Alice 19th, Vol. 5

ありす19th [Alice 19th] #5

by Yuu Watase

Alice's sister, Mayura Seno, is under the control of Darva, dark mistress of the Maram Words--and Alice and Kyo Wakamiya are the only two people who have a chance of saving her from the dark side! Can they become masters of the Lotis Words in time to save her? With Mayura's power over the Maram words rapidly growing stronger, it seems almost all hope is lost...until Alice and Kyo meet some powerful new allies!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Comics Manga, Comics

200 pages, Paperback

First published October 26, 2002

About the author

Yuu Watase (渡瀬悠宇) is a Japanese shoujo manga-ka. She is known for her works Fushigi Yūgi, Alice 19th, Ceres: The Celestial Legend, Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden and Absolute Boyfriend. She likes all music, except heavy metal and old traditional music.

She received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Ceres, Celestial Legend in 1997. Since writing her debut short story "Pajama de Ojama" ("An Intrusion in Pajamas"), Watase has created more than 80 compiled volumes of short stories and continuing series. Because of her frequent use of beautiful male characters in her works, she is widely regarded in circles[which?] as a bishōnen manga artist.[citation needed] In October 2008, Watase began her first shōnen serialization, Arata: The Legend in Weekly Shōnen Sunday.
Her name is romanized as "Yû Watase" in earlier printings of Viz Media's publications of Fushigi Yūgi, Alice 19th, and Ceres, The Celestial Legend, while in Viz Media's Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden and Absolute Boyfriend her name is romanized as "Yuu Watase". In Chuang Yi's English-language versions of Fushigi Yugi (spelled without a macron or circumflex), her name is romanized as "Yu Watase".

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems to be a turning point in the series, as Kyo and Alice move out of their homes to study lotis, and also take big steps in emotional development. I like how mature they are both becoming (they seem much better suited to one another now) and how Alice is becoming a strong person instead of a wimp.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is awesome and addicting. It's really grown on me in the past few volumes.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this volume, the story is obviously moving towards its conclusion. New spell words are introduced, but not a lot of time is spent explaining each one, so they may show up again later with different (expanded) meanings! I'm a fan of this author. This particular volume was very gripping, and I raced through it. The overall story arc of "rescue the sister" is broken up nicely by day-to-day training, issues at school, and skirmishes with minions.

[Ady Weasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cada vez hay más acción en la historia.
Vamos viendo qué misión tiene los villanos de la historia.
La evolución en la historia de Kyou y Alice es muy linda. Quizás no se lo pued decir abiertamente pero sus sentimientos se van fortaleciendo.
Kyou por fin se entera del maaram en él, y espera una plática importante.
Más personajes nuevos. Mayor peligro esto está muy bueno

[Nikki Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather corny in parts, it's still a good read. The end of the series is somewhat disappointing.

[Bibliothecat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for complete series



For the most of it, I think Alice 19th has missed its potential. It is a cute manga with a somewhat clichéd premise and it somehow manages to have as much going for it as it has going against it. There are two main plot points - one of our main character Alice being in love with the same boy her older sister loves, the other being somewhat reminiscent of magical girl series where the characters develop magical powers and must find lost magic words. Both of these plot lines intermingle of course and, paired with Watase's pretty art, this could make a solid sweet kind of manga that combines a bit of high school drama with light magical elements. The problem is, almost everything in this manga is underdeveloped or under-explained.

Let us start off with characters and relationships. Although I liked Alice and Kyo as characters, I don't think we got to see much development between the two. I can partially forgive this because it is clear that Alice has liked him well before the story begins. But this seems to be a general issue throughout the series. New characters are introduced but we rarely get the time to get to know much about them. Even Frey who is one of the more prominent characters never really gets explored. Yes, we get to see snippets of his past but somehow I never feel like we got to see what makes him tick, nor was it ever explained why he is looking for a bride. I also couldn't relate to why he likes Alice as there were never any significant scenes between them and, unlike Kyo, they didn't know each other previously.

This leaves us with the relationship between Alice and her sister Mayura. This is arguably the best developed relationship and I appreciate that. It's nice reading about sisterly bonds, even if these two are at odds for most of the story. I think their situation - magic aside - is pretty realistic of how even loving siblings can find themselves in an argument where they find it hard to forgive the other. Various flashbacks show that these two care a lot for each other so it keeps you rooting for them to find a way back to each other.

My biggest issue was the under-developed magic system. It is never really explained to a satisfactory level and is confusing at most. I understand that there are 24 words that the characters use in a form of magic. I can't say whether this magic system is based on any form of mythology or whether it is fully invented by Watase herself but I found myself just going with the flow rather than trying to make sense of how this magic works. What I found a little frustrating was that it is never explained why this book is titled Alice 19th (is perhaps the word for bravery - Alice's main word - the 19th of the 24? We're never shown a list or anything so I'm just guessing here) and we don't find out what the lost 24th word is either. Sure, Alice finds out and uses it at the end, but unless I missed something, I have no idea what word she used.

This manga series does leave a lot to be desired, and yet I can't find myself disliking it.

[Harumichi Mizuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mara Master mendatangi bibi dan paman Kyou untuk menarik kegelapan hati mereka. Sejak orangtuanya meninggal, Wakamiya Kyou berpindah dari rumah satu kerabat ke rumat kerabat yang lain. Tak ada satu pun yang benar-benar peduli pada Kyou sampai pamannya yang merupakan adik ibunya datang dan membawanya. Rupanya sang paman sudah berjanji pada kakaknya yang dulu sedang sakit di rumah sakit untuk merawat Kyou jika sang kakak sudah tiada. Namun, meski bertahun-tahun sudah tinggal bersama, Kyou masih saja canggung dan menaruh jarak pada paman dan bibinya. Hal itulah yang dimanfaatkan Mara Master hingga pamannya kehilangan kesadaran dan menghajar Kyou. Di sisi lain bibinya dikuasai Mara karena sebenarnya punya keinginan untuk bisa tinggal berdua dengan suaminya dan punya anak.

Barulah setelah Kyou membuka hati dan mengungkapkan rasa terima kasihnya yang terdalam, sang paman bisa terbebas dari kegelapan hatinya. Bibinya pun bisa pulih berkat bantuan Frey.

Mayura tak berhenti menjalankan aksinya. Kali ini ia memanfaatkan Kazuki, sahabat Kyou, yang sebenarnya memendam cinta pada Mayura. Mayura mengatakan bahwa Kyou mencampakkannya karena digoda oleh Alice. Gara-gara hasutan Mayura, Kazuki menyerang Alice di ruang penyimpanan alat-alat olahraga. Dia nyaris... uh... memerkosa Alice.

What's wrong with you, Yuu Watase? Ada unsur pemerkosaan di Fushigi Yuugi, Tiara of Sand, dan sekarang Alice 19th. Mengingat usia Alice masih 15 tahun, hal ini benar-benar sulit untuk diterima.

Untungnya Alice bisa menggunakan Lotis Word meski bibirnya dibekap oleh Kazuki. Dengan keyakinannya, dia bisa mengaktifkan kekuatan Lotis Word dengan merapalnya dari dalam hati. Kyou datang untuk menyelamatkan Alice. Kazuki pergi dan memberi tahu orang-orang bahwa ada pertunjukan menarik di ruang penyimpanan. Alhasil, semua orang salah paham dan mengira Kyou dan Alice ada di sana untuk berbuat mesum. Apalagi baju Alice sudah dalam kondisi koyak-moyak gara-gara Kazuki. Besoknya rumor pun langsung tersebar di sekolah. Kyou dan Alice menjadi bulan-bulanan.

Tadinya Alice tak mau masuk sekolah. Tapi ia memberanikan diri karena tahu Kyou bakal menghadapinya semua sendiri jika dia tidak datang. Ketika Alice di-bully, dengan lantang Kyou menyatakan perasaannya pada Alice dan melindungi gadis itu. Tindakannya mengaktifkan Lotis Word Iru yang berarti Api. Berkat tindakan Kyou, Alice memperoleh keberaniannya lagi dan akhirnya masuk ke klub panahan, berhadapan langsung dengan kakaknya.

Sementara itu Mayura makin goyah karena melihat tekad Alice dan Kyou. Di gedung gubernur Tokyo, tubuhnya makin melemah karena diserah oleh Darva. Alice dan teman-temannya pun berniat masuk ke gedung itu untuk menyelamatkan Mayura.

Menurutku ada satu lubang di volume ini. Di volume dua, Frey mengatakan dia masih dalam masa training dan tidak boleh menggunakan kekuatan Lotis untuk kepentingan pribadi. Dan dia sudah menguasai 22 Lotis Word. Di volume ini, kenapa Alice boleh menggunakan Lotis Word untuk lulus dari tes olahraga?

[Juan Carlos malik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siento que este tomo decayó un poco en la historia, ya que no aporto mucho a la trama y a lso villanos. Sin embargo fue un puente para entender a los personajes que se enfrentaran a la batalla final contra DARVA.

El momento interesante de este tomo fue que Se revelo un secreto y un misterio acerca de una muerte puede ser clave para la confrontación con las sombras :) y eso implica que quiero seguir leyendo.

Una gran historia y un gran romance y mucha adrenalina. 8 de Calificación.

[kaitlphere · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end of this volume feels like the beginning of the climax of the story, so I'm surprised there are two more volumes left. There were some rough events to read in this volume. I did enjoy the growth of the group and how the past both in the series and before it is becoming relevant to current events.

[Nyx · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars
The dynamics. The world. The characters. The backstories. The secrets. The love. The system. All of these things are what make this series perfect. It is getting so intense and I'm ready for it. Overall, the war has just begun.
HERE WE COME...HANG IN THERE SIS!

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m glad I decided to reread this series since it’s a comfort read, I’ve found.

[Leetsu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything that happens here feels like telenovela meets cartoon, when Kazuki died it was just too funny to take it as something serious

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspenseful, amazing read!

[Karla V. H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me encanta el romance, se está poniendo muy dramático todo. Amo aquí.

[Whitnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoying the series. I am glad I decided to try out a new genre in Manga.

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe the best volume in the series so far- more action and plot development. Though it does get very dark: sexual assault and minor character death warning.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things r getting really intense now. I feel bad for Alice and Kyō in this one especially. Also Kazuki...I can't believe what happened.

[georgiaotaku · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* some rough plot points here

[Myridia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

The actual story progression is rather rushed. Overall, this feels like a mess.

[Lady Cassiopeia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hab's verschlungen. Der Zeichenstil ist mittlerweile natürlich etwas gealtert, doch das ändert nichts an der wunderschönen Geschichte. Hat mich persönlich auch ganz leicht an den Erzähl-Stil von Tanemura erinnert. Lohnt sich in jedem Fall!

[Koorihime-sama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought from Amazon, and I still own a copy.

APART OF THE GOODREADS 2012 READING CHALLENGE.

Review/Rating:

5 out of 5

Ease of Reading Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Plot: 5 out of 5
Art Touch-Up: 5 out of 5
Translation: 5 out of 5
Design: 5 out of 5

As Mayura’s jealously grows more and more, so does her being devoured by Darva. Alice and Kyo are the only ones who can stop it, but will they become Lotis Masters in time to help her?

Might be some minor spoilers, but nothing too major, hopefully.

The plot, characters, development, etc. all are doing well and going at a faster pace now, and it’s also starting to get a little exciting as well, especially since Alice and Kyo start to advance a little more in their relationship. :D Kyo even confesses his feelings in front of all of the student body. It was so sweet to see. :P The moment is one of my favorites, but my most favorite one is towards of the end of the book. ;) Also, I love how Chris develops and shows a new side to himself. It’s so funny at how much he loves sweets. Anyways, there are two new characters, Billy and Pai Mei Lin. They are pretty interesting, but not as much as the other characters.

Another thing I like about this volume is that the characters’ clothing designs look so pretty and wonderful. I also like how the manga-ka drew Alice’s hairstyle when she moves into Chris’ house — it was so cute. :) Another thing I liked was how the manga-ka drew his expressions during his “love sweet” mode. xD Oh, and Alice has gotten so much braver and independent than what she was in the first volume, so I’m starting to love her personality development as well. :D

Anyways, just one more thing, there is an attempted rape scene in the manga, however, it doesn’t show that much nakedness — only Alice in her bra in panties. Though, I know that even the attempted rape would not be ideal for some readers. Also, there is also some deaths in this volume, so warning for sadness. :(

Overall, the plot is getting much more exciting with how Darva and the Maram Masters are starting to make their move on the Lotis Masters.

Now for how VIZ’s part on this manga. They have gotten much better at art touching in this volume, so either I wasn’t paying that much attention (about to fall asleep) or it was really them doing a better job at it. Their translation and everything else for this series is still excellent. ;) Overall, VIZ did a pretty good job bringing this manga into English. :)

[Emy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Alice saves a rabbit from a speeding car, her life is turned upside down. The rabbit turns out to be a magical girl, and Alice discovers that she has the power to master powerful words known as the Lotis Words. Unfortunately, words can do harm as well as good and, when Alice accidentally banishes her sister, she must fight to get her back.

This volume had all my feels! D: /cries

Things continue to get darker in this volume, and it's beginning to look hopeless. The Lotis masters rally at the end, but will it be enough?

I knew that Kazuki would have an important role to play, but I wasn't really expecting what happened to happen. I think that this volume shows best the darkness that can reside in the hearts of even the nicest people, and the human concept of free will. We fight the darkness in our hearts to stay good and kind, but some people give in all too easily. I wish Kazuki's redemption hadn't meant his death, though. ;_;

There is an attempted rape in this volume, so if that is a trigger for you then you might want to skip this one/read a summary online. It isn't as bad as the one in Fushigi Yugi, but still. It made my stomach twist in knots.

We get to meet two new Lotis masters in this volume, and we learn more about Chris's character. Billy and Pai Mei Lin haven't had much page time yet, so I don't really know them, but I reckon they will become much more important in the last two volumes.

I'm glad that Kyo now knows what's going on with the Maram curse, and that they seem to have found some sort of loophole that means he won't die. That's good.

Also, Mayura seems to not be such a hopeless case after all... I hope.

We'll see.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this series ends!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente!
No me ha defraudado hasta ahora.

Se viene la tan esperada batalla final. Espero que no me vayan a dar la fea sorpresita de matar a mi personaje favorito... (De hecho no puedo creer que hayan matado a un personaje).

Y sobre ese comentario que le hicieron a Kyo al final del cap sobre morir, ¡Watase, no seas más cruel con el chico!

[Rafa Castillo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Si tan sólo me importara una birria...
En fin: arruinan momentos serios con chistes no muy graciosos que digamos, para después ponerse aún más serios que en todo el manga. Kyo me desesperaba un poco por su incapacidad de decir "Mayura, déjame en paz", pero al menos muestra algo de valor por ahí al final.
Ah, y resulta que en este manga la gente puede morir. Neat.

[Jesus Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

It keeps moving forward the end, but some new characters are introduced

Kyo battles his uncles, then when they go to school a friend of Mayura controlled by her tries to break Kyo and Alice apart and even goes to attempt rape Alice

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson · Rating 5 out of 5]

We start off this volume with Chapter 24: A Nuisance.

I'll write more when editing mode hits me.
Cheers Pretties!

[Michaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

sooooooooooooo goooood

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

love it.

[Glasdow Teacosy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit of a mess. Pulled together at the end, but it was mostly confusing.