Burn the House Down Vol. 3

Title: Burn the House Down Vol. 3
Author: Moyashi Fujisawa
Series: Burn the House Down #3
First Published: September 13, 2018
Publisher: Kodansha
Pages: 193
Genre: Drama, Josei
Format: Web
Source: Web
Rating:


Synopsis:

Anzu Murata, assuming the false name of Shizuka Yamauchi, sneaks into the Mitarai household under the guise of a housekeeper in order to ascertain the truth behind the fire 13 years ago -- a fire for which her mother took all the blame. Selling herself to Makiko, the hard-to-please second wife of her father, Dr. Mitarai, she continues scouring the Mitarai household for clues as she gradually gains Makiko's trust. Just as she's on the verge of finding proof that would connect Makiko to the fire, Anzu's real identity is deduced by Makiko's son, Kiichi!

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Review

This manga just gets more and more twisty with each volume, it’s hard to say where the series will go which makes it exciting. This volume paid a little more attention to Anzu’s family which was good for building up the characters, particularly with the life she lived after her parents were divorced. Anzu, her mother, and sister Yuzu were essentially discarded and cast down from their high social ranking following divorce and it’s a stark reminder of how fragile wealth and even family can be. At the same time, the other family is clearly broken despite the wealth and success they have achieved. It’s interesting to see the way that social class is handled in this story.

The cat-and-mouse game being played between Anzu, Makiko, and Kiichi are really intense. I had liked Kiichii in the last volume, so I was sorely disappointed in how much of a creep he was in this volume. I know it is because of the hikikomori lifestyle he’s led up to this point and telling of some mental issues he needs to work out. I’ve known young men that get into that toxic headspace that end up viewing women as commodities and it’s really sad to see. Frankly, I felt so much relief at the end of the volume when things started to turn around a bit. It does make me wonder what has happened to turn him into the person he is today. It’s interesting to see Makiko come to rely on and even seem to like Anzu, messy indeed. I’m still incredibly intrigued by the central mystery and want to see this story to its conclusion.

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