VIZ

From the back cover:
When the demon god Tenkou steals the four stones that Miaka has already collected, is all hope lost for the return of Taka’s memories? And will Tenkou’s manipulation of Taka and Miaka’s friends slowly drive wedges between them and ensure their defeat? Once again, it’s up to Miaka to keep two worlds from falling under the dominion of the ultimate evil!

Review:
This just keeps getting crappier. I really am just waiting for it to be over at this point. Here’s a nugget of Miaka wisdom that especially made me want to hurl the volume away in disgust: “Whether it’s because she’s happy or sad… when a woman loves a man, she’s going to cry.”

Tenkou manipulates Tasuki into being a total git, and Watase manipulates Tasuki into suddenly having feelings for Miaka that were never present before some anvillicious hints in “Part 2.” It’s just unpleasant all around. Chichiri does get to be a badass, but all the stuff about his past is pretty lame.

Good points: Tenkou’s comments when baiting Taka that it’s actually Tamahome that Miaka loves, and that Taka is just a shadow of the real thing. Taka’s resulting questioning of why he needs someone else’s memories to be complete. The final few pages.

From the back cover:
As enigmatic exchange student Ren slowly takes control of the minds of everyone in the school, his agenda becomes clear: he is training an army of assassins to kill Miaka! Even if Miaka is able to escape the attempt on her life, will she be able to thwart a mysterious vixen’s efforts to tear Taka from her arms?

Review:
Not even the presence of Nuriko (with correct gender pronouns!) and his cute older brother could reclaim this volume from mediocrity. I can’t even think of any good points to mention, with the possible exception of a couple of Miaka-Taka smooch scenes (at which I routinely yawn) that did a particularly nice job in capturing a sweet/sexay moment.

I could enumerate all the bits of the story that were not very interesting, but since I’m sure that would not be very interesting, I shall refrain.

From the back cover:
Miaka must reenter The Universe of the Four Gods and collect the seven magic stones that contain her soulmate Taka’s lost memories… or else risk losing him forever! Taka has always been the one who protected Miaka, so will she be able to handle this new responsibility? And there’s something unsettling about the new exchange student at Miaka’s high school…

Review:
This volume was a little better than its predecessor, but Part 2 as a whole is still strange. I kind of get more of an Alice 19th vibe from it, with the focus on school and freaky incidents abounding. This isn’t bad, precisely, it just feels like a completely different manga in these sections. Hardly any time is spent in the world of the book, but at least there’s a couple of nice chapters with Hotohori, Houki, and Boushin.

I still don’t get why these magic stones are important to Suzaku or the demon god. Okay, so Suzaku needs to stay powerful so he can keep the demon god bound. Got that bit. Apparently the fact that a wall in an ancient shrine bearing his image has been damaged somehow affects his ability to do this. Oookay. Suzaku said his power was based on love. Eh? So… Suzaku can only be powerful if Miaka saves Taka and the two of them live happily ever after? What a lame god!

Good points: Boushin! Yui, being feisty and confident. A student election including creepy new exchange student with neat crowd reactions.

From the back cover:
The voice of the god Suzaku is invading Miaka’s thoughts, and she is given a new mission: to restore the balance of power between the four gods. To do it, Miaka must defeat a new foe—a rising, monstrous power with ambitions to take over all of the universes!

Review:
Meh.

Here’s a quote from one of Watase’s little sidebars that completely applies to my feelings about this volume: “It seems that since volume 13 ended so satisfyingly, there are some people who find it hard to read Part 2!”

Even though we’re seeing the characters some more, and this should probably make me glad, I really believe it should’ve ended in the last volume. The impact of the story is now lessened by having it continue. Even though the villain makes a lot more sense to me now than it did when I saw the OVA, overall the whole plot is rather weak, and I still don’t understand how finding a bunch of stones helps out Suzaku.

Good points: a few genuinely amusing panels and a wonderful cover image of Miaka.

From the back cover:
Nakago has entered the real world to collect on Yui’s promise to grant him the third and final Seiryu wish. But his wish may have the greatest consequence of all for Yui! Miaka summons Suzaku, but is it too late to protect her world and the world of the book?

Review:
This volume was incredibly sniff-inducing! Starting on page 142, I must’ve teared up at least three separate times. Even Nakago gains some sympathy, but I wish we’d learned who the one person who could fulfill him was (he mentioned this to Soi a volume or so back.)

The real world awesomeness continues, especially the reactions of the regular folk to all the bizarre goings-on. I also really liked the end, and seeing a much more mature-looking Miaka preparing to enter high school. I hope she retains this courageous, non-spazzy personality for the rest of the volumes. I don’t remember the OVA well enough to say for certain.

From the back cover:
A god is summoned, a wish granted, and all is not right with Miaka Yuuki! The good empire of Konan is overrun with enemies; Celestial Warrior powers are useless; and Miaka finds herself back in the real world unable to help her friends! Can a young woman transform herself from a priestess back into a simple girlfriend?

Review:
I really wanted to watch the corresponding anime episodes after reading this page-turner! I’d forgotten a lot of what happened, like Yui’s wishes and all of their consequences.

The conflict between countries has resulted in war, with the Suzaku warriors participating in the battle. Perhaps this should be the most interesting part of the story, but I personally really loved all the stuff going on back in the real world. I’m not normally a particular Tamahome fan, but I quite liked him in this volume.

From the back cover:
The first shinzahou treasure from the northern country of Hokkan was stolen from Miaka, and the only treasure left is in the western country of Sairou—and both Miaka and her friend-turned-mortal-enemy Yui are intent on getting the treasure for themselves! But Sairou isn’t a frozen wasteland of forgotten dreams and ghosts like Hokkan. It’s a vibrant, living desert country, whose inhabitants are veterans of the last clash between priestesses and gods!

Review:
Flaws in this volume are few. Aside from a very annoying response to some breakup angst (wondering if she’d done something that made Tamahome hate her), Miaka isn’t too annoying. Another person is added to the tally of those who’ve glimpsed her rack, however. Oh, and there are panty shots, too.

The good stuff includes dramatic losses on both sides, touching bonding between Tasuki and Chiriko, progress on the summoning front, and the appearance of three celestial warriors of Byakko. The love story of Suzuno and Tatara parallels that of Miaka and Tamahome and actually makes the latest breakup angst between the latter pair have some impact. I totally want Byakko Kaiden now.

From the back cover:
Miaka Yuuki is an ordinary junior-high-school student who is transported into the world of a book, The Universe of the Four Gods. Thinking that her mission has failed, she runs off to the land of Sairou, where a warrior of her arch enemy, the God Seiryu, finds her! And before the adventure is over, Miaka will find out who are allies, who are enemies, and who is determined to see her dead!

Review:
This volume was pretty durn silly, but not precisely bad. First of all, I lost track of how many times Miaka wound up with a guy on top of her. That was, like, the recurring theme of the volume. She acted plenty stupid, as well, and I’m going to need to start a tally box of how many times the names Miaka or Tamahome are called out into the void with lots of exclamation points. Lastly, there’s no progress on the shinzahou front—just a lot of trials and tribulations at the hands of the Seiryu folk.

Still, Miaka learns a couple of important things this volume, someone returns and acts unexpectedly, and Tomo’s illusions are cool. I quite liked the one to which he subjects Miaka, particularly seeing Yui and another classmate teasing her about a boy.

From the back cover:
Miaka Yuuki is an ordinary middle school student who is suddenly whisked away into the world of a book, The Universe of the Four Gods. In this alternate world, she must summon the god Suzaku by retrieving the Shinzahou. But, in order to get the treasure, Miaka must choose between her love for Tamahome and protecting the nation of Konan.

Review:
The B+ grade is for the story itself; the translation earns a D. For the entire first chapter, Nuriko is referred to with female pronouns. This is incredibly distracting from such a poignant, important scene! If the translators were even reading the material, they’d see that, too!

Anyway, the plot itself is pretty interesting, featuring an encounter with some nifty Genbu warriors. I quite fancy Hikitsu. I’ll have to try to remember what’s established about them and see whether continuity is maintained when I proceed to reading Genbu Kaiden.

When the Suzaku warriors learn there’s still more questing to do, we enter another little arc and meet another Seiryu warrior, Tomo, who I think is pretty durn cool. I really like the misdirection he perpetrates upon the group, even though it has the unfortunate effect of spurring another of Miaka’s too stupid to live moments. It had been a while since she’d run off idiotically and I was getting used to not finding her all that annoying.

From the back cover:
A savage storm shipwrecks Miaka and her Celestial Warriors on a creepy island inhabited by a ruthless matriarchal society that enslaves men! Meanwhile, her former friend Yui and the Seiryu Warriors are within arm’s reach of the sacred treasures that Miaka so desperately seeks. Will she arrive too late to summon the god Suzaku and save the nation of Konan?

Review:
Ack! I didn’t realize that that happened in this volume.

While the story continues to move along nicely, the first couple of chapters in this volume were a little weak and almost felt like a flimsy excuse to draw the guys in drag. This is the first bit I’ve encountered that wasn’t in the anime, so it seems they shared my opinion.

There’s a lot of focus on Nuriko in this volume, whom I adore, and more determination on his part to no longer attempt to take his sister’s place. I still don’t wholeheartedly endorse some of the sudden realizations, but I must say it’s a lot clearer in the manga and I can kind of get a better handle on what he’s been through and what he means by what he says. It’s unfortunate that, while he’s considering what it means to be a man, Viz’s translation keeps calling him “she,” when previous volumes were free of that problem.

From the back cover:
Now that the Seiryu Warriors have ruined their attempt to summon the god Suzaku, Miaka and her Celestial Warriors are forced to travel to a frozen northern country in hopes of gathering the sacred treasures that will grant them a second chance. Little do they know that they have made new enemies, ones who will stop at nothing to wreak their vengeance!

Review:
The plotting is excellent in this volume, with all events hanging together logically and moving forward with a sense of urgency and excitement as Miaka and friends head off on a new quest with the Seiryu Warriors in active competition. I suppose I’ve been burned too many times by manga that seems to amble around without a point, and it seems pretty clear that Watase knows where this story is going to go, so it impresses me.

Another thing I really liked was seeing more of Miaka’s interactions with others of the group. She is distressed about Tamahome, and sees Chichiri as a good person to talk to. Later, Nuriko is the one from whom she seeks comfort, and also plays a big role in the final chapter. We’re seeing the group bonding more as a whole and also learning more about their backgrounds.

Miaka also grows yet more determined to summon Suzaku. Though she doesn’t wish to fight Yui, Nakago’s tactics are just too cruel to be allowed to continue. I really like her when she is taking the job seriously, and therefore didn’t feel the urge to smack her once this time.

From the back cover:
Now that she seems to have gathered all seven of her Celestial Warriors, Miaka is ready to summon the god Suzaku, who will grant her three wishes. But Miaka’s former best friend, Yui, has become her mortal enemy, and Yui’s nefarious general Nakago has a secret plan…

Review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this volume. Nakago’s secret plan comes to fruition and Miaka gains a bit in maturity as a result (points off for a brief too stupid to live moment in Chapter 31, however). Alas, no further glimmers of Mitsukake’s personality, and not much Chichiri and Tasuki to squee over, but there’s several important events and a big decision for Hotohori, and Nuriko has several very cute panels as well.

We’re now up to around episode 24 of the anime, which I remember because that’s exactly how many episodes a friend could cram on the tape(s) I provided. When I finally got the DVDs, I rewatched from the beginning, so as a result I believe the story’s about to head into the part I’ve only seen once and therefore remember less vividly. Woot.

From the back cover:
To save her newly adoptive country of Konan, Miaka must venture into the heart of the enemy’s capital. Her mission: to retrieve her true love, Tamahome; outwit the unscrupulous general Nakago; and confront Yui, the girl who was once her best friend but is now her vindictive rival!

Review:
Things have really started to come together in this volume, making it my favorite of the series thus far. In some respects, I wish I hadn’t seen the anime first, because I’d be free to be surprised by things again, but my memories of watching it (my first shoujo) are so fond, I can’t really wish too strenuously. Knowing what I do, I must question this choice of spoilery cover.

Miaka is actually not too stupid or annoying this volume, and I liked her scenes with Yui, especially. I actually felt for her at the end of the volume, which is rather unprecedented. In the squee department, I totally love Chichiri and Tasuki, and even Mitsukake’s kitty. It also seems to me, just from a few cute little panels where Mitsukake talks, that he might have more personality in the manga than the anime, which would be welcome.

This volume was good enough that I am considering a marathon read on this nice, long weekend. Perhaps I shall get all the way through the series.