows them down. This time they actually make it to the mansion where Megumi was held captive, only the Comrades have already left. Before they can search for the Comrades trail again, a girl shows up trying to kill them. She has the power to form ice shards and throw them at her enemy. Once the ice hits something, they expand the water in that object creating larger ice blades that can hit her enemy. Taisuke discovers the potency of her attack when she hits him in the arm and they expand, shredding his arm.
Yuuta eventually discovers the girl is seeking the same group of Comrades for killing her little brother. A tenuous truce is created between Taisuke, Yuuta, and the girl, Nami. The powerful situations feeding this series is what makes Alive so good. When Nami returns to her family dojo, Yuuta follows her. We learn the horrible way Nami’s brother died and her mother mistakes Yuuta for her dead son. The scene is heart-wrenching as the mother joyfully convinces herself that Yuuta is her lost son. It is also apparent that Yuuta wants nothing more than to accept the woman’s affection and perhaps even take her sons place. Because Yuuta doesn’t try to escape from Nami’s mom, she sleeps for the first time in months. It creates a small bond between Nami and Yuuta, which has the potential for more growth. Although she still doesn’t like Taisuke.
In Summary:
Together as a roughshod team, Nami, Taisuke, and Yuuta resume their journey north to find the Comrades. The Comrades goal receives a small amount of explanation as they head to Hokkaido. It seems they are searching for ‘Acro’s Heart’, and eventually the rest of him. Acro is supposedly the being that created the Comrades and it is their duty to serve him, and apparently put him back together. I’m not sure where all this is headed, but I do know that Kawashima is a pretty good storyteller and I recommend this series to anyone that hasn’t picked it up yet.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Del Rey Manga
Release Date: August 30th, 2016
MSRP: $10.95
