is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series written and illustrated by

Kaori Yuki is a Japanese manga artist best known for her gothic manga such as ''Earl Cain'', its sequel ''Godchild'', and ''Angel Sanctuary''. Yuki debuted professionally in 1987 with , which ran in the manga anthology ''Bessatsu Hana to Yume'' published ...

. It was published in

Kodansha is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...

's ''

Aria In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

'' magazine from January 2014 to April 2018, and later, after ''Aria'' ceased publication, serialized in ''Shōnen Magazine Edge'' from July to September 2018.

Plot

The series centers on Stella Kuonji, one of nine adopted siblings in the wealthy and influential Kuonji family. At one of the family's monthly tea parties, their parents announce that the children must now fight to the death within the next year, with the sole survivor being chosen as the family's heir. In the ensuing chaos, Stella's violent alternative personality, Bloody Alice, begins to resurface in Stella's clashes with the other children. As the series progresses, Stella learns that her adopted family are actually

bandersnatch A bandersnatch is a fictional creature in Lewis Carroll's 1871 novel ''Through the Looking-Glass'' and his 1874 poem ''The Hunting of the Snark''. Although neither work describes the appearance of a bandersnatch in great detail, in ''The Hunting ...

es, creatures that feed on human souls, and that they require the tea at the monthly tea parties to survive. Her adopted mother, Olga, was the sole survivor of one of the Kuonji family's rituals of bloodshed among its children. As a result of winning, Olga was allowed to bring back her partner. Furthermore, Stella begins to suspect that the accident that killed her parents was a plot by the Kuonji family. Although Stella and her beloved elder brother Zeno wish to end the family tradition of ritualistic bloodshed, Olga denies that possibility.

Release

began serializing the manga in

's '' shōjo'' magazine ''

'' on 28 January 2014. After ''Aria'' ceased publication on 28 April 2018, the series was transferred to ''Shonen Magazine Edge'', starting publication on 17 July of the same year. The series finished on 15 September 2018.

Yen Press Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...

licensed the series for release in North America.

Volume list

Reception

Reviewing the first volume for ''

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...

'', Rebecca Silverman gave it a grade of B. She commented that the series "doesn't always work, but it has enough potential to that given another volume or two, I feel like it will really take off." She praised the art, and wrote that Stella's mother "is definitely a leading contender for 'sickest parent in manga.'", saying that the scenes with the parents were "a combination of enraging and chilling, making them easily the most effective part of the volume."

References

External links

* at ''

'' * at

Hachette Book Group Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a publishing company owned by Hachette Livre, the largest publishing company in France, and the third largest trade and educational publisher in the world. Hachette Livre is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lagardère Grou ...

(parent of

) * {{Alice Comics based on Alice in Wonderland Dark fantasy anime and manga Gothic fiction Kaori Yuki Kodansha manga Shōjo manga Shōnen manga Yen Press titles