Yu Aida

Until the end of this volume, I hadn't realized how much I sympathized with the supposed villains as well as with our cybernetic heroines. As the picture grows more complex, I'm excited to see where the next volume leads with the introduction of a new fratello. Previously read September 1, 2007.

I gave this my Disturbing" tag, but the Manga-ka meant this series to BE disturbing.

Young, broken girls are rehabilitated as cyborg assassins for the Italian government. They are rebuilt, "conditioned" and then paired with an adult male handler and sent on a variety of missions.

This series focuses on the fact that they are still little girls with all the emotions and foibles that go along with that.

Some chapters were action packed, others were funny, others a slice of life. They all blended show more into one great tapestry of terrorism, counter-terrorism and emotions." show less

For a final" volume, this was sad. By sad, I mean pathetic, even by anime/manga standards.

I knew that most of the girls would have to die, to make the story end. But we never find out what happens to the 2nd gen cyborgs.

I would have felt better about the series if Aida had shown the Welfare Agency being wiped out at their headquarters, instead of just preparing for it. It left things extremely unsettled.

This really felt like a pen-ultimate volume. But as is the case with many manga, the show more author doesn't know how to end it, and so they don't. When I first got into anime, I thought they ended most anime the way they do because of some sort of cool "eastern philosophy" thingy. Now I realize they are just lazy and can't be bothered to wrap things up.

And most of the time, that doesn't bother me. But for this manga, it really did. I think some of that was because I wanted the sacrifices the girls had made throughout the series to be given the honor and respect they deserved. Instead, they are discarded like ragdolls..." show less

This was good, sad, happy, fulfilling and chock full of pathos.

First we get to see Angelica, the first of the 1st gens, as she just wears out. We see her past and how she passes and what it means to Marco.
On a side note, I finally realized in this omnibus that the black pages indicate a sequence occurring in the past. Only 4 omnibus editions for me to catch on. Good thing I'm not a handler, eh?

Then we move on to Triela. After Henrietta, Triela is my next favorite 'Girl'. I just find show more shotguns and long hair so cool.
We see her struggles as she processes what Angelica's death means, to her personally and to the group of 1st gen's.
We also get to see her handler not being a total dick. Good for him to be treating her like a human.

Smaller notes:
1) We see a group of 2nd gens. Therefore we know Petra isn't the only one now.
2) An ultimatum is made by Padania, which indicates a major ramping up of the organization for a final push.
3) The gov't recognizes the Padania could be wiped out quickly and that the Welfare Agency would no longer be needed. Aida is setting up closure on all fronts. Which is good because that means there is a definite end. show less