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Manga-ka: Tomo Maeda
Publisher: Go!Comi
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: August 2008
Synopsis: “They say all good things must come to an end… but will this hold true for Shikimi, as well? The half-demon priest was making such good progress, but a fun-filled day in the falling snow turns deadly as his demon half takes over. Will Grey finally win their bet?”
With strange dreams and memories that never fade, Shikimi is starting to act more oddly than usual and he doesn’t seem keen on telling his friends why. After an early snowfall offers fun and frolic for Laz and Taki, it soon spells trouble for everyone when the darkness in Shikimi finally claws its way to the surface.
It’s the volume we’ve all been waiting for! As fun as the random hijinks and continued bolstering of Taki’s promise to save Shikimi were for five volumes, it was high time that the anticipated ball finally got rolling. Shikimi’s transformation was something expected from the beginning and it’s finally happened, leaving blood stained snow in its wake.
Grey, the demon who’s stuck around to see his bet with Shikimi through to the end, is of course witness to the sudden change, and becomes the only one who can see to it that Taki gets a chance to fulfil his promise with Shikimi. Bad time for a multi-page conversation though, you guys! Meanwhile, Laz rushes off alone to stop Shikimi but learns that she’s little match for the white-haired demon.
Speaking of ‘she’, something about this volume that stood out to me, in a rather confusing way, was the gender of Laz. In previous volumes, Laz has always maintained that they were a male, despite their very feminine design, and the other characters referred to them as such. Now, suddenly here in book six, Laz is referred to as a female, no questions asked. Was this gender-specific speech a Go!Comi translation choice or just an off-page acceptance of what seemed obvious?
Regardless, Black Sun Silver Moon, volume six, delivered with what fans have been waiting for and does it with a balance of drama, suspense and humour, plus art that seems to improve with each chapter. Shikimi has finally snapped and who knows what could happen next as his sadistic bloodlust finally has a chance to stretch its claws. A cliffhanger ending, and holding the title of final volume, is definitely going to make book seven a release that cannot come fast enough.
Review written September 6, 2008 by Lissa Pattillo.
Book purchased from independant hobby store, The Batter’s Box
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