The recap.
It got dumpstered to the April Fools collection and I'm not sure if it's allowed to be here in any capacity because I got no response but I can try appending it to the volume 3 twitter extras.
Speaking of feeling hopeless, that's the note we're ending volume 3 on.
Dorothy originally wanted 17+18 to be a single chapter (as in cram all the events into a normal length chapter) which is insane.
The panel of Aizawa kissing Michi on page 19 is actually redrawn rather than copied from chapter 1. There's some subtle differences, mostly with the hair since both designs hadn't been completely worked out yet. Dorothy also confirmed Michi's hair has been growing over the past 3 months, coming down longer over her eye and filling out the back of her neck more.
Ange
100% possessed. And according to the puke scale (1st possession Kasumi didn't puke, 2nd she puked a little), whatever's possessing her was much more powerful than Aizawa.
Strange how it uses the affectionate "Hona-chan", a nickname we've never heard before, is desperate to get closer to Aizawa, but also wants to kill her. There's such a mix of emotions in this ghost and it's interesting how it's almost portrayed as vulnerable and confused. I don't think we're looking at a pure antagonist, though clearly very dangerous and not about to drop its grip on De:Lphinus.
Tear
After some early red herrings and a goofy introduction Tear is really stepping up as the responsible leader of the group, caught in the dilemma of whether it's healthy to keep De:Lphinus going. For all the stress De:Lphinus is put through, there is a strong familial bond there, most exemplified by Non burying herself in Tear's chest. Even if they fight, Non feels safe with her.
We already knew Tear was putting on a smile for everyone, but it's interesting she's keenly aware there's something supernatural going on too. Though being helpless to comprehend it is taking its toll. There's an important panel surreptitiously included in pg6: Tear standing in some kind of bloodsplatter? saying she understands better than anyone something spooky's happening. Keep an eye on that.
Sayaka
Continuing to lose my mind over how a silly joke character became a tragic hero tearing out my heart. That face when she's told no one should have expected better from her is murder. Literally all I demand from this manga is for her to someday know she can confide in Kasumi or Michi.
I have to wonder, when she said someone could have died, did she mean the already dead Aizawa? Or Michi? Or both? In typical Japanese fashion the line allows for all 3.
Reona
I should have caught this, but Reona never mentioned her friend going to another school. That's purely a detail Kasumi added later. Don't know what to make of it yet, but it's clear I wrongly assumed the girl with Reona on the 1st page of ch16 was her special friend.
(disclaimer: nowhere is it specified reona's friend is a girl because japanese hates clarity as much as english loves it but it's a yuri manga so let's be real here)
Reona's being set up hard for a future subplot, and my crackship intuition is calling back:
- Who do we know that was supposed to be at the festival but ran out last second?
- Who's not exactly a friend from another school but something else?
- Which girl isn't paired with anyone yet?
- The manga makes such a big deal of Reona sending a picture of Michi, and who do we know that really doesn't want to see Michi right now?
Michi needs to talk to Non to find out about her lost memories and this would be a simple way to bring them together. Not to mention helping us keep in touch with De:Lphinus.
Michi/Aizawa
That kiss on the bracelet was unbelievably sweet. And Aizawa's reaction was perfectly non-exaggerated. There's so much meaning conveyed between them here, without directly addressing each other. This is going to be a very unique romance.
Michi's admission comes with the somber recognition her love was doomed from the start. But it's the first step to hoping for more. We don't know enough about Aizawa's situation to say this is truly as doomed as it gets. Either way I'm looking forward to delicious angst.
Aizawa meanwhile is either still unstable or getting greedier when she starts distorting again just from Michi being unable to say she loves her. Or from talking to Kasumi. Kasumi and Reona really aren't going to go easy on her flirting with Michi.
Kind of sad too how Aizawa dodges the photo knowing she shouldn't be in it.
I'm not sure what exactly the balloons represent, though there's some obvious symbolism. Both becoming detached from the world together, caught up in the currents of something far beyond their control, a very ephemeral existence, something now unattainable. Speaking of symbolism, Aizawa's holding a ribbon wrapped around Michi's neck on the cover page.
Oh yeah and the Idol Association is probably going to end up being relevant like the Drama Club. That, Reona's friend, and the weirdness Tear's dealing with seem to be the plot threads for next volume. Funny how they all definitely for sure deal with idols. Dorothy confirmed next chapter will be back to slice of life, and I suspect volume 4 will be mostly setup rather than big drama similar to how volume 2 was.