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Bakuten Angels' Adolescence Vol.3

The final volume of this series. Bakablonde has got some nice scans over at the Bakuten Bordello.

Act 12. Sei picks up jo and drops her off. However the halberd guy confronts Jo and a battle ensues. Meg angsts over one of Jo's guns at home but pulls herself together when she hears an explosion, rushing towards the scene.

Act 13. Jo is proving outmatched by her former fellow test subject but with the innovative use of her top, her extra gun and her presence, Meg decisively helps Jo to win the fight. Erica has got dibs on how halberd guy realizes that Meg is the one who has changed Jo and given her humanity. However the touching scene is interrupted by corporate goons who gun down Jo.

Act 14. Evil doctor Magus, who practises what he experiments, downs halberd guy. Meg is taken away, leaving a now spine-extracted Jo in a pool of blood. Sei arrives and gives chase with her super-zhng car - Jo somehow is still alive. Halberd guy uses his chi kungfu to give them a last helping hand.

Act 15. Halberd guy dies after his final effort and credits how Meg's love and Jo's returning of that love has given the latter her humanity. Sei and Jo board the train to rescue Meg and the Doctor transforms into his ultimate form which Jo then defeats with her own ultimate attack. Perhaps that fight is referenced by the opening fight scene of the Bakuten anime?

Act 16. Jo attends last rites for the halberd guy. In a frilly black dress. Frilly black dress so not Jo. As Jo watches a sleeping Meg in the hospital, she thinks back on all the injuries and trouble that Meg has suffered. She tells Sei that she will part with Meg. However as she leaves home for the last time (with a last wistful glance), along comes Meg in her hospital gown, saying that she'll go whereever Jo goes because they are partners. Jo accepts and they ride off in the sunset. Figuratively.

There are a couple of omake at the end and my favourite is the one where an old lady neighbour comes to bitch about noise but is freaked out and retreats with sudden keigo after Meg "accidentally" drops her revolver (an 8 shot!). The Thank You page was pretty sweet too with Jo's hand on Meg's head. Jo really needs to touch Meg more.

Overall, quite an enjoyable read. The art was nice, even if Meg looked rather too childish at times. Jo was cool and bad ass but also nicely balanced by her own little idiosyncracies (being a sleepyhead and her liking for soba). And the simple outline drawings were always hilarous and managed to perfectly capture the character at that moment despite the lack of detail. Favourite volume was the second one, found myself losing a bit of momentum after the first two acts of the third volume with the 'Meg getting kidnapped' thing getting a bit old. However the ending concentrated plenty on the relationship between Jo and Meg which is, for me, the foundation of Bakuten so I'm happy.

Related posts:

1. Bakuten Angels' Adolescence Vol.2
2. Bakuten Angels' Adolescence Vol.1
3. BakuTen Infinity