ＡＲＩＳＡ（４） (なかよしコミックス)

Arisa [アリサ] #4

by Natsumi Andō, 安藤なつみ

つばさは、双子の妹・ありさと３年ぶりに再会したが、ありさを悲劇が襲う。つばさは、裏に隠された秘密を追い、変装してありさの学校に潜入、クラスを支配する謎の人物「王様」の存在を知る。王様を倒すため、問題児・真鍋(まなべ)と手を組んだつばさだが、予想外の裏切りで、窮地に追い込まれ!?　ありさの彼・緑（みどり）、謎の転校生・玖堂（くどう）、そして真鍋。鍵を握るのはだれ？

Genres: Manga, Mystery, Shojo, Graphic Novels, Drama, Young Adult, Comics Manga

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 30, 2010

About the author

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.

Favorites: Donald Duck
Favourite manga: Ossu! Ichijin and Kimagure Orange Road
Favourites: meats and fruits
Hobbies: shopping, reading and watching TV

Reviews

[Supermomochan]

oooooooooooooo plot twist

[DonutKnow]

Great story, but why Manabe?? That's all I have to say.

[Doc]

Love is Blind

More wishes, more tragedies, and more manipulations in this fast paced battle of wits between the King whoever they are and those that wish to stop them. One thing I find fun about this series is I am never fully sure who the King really is even though Natsumi Andō sometimes throws someone that seems super suspicious just to make them nothing more than a patsie or another victim later on. Seeing as we are following the story of Tsubasa pretending to be her sister it is understandable if new characters suddenly show up and have no idea what truly motivates the desperate but the conveyance of desperation, greed, and superiority is palpable in any who feel they are worthy of the King's wishes so there is sure to be new drama in the future.

[Bibliothecat]

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.

[ChelseaFace]

This series is good. I find it quite interesting to read. I love the characters but I think this series has a lot of things missing. Also i feel like the biggest question of the series was answered in the 4th volume so I'm wondering how far it can go with 12 volumes total?? I'm so curious where it's going to go after this point.

[Brittany]

Another fun volume. Manabe and his betrayal were well done if not surprising. His strange behaviour was leading up to something even if this wasn't the expected outcome. The fire was surprising and dangerous. The new King Time was a betrayal of a different kind. There's a new character introduced. Lots happening!

[miné]

Gila sih ini jadi pada rebutan hp biar bisa minta macem-macem. Si Kudo ini keliatan kayak psikopat banget dan permintaan rang-orang makin menggila bahkan sampe bisa nyelakain temen.

Tsubasa perlu usaha banget nih setelah aturan Osama diganti. Mana ada karakter baru lagi yang dendam sama Arisa dan ikut permainan Osama utk balas dendam.

[Tris]

Qué está pasando, no entiendo nada, ayuda #elvicio

[Laura]

Still hella creepy but getting a little more interesting and story progressing. What's gunna happen on the class trip??

[Isel]

There's a lot of double crossing in this manga 🤔

[R]

So creepy and awesome! I love the beautiful illustrations as well as the scary ones. Natsume And is amazing!!

[Ana Lucia]

I am actually so confused....

[Whatever]

Definitely the best instalment so far.

[-moonprismpower-]

Ahhh so many new characters popping up randomly so you can’t decide who is the King…

This is a very quick read since it’s so fast paced! It kinda stresses me out! lol

[Leila]

Loved it happy to be rereading the series for a third time i definitely do recommend and it’s nice to read a series again after awhile.

[Anik - MamaBearsBookshelf]

This volume keeps following the mystery story of Tsubasa and her twin sister Arisa. I love these volumes so far, they are a fun and a fast read. This one is a thriller and just jumps into action pretty quickly. The illustrations are so pretty. I really enjoyed this volume. I will totally keep reading I want to get to the bottom of this story and find out the truth.

[LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions)]

Rei manipulates Osawa into stealing Midori's phone from Tsubasa. Osawa wants a girl he likes to like him back. Unfortunately for him, the girl hates him, so he makes a wish that gets her blinded. Meanwhile, Midori basically breaks up with "Arisa." And Tsubasa learns that Akira has been hiding things from her - he knows a girl in a wheelchair, Shizuka Mochizuki, who he has given multiple phones to. The extra phones give her a better chance of using her wishes to get revenge against Arisa.

Another volume, another over-the-top crazy person. Right now the King candidates are Rei, Shizuka, and Midori. As vengeful as Shizuka is, she probably isn't the King, because why would she need to collect phones in order to get her wish granted if she were? And speaking of Shizuka, I wouldn't be surprised if her hatred of Arisa were based on a misunderstanding that just got way out of hand. ::sigh::

At this point I think Akira is a jerk. And honestly, all of the students in this class are idiots. And also horrible people. The King clearly isn't a god and doesn't have superpowers - it isn't like King Time wishes are the only way these wishes could be granted and, more often than not, the way the King grants them tends to be harmful. And yet here we have a student who makes a wish about a girl he supposedly likes, thereby putting her in harm's way.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[Kitajima]

I Read 4 volumes so far, I'm sorry to say it like this but I found it boring & exaggerating.
Tsubasa is interesting, I like her as a main character, but I think that the story is made for people less than 14 y.o.
I'll probably still finish the manga since I'm that kind of person... *sigh*

[Jenny Quigley]

There are so many characters in this book, but I don't care about any of them, and I'm unable to suspend my disbelief over all that's happening in the story. Why does not one call the police?

[Sarah]

4 Stars for Arisa vol. 4

Plot (mostly) and Thoughts

And another suspect pops up for a possible King suspect, however, this boy is a recent transfer student and for some reason I was under the assumption that the King has been part of the class since the beginning. Kudou is the transfer student and he has apparently taken over (assuming he's not the King) being the King's puppet, commanding a student to steal Midori's (Arisa's boyfriend) phone if he really wants his wish to be granted. Why? Because Midori's one of the five chosen and he's refusing to play the game. The King has threatened to put a stop to his game if Midori's phone doesn't enter a wish, so what's the harm in stealing it?

Tsubasa discovers the Manabe has another phone and he takes hers then he locks her up. Tsubasa, of course being the awesome girl she is, busts out. She decides to take matters into her own hands when she sees an opportunity to learn where Manabe really lives and she meets Shizuka. Shizuka tells her her sad school life story about how she was shunned by the students in her class (seriously, this school seems to be filled with psychopaths) , bullied, and how the one person she thought she could count on wouldn't help her out. Shizuka had then decided she wanted to end her own life and jumped from the roof of the school, damaging her legs to the point the doctors think she'll never walk again. (I have read the next volume already so my interpretation might be a little harsh because I already got a more honest view of her situation)

In Conclusion

While this volume was interesting, full of partial backstories of new suspects and throwing into question the allegiances of certain allies, we make absolutely no progress really on finding out who the King is. Sure there's a damsel in distress rescue and things, but I'm in it for the mystery.

Still an awesome read and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of these books.

Am I Buying it for my library?

Yes. Yes I am.

Why? Cause it's awesome and suspenseful. This series can also be interpreted as a great way to point out to students just how much their jokes, teasing, pranks and such effect the people they are doing it to. Yes, it's probably an extreme view and a touch of a reach, but I can sell it as such to teachers who in turn will sell it to their students as a great read. If I can get students through the slower start, this series has a great hook that will keep them reading until the final volume and maybe, just maybe, they will find Arisa's classmates as horrible as I do.

And the series is only 12 books...which means I can afford it. :-)

[Jamie]

Suspect for KING:

Kudou Rei is a recent transfer student and he is commanding a student to steal Midori's phone. He suddenly appeared yet he appears to be so evil. What is his role in all of this? What is he planning to do with Midori's phone?

Manabe has the last phone. He is one of the chosen heroes. I thought that he was helping Tsubasa fight the KING. What side is he really on? Why does he have the other phones with him? What is he planning to do with them? I can't believe that Manabe locked Tsubasa up and stole the phones. Who is Shizuka and what does she have to do with all of this?

Tsubasa goes to school and decides to help a teacher sort student information. While doing this, she discovers where Manabe actually lives. She changes back into her own look and climbs over the gates of Manabe's house in order to get in. In the mean time, Tsubasa meets Shizuka. In their meeting, they talk and Shizuka befriends Tsubasa. While hanging out in Manabe's room, Shizuka shares her story of how she was shunned by her classmates and her only friend wouldn't even help her out. Therefore, she wanted to jump and end her own life. In the end, her legs were paralyzed. Tsubasa accidentally drops her glasses and Shizuka mistaken Tsubasa as Arisa and was about to attack Tsubasa with scissors. However, Manabe enters just in time to stop her from doing anything drastic and kicks Tsubasa out. The next day on the class trip, Arisa and Shizuka meet again and to Tsubasa surprise, Shizuka has all the phones for KING time.

I really liked this volume because there is so much suspense. However, it is confusing and it has me constantly wondering who the KING actually is. I think that the KING will be someone who I wouldn't suspect... but until then, everyone will be considered to be a suspect for the KING.

[Mike]

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 4 but will of course have them for previous volumes. **

Tsubasa's acquired a huge clue from Mariko and is determined to figure out who the owners of the five chosen numbers are. Knowing Arisa's boyfriend is one of them complicates things and makes Tsubasa's charade even more difficult. And the King is still playing his dangerous games.

The reader is ahead of Tsubasa after the ending reveal in volume 3 and it's interesting to guess where things are (and aren't leading). There continues to be a lot of revelations and reversals but the plot is all still logically sound and I'm enjoying the ride. We meet another seemingly important character, perhaps the most intriguing yet.

One of the things I like most about this manga is the characters and their interactions. The events tend towards over the top but the characters reactions and emotions are grounded and realistic. Tsubasa is given reasons to doubt herself, which makes her determination even more admirable and endearing.

Really loving this series. Highly recommended.

[anne⁷]

3.5 - I know Gossip Girl is an exaggeration of what high school drama is like, but this manga, Arisa, is taking high school drama to the extremes! Arisa is not really anything like gods forbid Gossip Girl though. Sure it tells about school outcasts, egocentrism and social power like GG but these are only secondary to the mystery that makes the plot go round. The characters here have the same shallow resolves but their actions are way too much darker and insane. Not Yuno Gasai or Sekai Saionji insane but given how shallow their high school brains are, I'm definitely putting them a couple of levels below those two.

It's really a good thing that I have different preference when it comes to manga and novels otherwise, I would've burned this thing right after the second chapter because I just have no tolerance for irrational characters and this manga has about 95% of them. So far, I'm really enjoying the mystery. I could careless about the minor characters. It's also a good thing that Tsubasa, Manabe and Midori are quite the level-headed ones. I also love that we're now down to two suspects and yet it's still not clear who this Ou-sama is.

[Luna's Little Library]

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.

[Judyth]

3/5
I've been wanting to read the next one in this series for a while, and I finally found it. I'm mostly enjoying the series, but I'm still wondering where it's going. As more complications are just about the only thing happening.
At the beginning of this one, Osawa steals the phone from Tsubasa, putting her in a fire in the midst, only for Kudo, the guy that set her up, to 'save' her. Osawa uses the phone to make a wish, because he wants this girl, but then she makes fun of him (because she thinks that he's stalking her, which is possibly true), and so he decides to change his wish to that he wishes she wouldn't judge people by their looks. And so she goes blind. And Osawa doesn't even seem sorry about it! He's a little psychotic, I think.
Only she doesn't really go blind...
(Read the rest here: http://geekyreading.blogspot.com/2012... )

[Robert J. Roland]

Arisa is almost as good of a manga as Rurouni Kenshin. If there was more action and blood then It would be perfect. Either way you go Arisa still is a fantastic book the way it is now. What I really want to know is how is Tsubasa is gona get those cellphones from Shizuka. If I was her I'd take them and run but the problem is if she is the king or not. I'm pretty sure she's not because that would be stupid because why he king steal the cellphones? Also if Tsubasa does manage to steal the cellphones what will she wish for. And even more importantly is Shizuka connected to the king in any way? I just can't wait until I get to start the next book.

[Charmaine]

This series is great so far, and still going strong! This particular volume was exciting and opened up even more questions about the whole mystery. I even gasped when something terrible happened to one of the characters! At first I suspected one of the main characters to be "the King," but it is not clear whether or not he actually is. I've realized that in this story, anything is possible when it comes to the identity of the king! I will definitely keep reading the other volumes in this series and will keep guessing.

[Theresa ♫]

Whoa.
King Time and . . . a mysterious person lurking about and . . . mysteries to solve . . .

Seriously.

IF YOU LIKE PRETTY LITTLE LIARS this would be a very perfect anime for you to read.

I mean it's not really really long and as dramatic as Pretty Little Liars, but reading this . . . reminded me of it. Suspenseful AND with those cliffhangers at the end to make you buy the next book. (Ahahahahaha! But don't all authors use that money-gaining strategy??)

[Robin]

The thing with stories like this, is that they leave everything vague enough that anyone can change sides at a moment's notice. Basically, it can happen because the characters haven't been developed thoroughly enough so that you know their motives. I enjoy this story, I just want the characters to be explained a bit clearer so that I have a firmer idea of who is who. The plot, on the other hand, is an interesting one. I enjoy the concept, and just want to see how it ends up.

[Mikaela]

Am i the only one who is confused at this stage?! XD hahaha oh my god! This is so tense. So exciting! :)))

Now there's new character. Shizuka. Hmm.. -.- and she used to be friends with Arisa? Oh my gosh! I swear this manga is so interesting. So Shizuka is the 1st King's victim. She was alienated by her class. Aww