The future of ACCA lies in the hands of those who vie for the throne of Dowa Kingdom
Creative Staff
Story & Art: Natsume Ono
Translation: Jocelyne Allen
Lettering: Lys Blakeslee
What They Say:
As Jean Otus prepares for his final round of audits, rumors of his connection to the royal family have spread like wildfire. While many of the districts secretly support Jean as the rightful heir, the Princess of Dowa wishes to quench the remains of her younger sister’s lineage. The kingdom’s inner politics continue to throw the Otus family through the wringer, with Jean’s sister Lotta becoming a target for assassination. Meanwhile, Chief Officer Lilium reveals his true intentions behind ACCA’s support of the incoming coup.
The Kingdom’s succession draws near. As the dominoes begin to fall, what will remain of ACCA and the future of Dowa Kingdom?
The Review
Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With the reveal of Jean and Lotta’s royal blood in the previous volume, we’ve started to paint a picture of where the Otus family lies in this monumental house of cards. Jean’s mother Schnee, the second princess, was a visionary who sought change for the people of Dowa – something the current ruling council saw as a weakness for the kingdom’s continued reign. Because of this, Princess Schnee was erased from the Dowa family registry and cast into the world of common folk. With Princess Schnee’s tragic backstory, we’re shown how Nino came to be connected so closely to the Otus family.
Princess Schnee was to fake her own death as a cover-up. Council Chair Qualm assigned the Princess’s guard Abend to escort Schnee to her new life. Abend accepts his final mission, with the exception of bringing one of his own loyal subjects along for the ride. That subject was a young photographer, Nino’s father. His dedication to Abend leads him to abandon his life in order to follow Schnee into a life of secrecy. A young Nino listens in on their plan and pleads with Abend to let him follow his father. Abend accepts Nino’s request. The cover-up goes according to plan and Abend and Schnee say their solemn goodbyes. It seems Abend and Schnee shared an intimate relationship, but for the sanctity of the kingdom, they are forced to part ways for the sake of Schnee’s freedom. This is the beginning of Nino’s fated attachment to Jean.
Schnee settles down in Badon, where Nino’s father is tasked with sending photographic updates to the King. Documenting her life is an honorable duty and Nino discovers his own respect for his father’s work along the way. Schnee eventually bears two children, and Nino takes on the role of documenting Jean’s life, just as his father has done for the princess. But all of that changed with the train incident that killed Jean’s parents. Nino’s father was following Schnee on her trip, and so he met the same ill fate. Abend calls Nino immediately after the incident, ordering him to recover what his father left behind. The secrecy of Schnee’s background was to remain intact, and Abend was prepared for this day to come. The falsehoods of “loyalty” and “duty” were made clear. Nino never sought to carry out this mission for the kingdom, but because of the love and admiration he held for his father. These intentions rang true for Nino’s father and Abend as well. What they each sought, in the end, was happiness for those they loved. And with their reasons for life stolen from them, Abend and Nino could only move forward, their last remaining hope relying on Jean and Lotta.
The royal family’s remaining princess, on the other hand, was persistent in wiping out any traces of Schnee’s existence. She orders a hit on Lotta, attempting to quash the last of her sister’s lineage. But the Otus family also has friends on the inside. Prince Schwan’s personal guard Magie relays the assassination info to Rail, the policeman stationed in Badon. These two have grown a fondness for Lotta and wish to interfere with the Princess’ desire to kill her. But Rail and Lotta are eventually cornered by the assassins. Luckily Owl, head of the inspection department, steps in to ward off their pursuers. Lotta is safe for now – the infighting of Dowa has left her a small window of relief. Meanwhile, Jean’s audits continue to forge new alliances for the banished heir of Dowa. It seems word of his royal lineage has spread just as fast as the coup rumors, with the Directors of both Peshi and Yakkara districts placing their faith in Jean to lead ACCA and the kingdom to a new destiny.
The rumbling of Jean’s influence does not fall on deaf ears, with each districts’ shifting ties being heavily monitored by the Five Chief Officers. In a rare moment of cooperation, we see Chief Officers Grossular and Lilium agree on their next move – to carry out the coup with ACCA as the main actor. But the strings of fate are constantly being pulled from the shadows. Lilium and Grossular’s shared interests were a product of Lilium’s design. Grossular acts for the sake of ACCA, and in doing so, he is forced to abide by Lilium’s will. But Lilium has interests of his own. He and his brother, the Director of Furawau district, have climbed the ladder of bureaucracy for this very moment – to abolish the Kingdom of Dowa and create a path for the Lilium family to rule all.
In Summary:
As we close the penultimate volume of ACCA 13, all the cards are finally on the table. Jean Otus, Prince Schwan, the 1st princess and now Chief Officer Lilium – the fate of the country lies in the fallout of these players. With only a handful of chapters remaining, this rat race hangs on a delicate balance, the results of which may swing in any direction. Natsume Ono’s story has built an incredible political drama, and all that remains is a finale that’s sure to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: November 13th, 2018
MSRP: $15 USD
