M?r, Vol. 12, 12

The War Games continue on a more personal note as Snow must face off against her former jester, who is revealed to be a Chess Piece. Then Ginta has to fight against the now masked Ian, a Chess Piece he defeated a couple of volumes ago. Back then, it even seemed like Ian respected Ginta and might come over to the side of Mar. But in this volume he is consumed with hate because he blames Ginta for causing something horrible to happen to a person he cared for. Ginta might not be able to concentrate fully on the fight because Snow is captured and taken captive to the evil Queen Diana, who is also Snow's stepmother. It's been twelve volumes of almost constant fighting and I still haven't got tired of this manga. I think really when it comes down to it, the fighting is nothing more than a metaphorical extension of the character's spirits and conflicts, which makes it interesting even after all these installments. It also helps that Anzai is a master of action and the reader never finds it hard to figure out what is going on in a battle scene. The dialogue is also well written which is suprising in a genre where almost every other word is taken up with battle attack names. This is a great title for young kids and also for adults with kid hearts.