Tetragrammaton Labyrinth Volume 3 – For Meg
Volume 3 of Tetragrammaton Labyrinth starts with flash back chapters on Meg’s past when she was still a child. The first 4 chapters (Memories of Flower Part 1-4) are on the tragic encounters young Meg and her father had undergone while the last 2 chapters (The Perfect Adam and The Angel’s Genesis) return to the present where Meg and Angela are aboard a train, traveling.
For the first arc, Memories of Flower, I empathized with young Meg and her father. They were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time and they got into situations that could have been avoided if they were not there. Being victims of circumstances, they were pushed to choose the better of both evils and with tragic sacrifices. The arc pretty much shows how one’s actions can be shaped by circumstances and the issue of who’s right is debatable and the actions of Meg’s father can or cannot be justifiable. He may be a monster, a murderer, a condemned person but he’s the “best-est” father to Meg.
Murderer? Monster? The condemned? But he’s the #1 father.
Touchy 4 chapters but they are not emo enough to make me weep as there’s a balance of action and gore to not let one have time to stay in the emo state. The gist for this arc is not to show the greatness of Meg’s father or to pursue who’s right or wrong, instead, it’s an arc to show how both female protagonists come to travel together and a smack in the face message that Meg is not human.
The last 2 chapters (The Perfect Adam and The Angel’s Genesis), where its back to the present, introduce a magnitude of characters that are full of surprises. And I do mean surprises. I do not understand why a katana wielding priestess is introduced into the Victorian context but thumbs up for the character design. Cross cultural influences are evident in the dressings of some newly introduced characters. There’s an antagonist that cross dresses Indian cum Victorian style and it all the more make the face-off on the train look like some fancy dress party assembling.
Volume 3 is entertaining as never seen before characters appear in designer made outfits but I feel that they are introduced unnecessarily (like the katana wielding priestess). Worse, as random as they get, they have mini-boss like abilities; all the more adding a sense of detachment towards them. What’s with their powers? Are they really characters that can be developed? My hunch is that it was a deliberate attempt on the mangaka’s part because the final boss has appeared in the last chapter and we all love martyrs don’t we?
Currently Seven Seas Entertainment has released 4 solid volumes of Tetragrammaton Labyrinth and volume 5 is scheduled to be out in May 2009. I’ll be waiting in anticipation for Tetragrammaton Labyrinth Vol 4
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