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Arisa [アリサ] #5
Arisa 5
Twin sisters, Arisa and Tsubasa, are separated by their parent's divorce. The twins secretly exchange letters with each other during their separation. They are finally united after three years and Arisa asks Tsubasa to pretend to be her and spend a day in her school just for fun. At school everyone seems very nice to Tsubasa (who is pretending to be Arisa) and everything seemed normal... until she finds a strange note in her sister's shoe locker. When Tsubasa hands over the letter to Arisa, Arisa tries to kill herself by jumping out of a window. Arisa survives but remains in a coma. The letter read, "Arisa is a traitor." After her sister's suicide attempt, Tsubasa is determined to unravel the mystery behind the letter and her sister's suicide attempt so Tsubasa continues to go to school as Arisa... will she find out who sent the note and why it had such an effect on Arisa?
Mass Market Paperback
First published September 6, 2010
22 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
About the author
Natsumi Andō
77 books350 followers安藤なつみ, Andō Natsumi is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for Zodiac P.I. as well as Kitchen Princess, for which she won the Kodansha Manga Award for children's manga in 2006.
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Favorites: Donald Duck
Favourite manga: Ossu! Ichijin and Kimagure Orange Road
Favourites: meats and fruits
Hobbies: shopping, reading and watching TV
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 5, 2012
It was interesting to hear the background story of Shizuka - makes it easier to understand and somewhat sympathize with her about why she hates Arisa so much. Although that was cleared up, the identity of the king still remains a mystery. I'm also curious what is Manabe's exact role in this whole mess. He seems to be hiding quite a lot of secrets. Good thing I have vol. 6 on hand to read soon!
August 15, 2024
Field Trip
With three of the five phones capable of entering the King's Secret Room in the hands of Shizuka we see why she is so upset with Arisa and makes it a point to punish her through her new ally in the King. Desperate times call for desperate measures as Tsubasa continues to discover who the present King is while also diffusing the situation at hand in this manga of whodunit.
With three of the five phones capable of entering the King's Secret Room in the hands of Shizuka we see why she is so upset with Arisa and makes it a point to punish her through her new ally in the King. Desperate times call for desperate measures as Tsubasa continues to discover who the present King is while also diffusing the situation at hand in this manga of whodunit.
July 2, 2019
Awesome volume. Creepy and uncertain.
January 4, 2026
It’s always going to be 5 stars with these series, and they were the first series I began which got me into reading manga i definitely do recommend if you want a quick and intriguing read.
November 3, 2017
I ship Manabe with Tsubasa, although I hope to find a fanfiction of Tsubasa and Takeru. XD
I can't wait to read the next one!
I can't wait to read the next one!
March 29, 2026
Review for complete series
Despite living apart following their parents' divorce, twins Tsubasa and Arisa have kept in contact through letters. Where Tsubasa is somewhat of a school rowdy, Arisa attends a private school where she is all around popular and successful in her studies. After an incident that leaves Arisa in a comma, Tsubasa is left to wonder if her twin's life was all that picture perfect after all. She decides to take Arisa's place and attends the private school to find out what might have happened.
Andou's works often seem to sit somewhere between classic shoujo and mystery. Arisa gives us the common high school setting with a couple of common tropes. It does have a stronger focus on mystery though, one that deals with school bullying and class dynamics. It has a certain creepy edge to it which is largely based on how obsessive some of the students seem to be with the happenings of this tale. It starts off fairly strong but loses its momentum as the story continues. Perhaps 12 volumes were simply too long, but the further into the story we got, the more over the top and unbelievable the events seemed.
Unless there are some super natural elements involved, unhinged teenagers rarely work as a plot for me and so many of the characters have their moments where they just appear completely insane. The story dabbles in murder, bombs and other criminal acts and somehow adults and parents are virtually non existent. It just felt a little too far fetched that a whole class would get away with so much over the course of so many volumes.
I will admit that it is a fairly quick read as there are definitely many twists and turns that keep you turning the pages. I think it's fine for a one time read if you can get over the over the top drama. I enjoyed Andou's art. I also think calling this series a romance is very much mislabeled.
Read
February 23, 2025Sekarang misi Tsubasa nambah berat. Dia mesti ngerebut 3 hp yang ada di tangan Shizuka, cewek yang punya dendam kesumat ama Arisa. Hidupnya Shizuka ternyata sulit. Yatim-piatu, gak ada keluarga yang mau ngurusin, ditambah sekarang lumpuh.
Shizuka anaknya ambis banget, sayang banget dia lebih fokus buat ngalahin Arisa sama ngarep dibanggain bibinya, daripada buat dia sendiri. Si Osama makin ke sini makin brutal aje nih demi memenuhi setiap permintaan.
Shizuka anaknya ambis banget, sayang banget dia lebih fokus buat ngalahin Arisa sama ngarep dibanggain bibinya, daripada buat dia sendiri. Si Osama makin ke sini makin brutal aje nih demi memenuhi setiap permintaan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2020
Volume 4 left off when Tsubasa finds Shizuka on the train with 3 of the phones. Shizuka doesn't like Arisa since Arisa has gotten better scores than her. We learn more about Shizuka and her promise that she made with Manabe. While Shizuka is convinced that Arisa is the King, Tsubasa tries to convince Shizuka that she can have friends.
April 18, 2021
This volume got a bit better. Our story is starting to shape and take a more interesting form as far as plot goes. I dont know where it will lead but I like having that mystery to it. The characters are feeling more fleshed out now even the villian characters are interesting to learn about. Liking it! Happy to continue on!
June 18, 2017
Esto empieza a dar muchas vueltas y yo me estoy volviendo loca...
July 1, 2017
Da fuq??? Is someone wearing a wig? Or is Tsubasa that desperate? Super doubtful. Definitely getting more interesting, but what even?!!!!
July 7, 2021
Was Manabe in love with Arisa? Or vice versa?
December 10, 2017
Tsubasa has a new enemy: Shizuka, the King's first victim.
A quote from Akira: " wants revenge , no matter the cost. Even if it means working with the current King to do it." OMG, these characters. They're so frustrating. Shizuka is so obsessed that it never occurs to her that the current King might be the same person who got people to bully her. Yes, Arisa should have stepped in and done something to stop her classmates and whoever was King on her behalf, but I still think Shizuka's rage would be better directed against the entire King system, rather than just Arisa. Heck, she might as well just be angry at her entire class. They're all horrible.
This was better than the previous volume, as long as I accept that these kids are all just crazily obsessed. Shizuka at least has a bit more reason to be like this than some of the others (her horrible home life played a part - her adoptive mother was awful), but Akira was an idiot for enabling her.
In this volume,
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
A quote from Akira: " wants revenge , no matter the cost. Even if it means working with the current King to do it." OMG, these characters. They're so frustrating. Shizuka is so obsessed that it never occurs to her that the current King might be the same person who got people to bully her. Yes, Arisa should have stepped in and done something to stop her classmates and whoever was King on her behalf, but I still think Shizuka's rage would be better directed against the entire King system, rather than just Arisa. Heck, she might as well just be angry at her entire class. They're all horrible.
This was better than the previous volume, as long as I accept that these kids are all just crazily obsessed. Shizuka at least has a bit more reason to be like this than some of the others (her horrible home life played a part - her adoptive mother was awful), but Akira was an idiot for enabling her.
In this volume,
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
October 7, 2014
The story picks up in Vol. 5 of Arisa. Tsubasa finds herself in a predicament in her somewhat stalled investigation into the identity of this "King" person who is manipulating her sister's class and pushed her sister to the point of attempting suicide.
At the end of Vol. 4, a girl who tried to commit suicide herself thanks to the bullying of the "King" and the rest of the class returns to seek revenge against Arisa, not knowing that Tsubasa is disguised as her comatose sister. Tsubasa isn't happy with her, especially after finding out how irrational she is in her hate of Arisa (even knowing Arisa was no longer "King" when the incident took place) among other things. But after hearing Shizuki's sad life story from Manabe and witnessing the severe verbal and emotional abuse heaped on the poor girl by her aunt, Tsubasa feels pity for her.
This is made worse when Tsubasa discovers that the new King is using Shizuki in his plan to hurt Tsubasa and Arisa. Now she has to protect herself and her sister, while minimizing any hurt to Shizuki from the King who is using her against them.
The story sure is getting complicated at what, I think, is the halfway point. The stakes are high and the emotional impact as high as it can just about get. I like how the author handles this. Ando Natsumi is good at keeping the right amount of thematic tension. She doesn't reveal things too early so the suspense is ruined, but neither does she keep the suspense "taut" so long that the reader's interest breaks.
Yes, there are still the problems with realism in that no teacher notices the bull-shit going on in the class and with the students. Even in Japan with it's "don't interfere in others' lives" ethic, this wouldn't be allowed to go on with no intervention. Especially not recently when there are such concerted efforts to deal with the social service issues that have plagued them and their culture for so long.
If you can ignore that lapse of realism, however, it really is a suspenseful story that pulls you in. The artwork is incredible, and the incredible "portrait" pages headlining each chapter are not just beautiful but poignant, as you know the twins are nowhere near as happy as they appear to be in those pics. Especially not Arisa. They make for a nice contrast with the story.
I really enjoy this series and might just pick it up for myself on Comixology instead of just reading it from the library.
At the end of Vol. 4, a girl who tried to commit suicide herself thanks to the bullying of the "King" and the rest of the class returns to seek revenge against Arisa, not knowing that Tsubasa is disguised as her comatose sister. Tsubasa isn't happy with her, especially after finding out how irrational she is in her hate of Arisa (even knowing Arisa was no longer "King" when the incident took place) among other things. But after hearing Shizuki's sad life story from Manabe and witnessing the severe verbal and emotional abuse heaped on the poor girl by her aunt, Tsubasa feels pity for her.
This is made worse when Tsubasa discovers that the new King is using Shizuki in his plan to hurt Tsubasa and Arisa. Now she has to protect herself and her sister, while minimizing any hurt to Shizuki from the King who is using her against them.
The story sure is getting complicated at what, I think, is the halfway point. The stakes are high and the emotional impact as high as it can just about get. I like how the author handles this. Ando Natsumi is good at keeping the right amount of thematic tension. She doesn't reveal things too early so the suspense is ruined, but neither does she keep the suspense "taut" so long that the reader's interest breaks.
Yes, there are still the problems with realism in that no teacher notices the bull-shit going on in the class and with the students. Even in Japan with it's "don't interfere in others' lives" ethic, this wouldn't be allowed to go on with no intervention. Especially not recently when there are such concerted efforts to deal with the social service issues that have plagued them and their culture for so long.
If you can ignore that lapse of realism, however, it really is a suspenseful story that pulls you in. The artwork is incredible, and the incredible "portrait" pages headlining each chapter are not just beautiful but poignant, as you know the twins are nowhere near as happy as they appear to be in those pics. Especially not Arisa. They make for a nice contrast with the story.
I really enjoy this series and might just pick it up for myself on Comixology instead of just reading it from the library.
August 19, 2012
Shizuka is determined that Arisa was the reason why everything bad happened to her. Manabe explains this to Tsubasa and explains that Shizuka is out to get her in any way possible. On the trip, Shizuka wished that Arisa's most precious thing would be taken away from her. This scares Tsubasa and Tsubasa is convinced that the KING will hurt Midori because Midori is Arisa's most important person. She goes out to find Midori but she gets pushed and she becomes unconscious. Manabe later finds out that Tsubasa might be hurt from Shizuka's wish and goes out to save Tsubasa. When Tsubasa returns, her classmates hate her because they were all late for dinner as a result. Shizuka then explains that Arisa's most important thing was to be loved by everyone... however, Tsubasa explains that it is not true.
Manabe explains to Tsubasa how Shizuka has been living a hard life since she was a little girl. Shizuka's father died when she was a young age and her family thought that she was going to be a burden. The only way that Shizuka felt like she could prove her value was when she got good grades. But Arisa beat her in the school ranking. Despite all of her efforts, she couldn't catch up to Arisa. One day the whole class turned against her and when she asked Arisa for help, Arisa supposedly refused to help her. So, Shizuka tried to jump and kill herself.
Tsubasa tries to figure out what to do and decides to see what Shizuka is up to. However, Shizuka finds her and apologized for the last incident. Shizuka then falls ill and Tsubasa carries Shizuka back home. In the time that Tsubasa was there, she discovers how mean Shizuka's aunt is to her and she realizes how hard Shizuka's life actually is. This stopped Tsubasa from trying to steal the phones back because she felt empathetic towards Shizuka.
I think that Shizuka's story thickens the plot because it shows how dangerous the KING really is. However, her story does confuse me because I makes me wonder why her story is really told. Why is it so important that Tsubasa gets through to Shizuka, what will Tsubasa benefit from it?
Manabe explains to Tsubasa how Shizuka has been living a hard life since she was a little girl. Shizuka's father died when she was a young age and her family thought that she was going to be a burden. The only way that Shizuka felt like she could prove her value was when she got good grades. But Arisa beat her in the school ranking. Despite all of her efforts, she couldn't catch up to Arisa. One day the whole class turned against her and when she asked Arisa for help, Arisa supposedly refused to help her. So, Shizuka tried to jump and kill herself.
Tsubasa tries to figure out what to do and decides to see what Shizuka is up to. However, Shizuka finds her and apologized for the last incident. Shizuka then falls ill and Tsubasa carries Shizuka back home. In the time that Tsubasa was there, she discovers how mean Shizuka's aunt is to her and she realizes how hard Shizuka's life actually is. This stopped Tsubasa from trying to steal the phones back because she felt empathetic towards Shizuka.
I think that Shizuka's story thickens the plot because it shows how dangerous the KING really is. However, her story does confuse me because I makes me wonder why her story is really told. Why is it so important that Tsubasa gets through to Shizuka, what will Tsubasa benefit from it?
January 5, 2012
I'd have found the end of this volume considerably more suspenseful if the excerpt from volume 6 included afterwards didn't defuse all the tension. Not Ando's fault though, just a bad choice on the part of the publisher.
I'm really losing patience with Arisa's classmates. They're such a mean spirited easily influenced group of individuals; I can't imagine why Arisa would ever have been friends with any of them. Maybe that'll be the final twist to the series: Arisa really has been King all along because she decided it was about time her class got what was coming to them.
Speaking of King, I'm no closer to working out hir identity than I was at the start of the manga. Midori? Maybe? I can't buy it though, he's too flat so far. And I still feel the new kid is being pushed way too hard as a suspect to actually be hir. :l Well it's definitely not Shizuka, this volume showed that pretty conclusively.
While we're on the subject of Shizuka, I really liked her development this volume! I was worried Ando was going down a flat villainous route with her? I should have known better, she humanized Mari earlier when she played the bad guy. I hope Manabe and Tsubasa can convince her to let go of her misplaced hatred towards Arisa; I'd love to see our mystery solving duo become a trio. Plus I would not object to more scenes of Tsubasa sticking up for her against her aunt. She can just leave. :l God, there are a lot of terrible parent/guardians in shoujo manga. 3 stars
I'm really losing patience with Arisa's classmates. They're such a mean spirited easily influenced group of individuals; I can't imagine why Arisa would ever have been friends with any of them. Maybe that'll be the final twist to the series: Arisa really has been King all along because she decided it was about time her class got what was coming to them.
Speaking of King, I'm no closer to working out hir identity than I was at the start of the manga. Midori? Maybe? I can't buy it though, he's too flat so far. And I still feel the new kid is being pushed way too hard as a suspect to actually be hir. :l Well it's definitely not Shizuka, this volume showed that pretty conclusively.
While we're on the subject of Shizuka, I really liked her development this volume! I was worried Ando was going down a flat villainous route with her? I should have known better, she humanized Mari earlier when she played the bad guy. I hope Manabe and Tsubasa can convince her to let go of her misplaced hatred towards Arisa; I'd love to see our mystery solving duo become a trio. Plus I would not object to more scenes of Tsubasa sticking up for her against her aunt. She can just leave. :l God, there are a lot of terrible parent/guardians in shoujo manga. 3 stars
March 3, 2016
4 Stars for Arisa vol. 5
Plot and Thoughts
In this volume we get more backstory on Shizuki and what she means to Manabe, the girl who has returned to seek revenge on Arisa. She blames a lot on her and as sad as her full story turns out to be (already read volume 6) it's no excuse to blame someone else. Shizuki still hates her even after she finds out the Arisa is no longer the "King". Tsubasa learns of Shizuki's home life (and backstory) and is gracious enough to have pity for her. She even wants to be her friend. Tsubasa (and anyone who's reading the series really) knows that this new alliance she has with the King is really just the King using her for his/her own ends.
I still can't believe the kids in Arisa's class... and I still can't quite figure out where all the adults are really. The ones that do make brief appearances are either featherbrained or just as awful as the students in the class! But I guess it's a work of fiction, right?
In Conclusion
Another great volume from Natsumi Ando, though I didn't find it quite as gripping as the first 4 volumes. On to the next volume!!!
Status in my Library
Ordered.
Plot and Thoughts
In this volume we get more backstory on Shizuki and what she means to Manabe, the girl who has returned to seek revenge on Arisa. She blames a lot on her and as sad as her full story turns out to be (already read volume 6) it's no excuse to blame someone else. Shizuki still hates her even after she finds out the Arisa is no longer the "King". Tsubasa learns of Shizuki's home life (and backstory) and is gracious enough to have pity for her. She even wants to be her friend. Tsubasa (and anyone who's reading the series really) knows that this new alliance she has with the King is really just the King using her for his/her own ends.
I still can't believe the kids in Arisa's class... and I still can't quite figure out where all the adults are really. The ones that do make brief appearances are either featherbrained or just as awful as the students in the class! But I guess it's a work of fiction, right?
In Conclusion
Another great volume from Natsumi Ando, though I didn't find it quite as gripping as the first 4 volumes. On to the next volume!!!
Status in my Library
Ordered.
February 5, 2012
3.5/5
This was actually a little better than the last one.
So the first bit is about the trip they go on, and has the normal kind of drama. Tsubasa is dealing with Shizuka, who hates her. Tsubasa is trying to get all of the phones back from her, and then Shizuka makes a wish to take something important from Arisa. Tsubasa immediately thinks of Midori-kun, and into a trap set by the King. Manabe comes and saves her, but their class had to wait for her to get back in order to eat, and they think she ran off to spend time with Manabe, resulting in them all hating her and Arisa losing her good reputation. And Shizuka also thinks that Manabe betrayed her.
This was... just whatever. It's the same type of thing that's been going on already. Just more drama to put off the climax that I'm hoping is coming soon. The next part, though, I did enjoy.
The next chapter shows us what happened to Shizuka to this point...
(Read the rest here: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012... )
This was actually a little better than the last one.
So the first bit is about the trip they go on, and has the normal kind of drama. Tsubasa is dealing with Shizuka, who hates her. Tsubasa is trying to get all of the phones back from her, and then Shizuka makes a wish to take something important from Arisa. Tsubasa immediately thinks of Midori-kun, and into a trap set by the King. Manabe comes and saves her, but their class had to wait for her to get back in order to eat, and they think she ran off to spend time with Manabe, resulting in them all hating her and Arisa losing her good reputation. And Shizuka also thinks that Manabe betrayed her.
This was... just whatever. It's the same type of thing that's been going on already. Just more drama to put off the climax that I'm hoping is coming soon. The next part, though, I did enjoy.
The next chapter shows us what happened to Shizuka to this point...
(Read the rest here: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012... )
April 21, 2013
Arisa is a multiple layered story with mystery elements. I highly recommend starting at the beginning and reading in order.
** This review contains no spoilers for Arisa 5 but will of course have them for previous volumes. **
An apparent old friend of Akira now has three of the five phones of the chosen, along with a nasty grudge against Arisa. Tsubasa has to figure out what this means for the King's game, while continuing her charade, trying preserve Arisa's relationship with her boyfriend, and the not so simple matter of staying safe herself...
In some ways this is more of the same, but I'm enjoying the story and it's twists. The characters are so relatable and intriguing and the mystery is working so well that the series is a long way from wearing out it's welcome. Shizuka is a solid addition to the cast and her subplots and interactions with everyone else very interesting. Danger is of course plaguing Tsubasa at every turn, and the atmosphere is kept appropriately tense.
Still great stuff with no signs of slowing down. Highly recommended.
** This review contains no spoilers for Arisa 5 but will of course have them for previous volumes. **
An apparent old friend of Akira now has three of the five phones of the chosen, along with a nasty grudge against Arisa. Tsubasa has to figure out what this means for the King's game, while continuing her charade, trying preserve Arisa's relationship with her boyfriend, and the not so simple matter of staying safe herself...
In some ways this is more of the same, but I'm enjoying the story and it's twists. The characters are so relatable and intriguing and the mystery is working so well that the series is a long way from wearing out it's welcome. Shizuka is a solid addition to the cast and her subplots and interactions with everyone else very interesting. Danger is of course plaguing Tsubasa at every turn, and the atmosphere is kept appropriately tense.
Still great stuff with no signs of slowing down. Highly recommended.
May 23, 2016
Series Rating: 3.5Stars (first few volumes are 4 Stars)
I read this series in one sitting, which is quite telling in itself. However I will say now that the story does lag a bit after a few volumes and loses something of the great set up it had at the beginning. That said, the author Natsumi Ando is good at ending chapters/volumes with cliff-hangers. So you get to the end of one book and immediately want to pick up the next one. (Case in point – me.)
The art is excellent and was part of the reason I decided to pick this series up. As much as story is important if you don’t like that images it’s a struggle to continue but for this genre (shojo) Natsumi Ando style fits beautifully.
Tsubasa is likable and determined to find out what happened to her sister. As reader it was easy to be on her side. This series requires suspension of disbelief to some extent but you’ll enjoy Arisa more for it.
I read this series in one sitting, which is quite telling in itself. However I will say now that the story does lag a bit after a few volumes and loses something of the great set up it had at the beginning. That said, the author Natsumi Ando is good at ending chapters/volumes with cliff-hangers. So you get to the end of one book and immediately want to pick up the next one. (Case in point – me.)
The art is excellent and was part of the reason I decided to pick this series up. As much as story is important if you don’t like that images it’s a struggle to continue but for this genre (shojo) Natsumi Ando style fits beautifully.
Tsubasa is likable and determined to find out what happened to her sister. As reader it was easy to be on her side. This series requires suspension of disbelief to some extent but you’ll enjoy Arisa more for it.
June 15, 2015
Great story of love, treachery, mystery and wanting to belong. I have really enjoyed this series so far; my library only has volumes 1-5, so hopefully I can order the rest of this series. I have suspicions about the true identity of the king, but I will wait to actually finish the manga (not look at other reviews). Tsubasa is really brave, also showing that she can maintain her integrity while digging up clues on her sister's behalf.
January 14, 2012
I just read volumes 2-5 today and I have to say, why did it take me so long to get back to this series?
This is an excellent series with nice tension and of course, gorgeous artwork. The tension is the best part and while it's starting to become clear as to who KING is, there's still a reasonable amount of doubt.
The only problem I have is that the volumes aren't coming out soon enough!
This is an excellent series with nice tension and of course, gorgeous artwork. The tension is the best part and while it's starting to become clear as to who KING is, there's still a reasonable amount of doubt.
The only problem I have is that the volumes aren't coming out soon enough!
March 26, 2012
While I couldn't care less about Kudo or whatever the new dude's name is, I really like the addition of Shizuka, and here we find out Manabe's connection to Arisa. Yeah, this isn't like the best story ever or anything, but it's certainly entertaining!
November 30, 2011
While this is by no means a great manga-it's good and pretty creepy since it's about bullying and betrayal and power.
September 27, 2012
Sort of back to some realism.
July 10, 2013
A bit different from your average shojo with elements of mystery, suspense and LOTS of twists. Good fun.
August 26, 2016
This volume did a great job of deepening some of the character arcs. I also liked seeing Tsubasa finally being herself, rather than pretending to be Arisa.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews