I read Volume 3 of this series in both English and Japanese and so, I thought I’d keep that up. Only, Volume 4 didn’t come out and didn’t come out and didn’t come out…and I got tired of waiting. Of course, just about the time I finally gave in and read it in Japanese, Volume 4 came out on Global Bookwalker in English. ^_^ Volume 4 is also available in English from Seven Seas in print.

Nonetheless, as Volume 4 of Akuma no Riddle  (悪魔のリドル)is, like the previous three volumes, almost word for word to the anime, there was nothing lost in the not-translation. The manga is every so slightly more Yuri than the anime, but nothing else is significantly different.

Itsuke makes her play to make her gay parents proud…and fails. Banba’s split personality isn’t much of a net positive for her…she goes down. And finally, Hanabusa come up with  an overcomplicated plot just to learn that Tokaku is better at it all than she is. Oh well.

Volume 4 is mostly presented as the final set of battles but, of course we know that isn’t true.  We still have a lot of expository dialogue to work through to figure out, exactly, what is going on. And for all that effort, I’m pretty sure we never really figure out what the deal with the unanswerable riddles ever is.

I’m really hoping that the final volume of the manga provides more depth than the anime did. It’s not that we don’t all love the endlessly creative ways in which girls are tortured and their lives ruined (barrrrffff) but emotional and physical abuse can only carry a story so far. At some point, we want answers and for someone to slap that guy on the phone.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – If you like sympathizing with killers – 7, if not  – 4
Characters –  7 All the feels for the poor abused psychopathic killers
Service – 5 Bathing
Yuri – 3 Toukaku and Haru have been “coupled” by the plot, but it appears that Toukaku actually likes Haru.

Overall – 7

My fingers are crossed for a end that resonates more than the anime did, which could be summed up as “well, that was a thing I watched.”