Land of the Blindfolded, vol. 3

The story: In this volume, the burden of the trio's gift is explored more deeply. When Kanade tells the story of how she saw her grandfather's future, the reason behind her constant need to change a "bad" future is revealed. Later, the school doctor discovers the group's secret. But, what will he do to keep Kanade from changing the future? The end of this volume features another one-shot, titled "In the Rain," a story of a studious girl and the unlikely friendship she builds with a male member of the school swim club.

Reaction: When I first started reading the chapter featuring Kanade's grandfather, I was so sure it would end badly. I was pleasantly surprised. Of course, there are other sorrow-filled moments in this volume, involving the not-so-good doctor and a friend of his. These stories within the story are sad, but give a deeper meaning to this tale and keep it from being a superficial high school romance. It also gives the ensemble an opportunity for some serious character growth.

Deep thoughts: One of the sadder pasts that Arou sees explores the idea of how some people block their pasts from their memories. When we experience severe trauma, the mind will guard itself against those memories by blacking out, or locking those thoughts and/or images deep into our subconcious as an amnesia of sorts. In a way, this serves as an emotional survival mechanism, keeping us safe from ourselves.

Artwork: The flashbacks here are especially vivid, especially those involving Kanade's grandfather. Again, flowers and blindfolds, or long strips of cloth, appear throughout the volume. The flowers seem to signify an innocence of sorts, whether its Kanade's purity, or that of someone in another's memory.

The verdict: Highly recommended. I'm still enjoying this story and the love triangle within. By now, I usually lose interest, but this volume kept me interested in seeing how the friendships and romance herein develop. Land of the Blindfolded is available in the U.S. from CMX.