Title: Queen’s Quality Vol. 14
Author: Kyousuke Motomi
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 168
Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance
Publication Date: April 5, 2022
The Story
Volume 14 of Queen’s Quality begins a rescue operation to retrieve Ataru from the Suzaku Gate. Of course, this is not the first time we have encountered them. If you remember when Fumi was kidnapped, they tortured Kyutaro as we were introduced to the Silver Sea Snake. Now, they look to reclaim Ataru as their own and turn him into a sacrifice.
I can’t really say much about the volume’s story because the entirety of it encompassed the rescue operation. What I can say is that the rescue didn’t drag on because it concluded by the end of the book; however, things are far from over.
The volume was also comprised of some amazing action which is something we rarely see out of this series. Typically, the act of sweeping carries some action with it but this felt like a grand shonen manga battle from beginning to end. However, how did the Genbu get this powerful? There is a bit of a plot twist in here that I won’t reveal; however, it’s going to offer a major change for the series as events are going to end up becoming more carefully planned. Plus, our ending also revealed something else about Kyutaro and Fumi that could give an indication of how this series will wrap up!
Characters
There was quite a bit of character development in here. Without getting into spoilers, I will briefly touch upon Kyutaro. The aforementioned event that transpired shows just how much he cares for, not only Fumi but the rest of his friends as well. That care and companionship is a two-way street because, in turn, they showed how much they cared about him as well and the lengths that they were willing to go for one of their own. This kind of behavior is a major shift from what Kyutaro was back in the original series, QQ Sweeper. There, he came off as tough, stern, and all business. The Kyutaro we have today has grown so much and this volume accentuates that even further!
Ataru was ready to give up his life. He wasn’t about to turn it over to the Suzaku Gate nor the Silver Sea Snake; however, he’s kind of always been like this. It took a good slap in the face from Kyutaro to get him to realize that his life was not meant to be thrown away. Although not stated outright, one must wonder if Ataru’s value (or lack thereof) on his own life is somehow a remnant of his time as a Bug Handler? Perhaps there is still that guilt living deep within him and that was his attempt to atone for things? Then again, he was always known for making some rash decisions without thinking them through so maybe I’m reading too much into it?
Seira is just as crazy as ever! Here, she clearly exhibits her bipolar personality. She’s sweet and seductive one second and the very next, she’s a crazed lunatic. She has her own goals and aspirations but she seems like a nutjob on her journey to obtain them. If one little minute detail doesn’t line up with her goals, she flips out but as soon as something else comes along that she can grasp onto, she mellows out. It’s a very impulsive personality that changes on the fly. She’s not the type to really think ahead and simply reacts on the then and now. People like that are so fragile-minded that you love it when everything goes to ruin and you see their reaction to it!
Lastly, we have Takaya… the acting “leader” of the Suzaku Gate. He reveals that they don’t actually have a leader anymore and are acting as a cohesive group with a common interest… to make the world a better place. You know, by kidnapping people and threatening death and destruction! Ah… the good old malevolent benevolence! I’m sure we’ll get more of him in the coming volumes but it’s a bit eerie that he just leaves and just casually lets the Genbu come in and retrieve Ataru. Perhaps he was counting on this? People like him usually have fivehead-level plans so, we’ll see how or why he allowed all of this to happen.
Overall Thoughts
For a moment, I thought that this brand-new arc was going to be settled in just two volumes; however, that is not going to be the case. Takaya is up to something and when he unveiled someone at the very end, it caused mass panic and a “fight or flight” emotion in everyone there. I can only guess who or what that person was but one thing is for certain… it’s probably going to end up becoming the big evil for this arc that everyone is going to have to fight off.
It also kind of gave off “final boss” vibes, too. The Silver Sea Snake was set up to be a major antagonist from the very start of the series and now we are circling back to it. Given the reaction everyone gave to “K,” it makes you wonder if this series is coming to an end? Given the way some of the plot points developed in this volume, it wouldn’t shock me if we are in the final arc.
Besides, what’s after the Silver Sea Snake? The only option to continue the series after this would be to have the snake escape and then go off on some more side adventures before re-encountering it. That would just artificially extend the series, in my opinion, and I don’t really think it’s heading that way. I really believe that this is the final act for this series so all that remains is to wonder just how much more we have to go before all things are said and done?
Volume 15 should shed some more light on that subject so we’ll see!
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