Manga Review: Queen's Quality, Volume 5, by Kyousuke Motomi

Rating (Out of 5): ~4.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: September 2018

Volumes: 7+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 4. 6.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Will this Queen with mind-control powers incite good or evil?

Fumi Nishioka lives with Kyutaro Horikita and his family of “Sweepers,” people who specialize in cleaning the minds of those overcome by negative energy and harmful spirits. Fumi has always displayed mysterious abilities, but will those powers be used for evil when she begins to truly awaken as a Queen?

Fumi and Kyutaro delve into the depths of bug handler Ataru’s mind and try to save him, but Fumi has been given the tough task of killing the Black Queen within her! As Fumi discovers the truth about the Black Queen and gains new power, what price will she pay in return?

Review:

This whole section with the Black Queen could have gone in a few different directions, including some bad ones, but all the arrows were pointing in a very self-positive way. And I'm happy with how it turned out. The way this series is pushing self-image and accepting and loving yourself, and how you can grow and mature and become better by doing it, is really nice. It's such an important sentiment, and I think that it's being done in such a good way here.

The whole scene with Fumi and the Black Queen was done very well.

After Fumi's confrontation, we get to see Ataru finally see what happened in his past, why he's so stuck on Fumi, and what's been hiding from his mind. It's... harsh. What was done to him and the girl he loved is awful. It's so awful.

After everything, they all need a bit of recovery time. Physically and mentally, they all need to regroup after what they experienced. Ataru has to face his first love's death and how he was being used. And Fumi and the Black Queen inside her have to re-acclimate themselves.

I appreciate that the Queen's inside of Fumi are treated both separately, and as part of her. They're different personalities, different parts of her, but they're also part of her to make her whole. And Kyutaro can see and love each side of Fumi, as all of her loves him.

It's really quite sweet, even if it's in an odd way.

I think I'm just in love with this series, and I respect everything that it's doing.

 A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much!