Perception without conception, is blind; while conception without perception is empty – Immanuel Kant

Volume 3 of Eternal Alice Rondo Key Princess Story slams us smack dab into a wall of the same theme, if you will, with which we were beaten soundly about the head and shoulders in Kannazuki no Miko – obsessions are bad.

Speaking as a person whose life is, at this juncture, greatly enriched by an obsession, I’d like to clarify that. *Bad* obsessions are bad. Good obsessions are easily rationalized as dedication, specialization and/or subject expertise. ^_^

In the case of the characters in Eternal Alice, obsessing about your best friend who never notices you, or your inexplicably adopted otaku half-brother or your dead best friend you accidentally killed while playing hide-and-seek or power or a fictitious character means you will be attacked by girls with questionable fashion sense and their own boring obsessions.

…that’s the lesson I got out of this book, anyway.

(The wife says, “woo-hoo! sign me up!)

That, and Aruto may die a raging bore, but not a virgin. Go, all you otaku – if Aruto can get some, surely there’s hope for you! Ignore the fact that he is a badly-conceived 2-dimensional drawing. Pretend he is real – then you will be just like him pretending Alice is real. Isn’t that ironic?

The art in Volume 3 is a train wreck, what passes for the plot is a thorn whip of angst and the characters become less and less interesting as we learn more about them.

There’s Yuri. Kirika and Lorina aren’t actually in love, but since they obsess so intensely over one another, they are no doubt paired in most readers’ minds. Kisa still has the hots for Kiraha. And Mika and Suwa, uh, yeah, them too.

Oh, and according the the color page, Kirika wears underwear. Were you as worried as I was?

Ratings:

Art – 4
Story – 4
Characters – 3
Yuri – 7
Service – 8

Overall – 4

I just finished re-reading the Kyoshiro manga yesterday. I can’t help but wonder if the artist half of Kaishaku went and got some art lessons or something – it’s miles better than this.

I find it eternally amusing that fangirls get angry with me for hating Kannazuki, which I don’t, and liking Kyoshiro, which I don’t, but only the fanboys seem to care about Alice.