The Girl From the Other Side: Siuil, a Run vol. 5

The cover to this volume is best appreciated by looking at the version of it on the color insert on the first page.  That’s because the contrast that glossy version affords allows you to see how creepy it really is. Not that Teacher means any ill will towards Shiva in this volume.  Not intentionally, as we see the fallout from what happened to the girl’s aunt in short order here. It turns out that all Outsiders are fated to become trees at one point, with those who have had souls like Shiva’s Aunt succumbing to that fate much sooner.  Unfortunately when Shiva finds out that Teacher was keeping her aunt’s memory loss from her the two of them have an argument that ends with the Outsider barred from the girl’s room. When he goes back to the Outsider who keeps losing his head for more information about their fate, Teacher finds out that the rulers of the Inside have sent some special soldiers to bring Shiva back to them.  Very special soldiers indeed…

As with any volume of “The Girl From the Other Side,” there are more questions raised about the nature of the Outsiders and Shiva.  We do get some answers along the way, which is nice. Yet as I’ve mentioned before the real reason to keep reading this series is the way it depicts the relationship between Teacher and Shiva, which enters a rough patch early on in this volume.  It’s a little painful to see it play out because the series has invested so much in building up the relationship between the two of them to this point. Mangaka Nagabe doesn’t play this up for cheap drama, as it’s easy to understand why Teacher acted the way he did and why a little girl like Shiva would be so angry about it.  While a little part of me will be disappointed if all of the mysteries regarding the Outsiders aren’t addressed by the end of the series, it’s something I can live with. As long as the relationship between Teacher and Shiva is treated with the same honesty we see in this volume I’ll be satisfied.