Chise becomes a dragon and swims through the earth’s ley lines to reach the Sargant family house, Elias and the others in tow. Together they make their way to Philomela, but she’s too corrupted by the Testament to hear their words. To save her, Chise must delve into Philomela’s inner world. What does she find there?
“The people who want to help can reach out their hands.”
I've kept up with this series mostly out of inertia. I super don't care about the College arc, I don't care about all these kids, I miss the focus on Chise and Elias, and I keep feeling so bad for Silky in the little Silky's Diary sections at the front. She just wants her family back! Let them go back to her you monster!
However this volume and the last feel like we're *finally* getting somewhere! Philomela's story is actually pretty compelling now that it's finally been explained, and I liked the comparison between her trauma and Chise's. I also like the failsafe curse Philomela's dad put in Alcyone, can't wait to see how it works to take down the evil grandma. And God, *finally* some closure on Lucy's family and who murdered them all! No satisfaction for her just yet but I appreciate the drama.
I was happy to see Goddess Morrigan coming back in the last volume and her appearance here is also pretty exciting, love a sinister deity coming to fuck up the alchemists' world.
Now here's hoping we can settle this and extract Chise and Elias from this setting. Spin off the college people if you must, I'm so tired of them all!
Well the story is finally advancing, though there's still a lot of action combat. Good chunk of flashbacks add some details to what's going on but still the overall is a big WTF. I feel like the story has really lost focus. Maybe that's just my take but I prefer the main characters and there's just way too much focus on the side characters.
Chise is trying to save Philomena from the tome. Along with Rian, Isaac, Lucy, who demands to know why her parents were killed and what happens to the spiders that belonged to the Webster family.
Philomena's Grandmother has a backstory of her own which was insightful to her character until it becomes apparently clear that she is obsessed her with her son and his obedience compared to her granddaughter. She believes that her son was taken from her and is doing what she can to bring him back. Not because she loves him and misses him, but purely for her own purposes and twisted sense of something that belonged to her.
Her son, has a failsafe in a way with the guardian that he created to protect his daughter. If they were to be killed maliciously while protecting Philomena, a spirited version of him would arrived to kill her. His spirit does present itself, along with the wolves who want their children back after doing the grandmothers bidding for so long, and another person enters in this at the end.
Someone I was not expecting and also confused on why they are there and whole role they will play in this.
Can't wait for the next volume. This is starting to feel like this arc is wrapping up. I am not sure if the author plans on ending it here or if there is more they want to explore with Chise.
I would love to know about her dad and brother and if they ever meet again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Just when I thought my heart couldn't break more for Philomela this volume proved me wrong! 😭😭😭😭😭😭
Chise is still finding her way and to see herself reflected in Philomela aches especially when Chise says "When I was in pieces, other people helped pick me up. One piece at a time. They told me I'm allowed to take care of myself. I'm not totally sure how to do that yet... But your eyes look like mine used to. I think that's part of why I want to help." Like follows like and the fact that these two characters found each other at the college, and against odds are so similar and so different that it really shows how much actions can change a person. How a small action ripples to creates lasting waves that touch other people.
And then there's Alcycone... Oh my girl doing her best to protect her charge, even to the very end and I couldn't not have guessed at the rest of this volume happening the way it did.
One of my favorite parts about this series is just how unsettling it can be at times and how Kore is unafraid to explicitly show us these things; the discussions of child abuse, neglect, and suicidal thoughts are something we often only get illusions of but are such a big part of who these characters are.
I think there's a lot that can be said about these teens coming together in their child bodies facing their traumas that shaped them as people, such an interesting way for them to heal their inner children.
Love that everyone wants to get a piece of Lizabeth for themselves and they're all legit good reasons for it and them we have the Goddess Morrigaine swoop in and nobody really wants to go against her so like what are they going to do? Can't wait to find out!
Definitely a culmination moment in this arc. I've been watching Season 2 of the anime just as I got to this volume, and I'm looking forward to seeing the next few episodes bring this volume to life! A key visual element of Core 2's intro is shown in this volume, by the way. Chise and friends make quite the stride to reach out to Philomela. It's also good that we get some of Lizbeth's (the evil grandma) background (however, this gives reason to her behavior, NOT sympathy for her from the audience). There is also a further push to give Lucy the closure she's looking for; one can only hope the next volume will complete that. Just can't wait to see this volume in color and motion!
I had been anxious to continue this series, and my library finally got two more volumes. I think that everything about this series continues to be well-done, but my interest in it is fading. Personally, it's getting a little too dark and convoluted for my tastes. It doesn't have the same interest and feel as the earliest volumes. I don't know if everyone else would feel that way, but I enjoyed it, in the beginning, a great deal more than I'm enjoying it now.
The momentum from the previous volume does not let up in what may be the best volume of the series thus far. Readers can truly see how much Chise has grown as a character and how this growth influences her decisions and behavior when engaging with Philomela. Lizbeth's motivations are revealed, and Adam's brilliant strategy comes to fruition. It's a dramatic, engaging volume that is the culmination of the entire college arc.
(Aviso: lectura hecha en ejemplar en español, publicado en México. La presente nota se modificará cuando se dé de alta en GR la edición correspondiente).
Questa saga della scuola è molto lenta e sconclusionata purtroppo... Inoltre, sono diventati troppi i momenti in cui si passano pagine e pagine a spiegare le cose, piuttosto che mostrarle.
Esta interesante este tomo porque descubrimos quien está detrás de todo lo que ha pasado con Philomena....pero la verdad es que esta historia me está perdiendo, como que me estoy aburriendo un poco
Continues to be how it is. I think I’d be more invested if I was reading this as a chunk instead of spread out releases like this. Hope we don’t randomly try to redeem evil grandma next volume…
Many people think manga is all entertainment, but this volume could actually save someone's life who is depressed and abused. The pages drip with empathy and courage. Tears.