Apr 25, 2024
Another fantastic issue of a fantastic series. The last arc, as good as it was, felt a bit rushed and difficult to follow at times. This arc is off to a riveting start. Every issue delivers enormous amounts of content, adds to the overall mystery and questions, and even resolves or at least complicates existing relationships and animating themes. This particular issue is even richer than most. It has so much going on that it is hard to keep track of everything but never in a bad way. We find out what happened to Tuya's child clone, Yuta. We learn about a relationship that Maika has that she did not even know about, but which discerning readers realized some time ago. We learn a bit more about the complexity of the politics in the Spice Isla
nds, especially now that the Federation survivors have sought refuge there. We discover how Maika, Ren and Kippa ended up in the Spice Islands and who got them there. And Kippa, getting ever more mysterious, has a fateful encounter with a somewhat familiar being and an encounter with someone else whose existence has been an animating force behind the story of the series from the get-go. We even almost find out who the mysterious being who blessed Kippa may have been - but not quite! The story also provides interesting details. For example, in one scene, Maika and Sauri share a drink, but the reader has to pay attention to see that Maika pricks her finger and puts her blood into the drink and that Sauri does the same. Neither character comments on this. Is this just a strange local custom or does it have greater significance? As usual, the art is brilliant. more
