MARS Vol. 13

Mars [マース] #13

by Fuyumi Soryo

Rei remembers more events from his childhood, and discovers the truth about his mother's mental illness. The complicated relationships within his family are all brought out into the open, including the fact that Rei's real father was a racecar driver who died in a horrific crash.

Part of the comiXology Originals line of exclusive digital content only available on comiXology and Kindle. This title is available as part of comiXology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Shojo, Comics, Fiction

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 13, 2000

About the author

Fuyumi Soryo (惣領冬実) is a Japanese manga artist from Beppu, Oita, Japan. She is a graduate of the Oita prefectural Geijutsu Midorigaoka High School.

She was born into the home of a master of the Kanze school of Noh. In her childhood she liked to draw pictures of horses and things but had no special interest in manga. While enrolled in fashion college, she happened across Shogakukan's Rookie of the Year Contest and applied to raise money for the Sōen fashion contest. There she received an honorable mention, and debuted with "Sunspot Visitor" (Hidamari no hōmonsha) published in the April 1982 edition of Bessatsu Shōjo Comic (now Bestucomi).

Her works translated abroad include Mars and Eternal Sabbath. In 1988, she was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo manga for Boyfriend. Currently her last manga series is Cesare which centers around the infamous Borgia family of the Italian Renaissance and Cesare Borgia himself.

Reviews

[DianaRose]

so much about rei’s mother and biological father has been revealed in this volume… lowk if there’s an anime, i would watch it to see how the drama unfolds animated. this series is super dark and depressing 😳

[Keiko the manga enthusiast ♒︎]

Revelations kept pouring in

This is actually the most important volume for Rei's character arc, I think considering this contains the roots of his childhood trauma. I'm kind of nervous for the penultimate volume though, seeing Rei smiling down on the couple of dudes barking while practicing on riding motorcycles... There's going to be a final slap, right?

[Laura A. Grace]

VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/1L5Z0wV0UwQ

This was a very triggering volume and will give a warning now that it does show the results of someone taking their life by hanging themself. It's not gruesome, but it was extremely upsetting and uncomfortable given the "time period" it took place in relation to Rei's life. (I would also say very upsetting in general.)

I was DEEPLY relieved for the laughter at the end of this story and how Rei looks completely differently at his father even if he may not want to tell him! LOL! It was wonderful even if it was such a small moment because we see A LOT of backstory in this volume. It made this volume more on the depressing side of things because there is so much pain and it breaks me that Rei and Sei went through so much as children.

Also Rei's father is an incredible man! I agree with the psychiatrist that Rei spoke with that he is an admirable and very strong man. Seeing how he truly DOES want the best for Rei really touches my heart and wish Rei would have known/seen it so much sooner.

I'm grateful that Rei was able to talk with someone who was able to share what really happened concerning memories of the past. I also admire Kira's strength in the decision she makes to not share anything the letter with Rei. That…is a hard situation.

Lastly, I will say that I love humble these two are!! Despite that they could be "rolling in money" so to speak, both Rei and Kira still live at their "dump" as Harumi calls it (LOL) and continue to live life to the fullest with what they have. I thought that surprisingly moving.

Overall, a very triggering volume but another excellent volume in this series as heartbreaking as it was to read.

[Sassy Sarah Reads]

3 stars. My only reaction upon finishing: why is this series 15 volumes? It's too dang long.

[♡︎]

so starved for happy scenes. just trauma after trauma it’s so over for me.

[Pflanzis]

In diesem Band werden viele Fäden zusammengeführt und offene Fragen beantwortet. Die Hintergründe waren sehr spannend.

[Chelsea]

TW: Depictions and discussions of suicide and it's aftermath in this volume.

Rei uncovers the truth about what happened to his mother and how sick she really was when he was a child. Kira grapples with telling Rei the truth about the note she found from Sei.

If there weren't only 2 volumes left of this series I think I'd be ok walking away from it. It's not bad, I'm just no longer in the demographic they're catering to. And I just don't understand what this manga is trying to accomplish or be. It doesn't necessarily fit into any sort of box.

[☾❀Mirelle✩]

I just want all of them to be happy 😭😭😭😭😭

[Shani]

Reread - more secrets revealed, the father is such a pitiful character

[Penélope Albornoz]

Una revelación sorprendente y el sacrificio de Rei para convertirse en el hombre que su padre quiere que sea.

¡Excelente tomo!

[Paula (lovebookscl)]

Diré algo funable. PERO. Si yo fuera el padre de Rei... habría abandonado todo y adiós, si los vi no recuerdo. Tremenda familia de locos

[elif sinem]

Infodump-y lesson that trauma is inherited, and it was cute and everything but most importantly Masao is BACK baby

[Emily You]

“Mars” is a shoujo manga about an introverted, shy girl named Kira and a popular guy named Rei. At first glance, they look like complete opposites, but throughout the story, we find out how similar they can be to each other. It is revealed in the manga that they both suffer from mental illnesses. It is shown in the story that they start to trust each other a lot and even solely rely on one another to help each other out in tough times.
This book includes a lot of mental health themes and in volume 13, it is the main point. We get to learn more about Rei’s mother who has been sort of in the shadows throughout the story so far. In the past volumes, we only see glimpses of her in Rei’s memory or hear things about her from word of mouth. In this volume, it becomes a realization that most of the memories of Rei’s mother have been altered. Rei has mentally altered his memories of his mother in order to protect himself. He learns the real truth when he stumbles upon his mother’s room and all his memories start rushing back. We find out that the doctor who treated Rei’s trauma was the same doctor that also treated his mother. He seeks out that doctor to learn more about his mother and as he is learning the real truth about her, Kira is discussing the past with Rei’s father. One of the strengths in this manga is how the characters are written. They are very complex characters that struggle with their mental health and the author does not sugarcoat it. One thing I didn’t really enjoy was how the beginning was a bit fast paced. I personally thought that things in the first few volumes escalated quickly but as I read more volumes, the pacing got better. I liked that this story was not predictable or cliche. I went into this series not knowing a single clue on what it was about and it took me a few volumes to understand what the main themes were.
I would recommend this series to someone who can handle these topics. It is a very interesting story that includes mental health issues and topics that could trigger others. I like how this story is not afraid to show the truth. They don’t sugarcoat any of the problems that the characters face and instead they truly show how rough the ride is. They don't try to normalize this behavior or write it so it looks less serious.

[Brianna Jo♡]

I really liked this volume. There were so many family secrets unfolding..about Rei's "real" father, his mother's demise, the mental illness that runs in the family. The blunt tragedy. We also got a little snippet of how Masao is doing...and it's not exactly well. Kira still hasn't told Rei about Sei's note. I wonder if she's going to do that eventually. It seems wrong not to tell him.

The volume ends with some wistfulness on Rei's part and Rei trying to become a businessman. I only have 2 volumes left (14 & 15), I am interested to see what unfolds for Rei and Kira net ad how the series will close.

[Harumichi Mizuki]

Ibu Sei dan Rei ternyata punya penyakit jiwa, dan meninggal karena gantung diri bukannya leukimia. Dia pernah mencoba membunuh Rei. Karena itulah dia dirawat di rumah sakit jiwa. Rei pun lega setelah mengetahui kenyataannya.

Dia pun mempersiapkan diri untuk kuliah lagi demi meneruskan bisnis ayahnya. Tapi dia merasa salah tempat. Ternyata ayahnya yang asli dulu adalah pembalap yang meninggal karena kecelakaan dalam balapan. Mobilnya meledak dan membakar dirinya. Ibu Sei dan Rei sampai histeris di ruang mayat. Karena itulah suaminya jadi kasihan pada Rei dan Sei. Andai dia tak melihat reaksi istrinya, mungkin dia bakal membenci Sei dan Rei yang sebenarnya adalah anak adiknya.

[-moonprismpower-]

Okay, this story got even DARKER. This is what I remember liking about this series; the psychological part. Not the high school drama.

So Rei’s father(uncle?) isn’t a bad person. But seeing the ending of this volume, makes me think that he’s trying to make up for Akihiko dying and keeping Rei away from racing to “save” him… But Rei looks so miserable.

[Jenny Clark]

More and more the past is speeding up to the present. Rei is remembering, Kira is learning. Rei's father is a pretty good character, though not all that complex. I am glad he is a good father, as there are far too many bad adults in media lately.

[Hana Arika (tiq4far TikTok ft gram)]

Hmmmm kinda weird actually went all 12 volumes before this are full of dark plots and storyline but this volume kinda full of heartwarming scene and sense of humour eventhough some of the Rei past that has been secret has been revealed.

[Cassandra]

this one was a little dull. Holy crap this family is a lot. Girl run... them genes seem strong on the bad thoughts. I really like his dad... I don't know if I did when i was young. But his dad is the best adult in this story.

Two volumes left

[Adrya Ribeiro]

A mãe era doidinha viu...

[Vera Neves (Sinfonia dos Livros)]

Estes últimos volumes têm sido um bocadinho "meh". Acho que esperava que se visse mais da relação dos dois.

[Nathália]

esss é a parte da história que eu acho incrível.

[Henry Hikawa]

Awesome.

[dania]

i actually didn’t hate this at all? it’s starting to come full circle with the backstories and rei actually wasn’t a shit about anything, good job keep going !

[d★mi]

se revelaron más cosas sobre los padres de rei, y wow cada vez siento más penita por el <\3

[Stephanie Sirois]

So much entitlement going on in this book.

I wish I had an estranged relative to pull up and help me fix everything in my life.

[Morgan Wiebelhaus]

chance for redemption

[nash [larrythelatypus]]

wow.....this volume is where shit hits the fan and your stomach falls thru your asshole

[Jess]

Rei's father is probably the 2nd most pitiful character in this entire manga honestly. Rei is the first of course. The things he went through? I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.

[cc]

I'm just really glad that we now know that Rei's mother was also a whole-ass psycho.