PedroGTS said:Finished the second volume yesterday night. Well... It has its good moments, but it is not on the same level as the first volume, mainly because the last chapter bothers me. I feel like there isn't much thematic resonance or density within the chapter.
Sure enough, Kana actually manages to write political plots well, but the situation still felt really, really convenient because of how it managed to make everyone come together because of Violet. It was supposed to be the climax of the series, but to me it just fell flat on its face for the most part. The execution was lacking, things resolved way too quickly because Kana needed to and I don't buy that Gilbert, as immature as he is, is the adult described by Kana. I don't mind that Hodgins would participate in Gilbert's schemes, but I don't buy that he would forgive him that easily, being friends is no excuse to ignore big mistakes.
The last chapter also brings back a little of the themes explored regarding war and the fate of the soldiers, but doesn't conclude it. What was kinda interesting was dropped in favour of the dramatic encounter between Gilbert and Violet. I think Kana should have set more priorities while writing, the main thematic force behind the chapter culminated in nothing. The enemy soldiers are nameless and dehumanized because of how Kana treats them, when she set them up to be more than that at the beginning.
I liked seeing Violet's distress and despite the fact that it overshadowed other moments, the reunion and conversation between Violet and Gilbert was a very touching scene. I just feel like we should have seen more of Violet's input of her place in the world. We know that she still fights her sense of duty because of what she belives her nature is and that she found it in herself to accept being human, but the epilogue is just so abrupt that it makes me feel like the resolution was way too superficial and lacked consequences. Why did she decide to continue being an auto-memoir doll? What happened to Gilbert? Was he fired? How did the higher ups from the military dealt with his disobedience? How exactly are they gonna keep in each others' lives? Am I just supposed to assume that everything is fine because CH Postal Agency was deemed heroic? For a world that was being painted so gray, everything sure did ended up fine for all the characters. I was ready for Violet and Gilbert to end up together, this has been obvious all along, but I thought this would be more on her terms since we were watching her progress. I thought there would be an actual resolution to her character, but it was too dependant on Gilbert's actions to be satisfactory.