(Originally written for Anime on DVD.com)

A man named Frey, who is originally from Northern Europe, comes and claims Alice as his fiancé - and also her first kiss. (There's also a very funny second kiss that involves Kyo and Frey that just made me die laughing.) This causes Alice to be completely exaggerated as she's not interested in Frey at all. The interactions between them remind me of the Miroku/Sango encounters in the early Inuyasha volumes, especially whenever Miroku acts like a pervert.

Meanwhile, they all discover that not only is Frey a somewhat experienced Lotis Master, but Kyo is a Lotis Master as well. He's on the same level as Alice is and they seem to grow at approximately the same rate.

This book delves into the darkness that is in people's hearts, as well as a dark secret in Kyo's past. It takes the premise laid out in the first book and expands on it, explaining the history of the Lotus Master somewhat and also what exactly happened to Mayura. You can definitely tell that the series is aiming toward a Alice/Kyo vs. Mayura conflict as the group consisting of Alice, Kyo, Frey and Nyozuka encounter her on several occasions as they explore the darkness of several people's hearts. There's also small hints that Frey could eventually wind up liking Mayura as well.

This series has introduced several typical anime and Watase plot threads into the series. But these elements play out differently for me in this series and it's a large part due to the characters. I am completely enamored with the main cast and find all of them - Alice, Kyo, Frey and Nyozuka - very likeable and human. I keep liking Alice more and more. She is a mixture of Sakura from Card Captor Sakura and Kagome from Inuyasha with a dash of Miaka thrown in. In other words, she's human. And those human qualities shine through again on this volume. She makes mistakes and she learns from them. She's trying her best to be true to herself, but she stumbles and falls along the way. That's very human. You can see her struggling with daily life, dealing with the realistic grief that comes with having a missing family member and her own new duties. If a manga series deserves an anime, this one is it. I'm looking forward to volume 3. ( )

This review was originally written for the website ListerX.com, which is now defunct. It can also be found on my blog, The Graphic Librarian.

Cover
Even with the cooler blue tones of this cover rather than the warm pinks of V.01, I still don't care for Viz's choice of a gray background. The dark cream color of the original manga was much better suited, and I can only guess as to why Viz felt it needed to be altered. Aside from that, the cover, which features Kyo Wakamiya, is absolutely beautiful. The art deco style is intricately conceived and the title's font has been nicely altered to reflect the blues and greens used in the rest of the illustration. The back cover still remains sub-par, especially when compared to more recent Viz titles. Thankfully however, the back image (a smaller repeat of the front image) shows none of the sloppiness or poor editing that was so apparent in V.01.

Artwork
I will probably remain forever biased in high favor of Yu Watase's beautiful art style, but since this is an expected section of the review I'd feel remiss for simply writing, "I worship the ground Watase walks on!" and left it at that. Seriously though, her illustrations are everything a shojo fan could want - the bishonen are plentiful, the angst resonates, and flowery/bubbly/sparkly backgrounds abound. However, one thing that really sets her apart from most other shojo artists is her ability to do action just as well as she does everything else. Admittedly, there aren't a lot of action sequences in this volume, but the few that exist are excellently rendered. Another thing I've always enjoyed about Watase's work - the scenes that involve magic. She has a real flare for making her characters' use of magic really come alive. No matter what, Watase's art is always about detail - from the way a character's hair is styled down to the tiniest clothing crease. She always seems to get things just right without making her illustrations feel overly busy.

Plot
**Possible Spoilers Warning**
The story opens with the introduction of another Lotis Master named Frey who's been sent to assist Alice and Kyo in their battle to save Mayura. However, the Darkness is all around them, consuming friends and family alike and even Frey's assistance may not be enough to give them the upper hand. The first to fall prey is Alice's mother, consumed by her grief over losing Mayura. This is Frey's chance to demonstrate his powers, which are quite impressive despite his laid-back and careless attitude.

At school, the rumors about Alice and Kyo continue to circulate. However, Oishi, a girl in Alice's class, wants Kyo for herself and will do anything necessary to get him. When bullying Alice fails she attempts to blackmail Kyo with a rumor from his past, but it only succeeds in pushing him further away. Enraged, Oishi quickly makes sure that the whole school knows Kyo's dark secret. When Alice hears about it, she wants to help him but isn't sure how so she goes to speak with Kyo's uncle instead. It's there that she learns how truly difficult Kyo's life has been, which only makes Alice love him that much more.

Oishi, of course, still isn't satisfied and hires some random thugs to rough Kyo up. Things go a step too far and he snaps, easily beating every one of his attackers into the ground. It's not until Alice intervenes that he's able to stop himself. Then Mayura appears and offers Kyo the chance to give into the Darkness in his Inner Heart. But once again Alice pulls him back from the brink. Meanwhile, Frey recognizes that Oishi is the more imminent threat and takes action. In her Inner Heart the three Lotis Masters learn to work as a team as both Alice and Kyo become accustomed to using their powers. Once everything is said and done, Kyo reveals yet another startling secret to Alice. Is it possible her love for him is actually reciprocated? And if it is, how far will Mayura be willing to go to keep the two of them apart?

Content Warnings
Language = Nope, all the insults are 'clean'.

Violence = A few people get beat up, but it not anything too graphic.

Nudity = Briefly suggested in one scene where Kyo & Frey are showering.

Sexual Situations = None

Ratings
Cover - 7/10 - I really have issues with that gray background, but it's still a nicely done cover.

Artwork - 10/10 - Perfect lines, great action sequences, and beautiful bishonen. Who could ask for more?

Plot - 7/10 - Two girls in love with one guy - two guys interested in the same girl - this plot's been done, but Yu Watase does it best!

Overall - 8/10 - A few minute drawbacks can't keep this series from getting better with each volume. There's so much wonderful angst! ( )