Alice 19th, Vol. 6

ありす19th [Alice 19th] #6

by Yuu Watase

New allies Mei Lin and Billy come to the aid of Alice, Kyo, Nyozeka, Frey, and Chris in their fight against the dark forces of Mara. Together, they continue the struggle to save Alice's sister Mayura from her entanglement with Darva, who is evil incarnate. To reach Mayura, Alice must understand what her sister felt when she succumbed to the Mara, and the young Lotis Masters learn that they cannot be blind to the darkness even in their own hearts!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels, Shojo, Comics, Comics Manga

187 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2003

About the author

Yuu Watase (渡瀬悠宇) is a Japanese shoujo manga-ka. She is known for her works Fushigi Yūgi, Alice 19th, Ceres: The Celestial Legend, Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden and Absolute Boyfriend. She likes all music, except heavy metal and old traditional music.

She received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Ceres, Celestial Legend in 1997. Since writing her debut short story "Pajama de Ojama" ("An Intrusion in Pajamas"), Watase has created more than 80 compiled volumes of short stories and continuing series. Because of her frequent use of beautiful male characters in her works, she is widely regarded in circles[which?] as a bishōnen manga artist.[citation needed] In October 2008, Watase began her first shōnen serialization, Arata: The Legend in Weekly Shōnen Sunday.
Her name is romanized as "Yû Watase" in earlier printings of Viz Media's publications of Fushigi Yūgi, Alice 19th, and Ceres, The Celestial Legend, while in Viz Media's Fushigi Yūgi Genbu Kaiden and Absolute Boyfriend her name is romanized as "Yuu Watase". In Chuang Yi's English-language versions of Fushigi Yugi (spelled without a macron or circumflex), her name is romanized as "Yu Watase".

Reviews

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish the series didn’t feel so rushed in the last few volumes.

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

only one more????? NO!

[Harumichi Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Volume 6 ini ceritanya bener-bener yang paling kelam dan berat.

Alice dan para Lotis Master berhasil masuk ke gedung gubernur. Anehnya isi gedung sudah berubah menjadi... bagian dalam Masjid Al-Hambra. Kenapa lorong dan pilar-pilar Al-Hambra jadi markas Mara Master coba? Hoi!

Di sana mereka disambut oleh monster mara yang menangkap Chris. Saat itulah masa lalu Chris terbuka. Dia berasal dari keluarga bangsawan kaya. Chris sendiri dikaruniai kecerdasan yang membuatnya bisa masuk universitas dalam usianya yang baru 13 tahun. Namun, orang-orang jadi iri padanya dan menjauhinya. Ayah Chris tak pernah memedulikannya dan malah selingkuh dengan wanita lain. Suatu hari Chris tertabrak mobil saat mau mendatangi ayahnya yang sedang berjalan bersama selingkuhannya di seberang jalan. Akibat kecelakaan itu kaki Chris luka parah. Kegelapan Mara membuat luka di kaki Chris muncul lagi di masa kini. Namun, ia berhasil terbebas berkat kenangan ayahnya yang menangisinya sebelum operasi.

Di babak selanjutnya, mereka dihadang oleh dua Mara Master bernama Samuel dan Keina. Samuel mengunci Kyou dengan jurus monsternya. Sedangkan Keina mengurung para Lotis Master dalam gelas jam raksasa yang akan membuat mereka tenggelam dalam ingatan masa lalu yang gelap dan mati. Dia juga mengikat Alice lalu mengubah kulitnya jadi berkeriput seperti nenek-nenek.

Rupanya sebelum menjadi Mara Master, Samuel adalah penyanyi paduan suara gereja bersuara malaikat. Teman-temannya iri padanya dan memasukkan pecahan kaca ke dalam sandwich. Akibatnya tenggorokannya jadi terluka dan ia tak lagi bisa menyanyi.

Sedangkan Keina pernah ditinggal kekasihnya yang lebih memilih pergi bersama gadis yang lebih muda.

Dalam volume kali ini, masa lalu Frey yang kelam benar-benar digali. Siapa sangka di balik sifat ceria dan mesumnya itu ia ternyata menyimpan luka hati yang begitu dalam?

Frey juga seorang yatim piatu seperti Kyou. Ia pun pindah dari satu kerabat ke kerabat yang lain. Di rumah pamannya, ia bertemu dengan sepupunya yang cantik dan lebih tua empat tahun darinya, Ida. Keduanya jatuh cinta dan diam-diam menjalin hubungan meski Ida sudah bertunangan. Paman yang memergoki hubungan mereka kemudian mengusir Frey di hari badai salju. Saat nyaris mati, ia diselamatkan oleh Erik, anggota biara Lotis di Norwegia.

Lama setelah hidup di biara Lotis, Ida tiba-tiba mendatanginya dan mengajaknya kawin lari. Frey menolak karena merasa tak bisa membahagiakan Frey. Hal itu membuat Ida bunuh diri di tengah danau tempat ia biasa bertemu dengan Frey. Saat Frey tenggelam dalam kenangan gelapnya, Ida yang sudah mati itu tiba-tiba bangkit lagi dan mengajaknya ke kegelapan. Ia baru bisa membebaskan diri karena mendengar Alice yang berteriak memanggilnya.

Namun, setelah itu ia pun harus menghadapi kenyataan horor yang menimpa seluruh anggota biara Lotis Norwegia, juga kenyataan bahwa orang terpenting baginya ternyata justru mengkhianatinya dan bergabung bersama Darva.

Kenangan buruk memang bisa menjadi monster bagi hidup seseorang. Membuat orang tersebut tenggelam dalam emosi negatif meski peristiwa buruk itu sudah lama berlalu. Dalam banyak kasus, rasa sakit psikis itu bisa mewujud menjadi sakit fisik yang disebut psikosomatis. Dan butuh tekad kuat serta terapi dengan para ahli agar orang tersebut bisa terbebas dari hantu masa lalunya. Somehow, aku ngerasa itulah pesan yang tersembunyi dari volume kali ini. Frey bisa membebaskan dirinya dari jeratan kegelapan masa lalunya dengan Lotis Word Utei yang berarti Disillusion. Pada akhirnya jika seseorang bisa benar-benar sadar bahwa rasa sakit yang ia derita akibat kenangan buruknya adalah ilusi, dia pun bisa bangkit dan pulih kembali.

[Ady Weasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Traición.Redención. Perdón. Dolor. Todo esto veremos en este tomo.
La acción dentro de las oficinas es fuerte, la escena de la pelea está muy bien dibujada.

Se acerca el final.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing my rereads to see which manga series I want to keep...

In 2021, this is definitely a keeper and the series is generally uplifting, but can we talk about the weirdness that is a Norwegian 19-year old preying on her 15-year old live-in cousin, then killing herself when he's kicked out because he won't get a better job to support her financially? And this is all presented as a tRaGiC lOvE sToRy. Ick.

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why does everyone have to pick on poor Frey? He's one of my favorite characters, actually. Poor guy.

Sad to see that this only has one more volume. Will everyone get a happy ending?!

[Bibliothecat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for complete series



For the most of it, I think Alice 19th has missed its potential. It is a cute manga with a somewhat clichéd premise and it somehow manages to have as much going for it as it has going against it. There are two main plot points - one of our main character Alice being in love with the same boy her older sister loves, the other being somewhat reminiscent of magical girl series where the characters develop magical powers and must find lost magic words. Both of these plot lines intermingle of course and, paired with Watase's pretty art, this could make a solid sweet kind of manga that combines a bit of high school drama with light magical elements. The problem is, almost everything in this manga is underdeveloped or under-explained.

Let us start off with characters and relationships. Although I liked Alice and Kyo as characters, I don't think we got to see much development between the two. I can partially forgive this because it is clear that Alice has liked him well before the story begins. But this seems to be a general issue throughout the series. New characters are introduced but we rarely get the time to get to know much about them. Even Frey who is one of the more prominent characters never really gets explored. Yes, we get to see snippets of his past but somehow I never feel like we got to see what makes him tick, nor was it ever explained why he is looking for a bride. I also couldn't relate to why he likes Alice as there were never any significant scenes between them and, unlike Kyo, they didn't know each other previously.

This leaves us with the relationship between Alice and her sister Mayura. This is arguably the best developed relationship and I appreciate that. It's nice reading about sisterly bonds, even if these two are at odds for most of the story. I think their situation - magic aside - is pretty realistic of how even loving siblings can find themselves in an argument where they find it hard to forgive the other. Various flashbacks show that these two care a lot for each other so it keeps you rooting for them to find a way back to each other.

My biggest issue was the under-developed magic system. It is never really explained to a satisfactory level and is confusing at most. I understand that there are 24 words that the characters use in a form of magic. I can't say whether this magic system is based on any form of mythology or whether it is fully invented by Watase herself but I found myself just going with the flow rather than trying to make sense of how this magic works. What I found a little frustrating was that it is never explained why this book is titled Alice 19th (is perhaps the word for bravery - Alice's main word - the 19th of the 24? We're never shown a list or anything so I'm just guessing here) and we don't find out what the lost 24th word is either. Sure, Alice finds out and uses it at the end, but unless I missed something, I have no idea what word she used.

This manga series does leave a lot to be desired, and yet I can't find myself disliking it.

[Claire Binkley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very clearly the penultimate book in the series. Alice has gone into the realms of darkness to find and help her sister Mayura with a party from around the world, as detailed in previous sketches.

There are no fun and games in it, just plot. However, I find the artwork as beautiful as ever. Some of my friends might find the designs a little too intricate to stare at for very long, but if you're casually observing it, then it shouldn't give you a problem.

I've noted the realistically-drawn bunny mascot a few times throughout this tankoubon. There is also an adorable swallow as well.

Hourglasses in the middle and bells reappear at the middle and end, as far as symbols I noticed. Time and ... hmm, I see another note of the passage of time.
I see swallows as a hope for a new beginning as most sensible!

[Juan Carlos malik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nos acercamos al final de la historia y todo puede pasar. Este tomo me agrado muchisimo por las siguientes razones:
1. Conocemos el lado oscuro del corazón de nuestros protagonistas tanto buenos como los malos.
2. Nos muestra como enfrentarnos a nuestras debilidades.
3. Los escenarios dentro del castillo oscuro, son macabros y fascinantes, que hacen que te metas a la trama y no pares de leer.
4. Las escenas de acción desprenden muchos demonios y sangres.
5. Los lazos de amor, familia, amistad se entienden mejor en el texto, como en nuestra vida diaria.

Creció la trama considerablemente en este tomo, ¿Qué nos deparara el final? Si no has leído esta historia, te estas perdiendo de mucho.

[kaitlphere · Rating 4 out of 5]

The climax of the story begins in this volume! The obstacles the characters face are sometimes clever and sometimes goofy. A bridge they are walking on turns into a giant snake. Their Lotus Master outfits are based on their home countries, which was very cool. I'd like to see more of Billy and Mei Lin's stories, but seeing more of Frey's and Chris's was nice (and heartbreaking).

[Nyx · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars
Excuse me just a minute while I freak....WHAT?!?!?!??!?! We learn so much about the characters and their own darkness. But you didn't have to die Eric!!!??? How?! The artwork was amazing, and the storyline is progressing so nicely. I cannot wait to see how this turns out. Overall, I am just speechless.
ERIC!

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the darkness of mara continues to take and strain Alice and Kyo, they further resolve to fight and save Mayura.

Frey's past puts much of his character into perspective and he's put through heartbreak after heartbreak in this volume.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lotis Masters are confronting the Maram Masters! It's fighting time!

[Lucinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

the maram really has it out for Frey huh

[Leetsu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I-

Don't know why but I just can't connect with the characters suffer and I just laughed throughout the whole volume. Also, Eric and Frei relationship looks sooooo boyfriend-like

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful read with amazing illustrations!

[Karla V. H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creo que aquí la historia se empieza a desinflar un poquito.

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

It just seems obvious to me that the author was given a deadline and scrambled to make an ending to meet it.

[Ashlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probaly my favorite book from the volume. The twist in this book really shocked me. Not to mention them making progress on saving mayura

[Q-Q · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 stars

[Lady Cassiopeia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hab's verschlungen. Der Zeichenstil ist mittlerweile natürlich etwas gealtert, doch das ändert nichts an der wunderschönen Geschichte. Hat mich persönlich auch ganz leicht an den Erzähl-Stil von Tanemura erinnert. Lohnt sich in jedem Fall!

[Koorihime-sama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought from Amazon, and I still own a copy.

APART OF THE GOODREADS 2012 READING CHALLENGE.

Review/Rating:

5 out of 5

Ease of Reading Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Plot: 5 out of 5
Art Touch-Up: 5 out of 5
Translation: 5 out of 5
Design: 5 out of 5

The last of the reinforcements have arrived. Now Mei Lin, Billy, Frey, Nyozeka, Kyo and Alice must go into enemy territory in order to save Mayura from Darva and the Maram Masters. However, in order to find her, Alice must first try understanding Mayura before the Lotis Masters get dragged into the darkness inside their hearts as well.

All of the developments are starting to go faster now that this series is almost over. Now you get to know more about some of the characters. Like why Chris kind of limps when he walks. And also, Frey's past, how he feels towards Alice, and how he feels about Eric. Though, once you see Frey's past, you will think that him and Kyo are more alike than you would ever think. Also, you get to see a little bit more about Alice's and Mayura's relationship. Another thing you get to learn is about the occupations of Mei Lin and Billy. Billy's occupation was quite unexpected and it's one that I hardly see in manga for one of the main minor characters. One thing I really liked learning about was about the Maram Masters and why they turned from the light. Most of the scenes in this volume are pretty sad, and I almost cried at some of them. :(

Now on to how the artwork and designs looked in this volume, all of them are looking pretty good still, especially the expressions. One of the parts I loved was when the snakes were falling down on them and the expression on Billy's face. *laughs* Also, there is another Kyo and Frey kiss drawn, but this time it was on the cheek and Frey did it freely. One more thing about the artwork, there are some naked scenes, but only the upper part (breasts with nipples) of Mayura (again). ^^; So beware of that throughout the volume. :S

Overall, I think the plot is turning out well, and I love all the information about the characters --- even the Maram Masters. However, I think that the ending is pretty sad, so beware of tears towards the end of the volume.

For VIZ's part of bringing this manga into English, their art-touchup has gotten a lot better. I notice fewer errors in touching up the art from erasing the kanji. ;) Also, the translation and everything else they do are still pretty good. :D Overall, they did a much better job from when they first started this series. :)

[Emy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Alice saves a rabbit from a speeding car, her life is turned upside down. The rabbit turns out to be a magical girl, and Alice discovers that she has the power to master powerful words known as the Lotis Words. Unfortunately, words can do harm as well as good and, when Alice accidentally banishes her sister, she must fight to get her back.

This volume continued the trend of the series, getting darker as it went along. The tension was quite high to start with, but it built and built as the volume went on. The next volume is the final one, so I think that's rather appropriate.

We learn more about Chris and Frey in this volume, and aaaaah, I love them even more than I did before! D: Especially Chris. He needs cuddles. D:

And I also felt sorry for the Maram masters in this one too, which was unexpected. You kind of forget that they're human, I think.

We still don't know much about Mei Lin or Billy and, at this stage, I don't think we will learn all that more about them. It's a shame, but they were kind of introduced rather late in the game.

I feel a bit like we still haven't really learnt everything we could about the Lotis/Maram words. People say the words and then things happen, but we haven't been shown if there's a cost to it, or why sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. It's obviously much more than just saying the words, but it's not quite explained.

I kind of feel like this should have been a lot longer series. There seems to be so much more potential for development, yet only one volume left. I guess we'll see how it all turns out!

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frey se robó por completo mi corazón en este tomó, en los anteriores siempre me ha hecho reír y por mucho es uno de mis personajes favoritos, sin embargo...al conocer sus verdaderos sentimientos...awww creo que me considero culpable por no tomar al chico con seriedad.

¡Él en verdad esta enamorado de la pequeña Alice!

Que dolor y desesperación al saber que no tiene un futuro con ella, porque a pesar de su apariencia coqueta, creo que harían una excelente pareja ( tiene sentimientos muy nobles).

Sobre la historia, esta sexta parte no es de las mejores , creo que le faltó un poquito más de acción, aunque al final me dejó con ganas de leer el último de "yaaa".

Espero que sea lo que espero

[Rafa Castillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

¡Bueno, esto fue una mejora! Digno de un 3.6, amigo mío.
La traducción de Panini sigue siendo mediocre, en el mejor de los casos, y esto, aunado a la velocidad de este tomo, los chistes malos típicos del humor de manga carente de gracia, y la importancia de un personaje que fue introducido en el volumen anterior, e inmediatamente despedido en la misma página hacen de esto un tren que se estampa contra una roca.
Pero al menos vuelve a andar. Alice 19th no me parece una serie buena, por estas cosas, pero este volumen tuvo buenas ideas, lo cual lo vuelve mi volumen preferido hasta ahora. Falta concluir todo en el séptimo.

[Clow Place · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este volumen me encanto en particular por que se profundiza en los sentimientos de los personajes. Ya nos acercamos más hacia el enfrentamiento de Darbha, y rescatar a Mayura de las sombras. Sólo hay un detalle que no logre comprender al último, cuando Frey y Erick (al revelarse su gran secreto) se enfrentan. Pero de ahí en más, súper padre.

[Jesus Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice 6
So Alice, Kyo, Frey and the other Lotis Masters go into the building where Mayura is o rescue her from the Maram.
Each one will have to face a battle that deals with either their fears or their past.
Special long explaining chapter of Frey backstory and his teacher.
Good action coming closer to the final volume
4 stars

[Ana Bar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Más oscuro que nunca, no hay tanto romance, pero se narran verdades de Frei.

Ya me estoy compadeciendo de Mayura, quiero que la salven.

Lo de Chris, me rompió el corazón.

En cuestión gráfica, Yuu hizo un excelente trabajo.

Además ese final!!!


Ya vamos por el último tomo!!!

[Oyceter · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://oyceter.livejournal.com/456485...

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson · Rating 5 out of 5]

We start off this volume with Chapter 30: Mind Blindness.

I'll write more when editing mode hits me.
Cheers Pretties!