Mayumi Azuma’s fifth installment of ‘Erementar Gerade’ is a huge disappointment. While it is always a joy to see the designs of incumbent characters, this volume just does not add up. It raises questions that readers would have thought had been answered in previous volumes, and overall, it is a bit predictable.

Lilia and Rosati, the “sister” pair that gained their freedom from an evil, rich man in the last volume have decided to tag along on the ship that the main entourage (Ren, Cou, and the Arc Aile team) have boarded to take them closer to Edel Garden.

Lilia and Rosati’s destination is their parents house, which brings up the first problem in this volume: their parents are dead, and readers will remember the two characters shown when just children, standing before the grave of their parents in the previous volume. Another problem that arises from seeing these two when they are children is the process of aging in relation to Edel Raids.

Lilia, Rosati’s Edel Raid and “sister”, is shown as a tiny baby swaddled in a basket, and we see her age up to the point of how she is in the manga now. If she can age, can the other Edel Raids?  If so, Ren should look like a corpse since it has been alluded to numerous times that she is hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. One solution that comes to mind is that perhaps the binding spell that had been placed on Ren before Cou found her temporarily stopped the aging process.

Aside from these problems, this volume allows readers to see the loyal and gentlemanly qualities of Rowen, a member of the Arc Aile team following Cou and Ren. As the rest of the members enjoy their cruise, Rowen is approached by a strange man who believes him to be Cou.

This man is an absolute drama queen, who is obsessed with his appearance and voice, not to mention a ditz (he mistook Rosati as Cou earlier). Rowen calls to his Edel Raid, Kuea, to aid him in his battle with this new musical enemy. She wants to tell him that he has got the wrong guy and take him out, but Rowen insists on going along with his mistake to get more information about why he wants to kill Cou in particular.

The fight escalates, and Rowen asks to take the fight to another part of the ship, so as not to harm any of the other passengers. The stranger agrees, and the battle continues. From an observer’s point of view, Rowen appears to be losing, but he is, in fact, doing just fine. Cisqua, the leader of the Arc Aile team and Rowen’s partner, sees his struggles and comes to his aid, or so she thinks.

Ever overly zealous, Cisqua pulls out her guns and releases a barrage that not only targets the enemy, but causes great damage to the ship itself and poses a great danger to the other passengers.

While Rowen tries to deal with the escalating situation above deck, Cou is below, trying to protect Viro, a girl who had watched him fight in an underground fighting ring in the previous volume. At first, she appears to be just a devoted fan of Cou, but she nearly pushed him overboard with her “excitement” on seeing him and sneaks into his room in the middle of the night.

The only reason that excursion came to naught is because she did not account for Rowen, who had been rooming with Cou. She continues to act like a fan-girl while Cou is around and trying to protect her, but her jealousy of Ren and Cou’s relationship is a trigger to her anger and suspicious behavior. The volume ends before readers can find out what she will do when Cou asks her to help protect Ren.

Overall, this volume was an okay read, aside from the discrepancy of a few situations in relation to the events in previous volumes. Perhaps the next installments will clear them up, but if not, it will be a disappointment. Also, Rowen seems to be proving himself more and more, and readers can see more of his development in this novel, especially his loyalty to his friends, which was delightful.

Overall rating: 2.5/5

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About the author

Kala Istvanek
Presently, I am attending Carthage College in Kenosha, U.S.A. I will be graduating with a degree in Asian Studies, with a minor in English and Studio Art. I have been a bookworm ever since I could read and I can never turn down a book. Art is also one of my loves and discovering new artists is always a thrill for me.

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