[Categories: Manga Reviews]
Lament of the Lamb Chapters 35-40: Meet Shinobu Kazami
The penultimate instalment sees the entrance of Shinobu Kazami, a nurse who worked for the father of Chizuna and Kazuna, and is now looking for answers concerning his tragic death. She crosses paths with not only his two children but the Edas and Minase; at every turn she is greeted with suspicion as her search for answers makes slow progress.
After previous volumes examining the inner feelings of individual characters, this volume looks back into the past of the Takashiros and explores details concerning their curse as we follow Kazami on her journey. Because the condition is seen from a rational outsider’s perspective we begin to see it as a tangible, physical medical condition rather than some supernatural affliction: whether or not this is indeed the case I don’t know, but I’m beginning to think that this has a scientific explanation rather than a spiritual one.
Shinobu’s motives appear to be innocent enough but by no means clear. It’s possible that she had an emotional as well as professional attachment to the elder Takashiro, drawing her attention to his family’s secret. The stigma associated with it is also touched upon in this volume, although Chizuna’s relationship with her late parents gets most attention as a result of Shinobu’s enquiries.
After the first couple of volumes the focus did shift from Kazuna to Chizuna but this is understandable now that his symptoms have abated somewhat while hers have not. Furthermore, Kazuna’s memories are decidedly hazy while Chizuna has a little more in the way of emotional baggage from her childhood. The nightmares and flashbacks are particularly interesting but we (and Shinobu) are still far from reaching the full truth about the Takashiros’ tragic curse.
The ending of this volume paints a rosy picture with Chizuna and Kazuna returning to school and going about their lives almost as normal; knowing what I know about the levels of angst that Lament of the Lamb produces so effectively, I can’t help but think that this is the calm before the storm. Kazuna may have finally explained everything to Kinoshita and Chizuna may have found a good friend but it seems to good to last…
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