Burn the House Down Vol. 4

Title: Burn the House Down Vol. 4
Author: Moyashi Fujisawa
Series: Burn the House Down #4
First Published: March 13, 2019
Publisher: Kodansha
Pages: 189
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. Her real identity having been deduced by Makiko's older son, Kiichi, Anzu finds herself in a dilemma when Kiichi offers her a surprising overture: "I'll tell you what happened on the day of the fire." What could his true intentions be behind this?!

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Review

Goodness gracious this volume was a heavyweight, understandable being the mid-point of the series. The choice to portray Kiichi as a creep in the last volume was a bold gamble, and frankly, it made me worry about the direction the manga would take, but it paid off massively with the social commentary it provided. The degeneracy he displayed in the previous volume showcases some ugly truths about people that are terminally online and live in isolation. I have a few friends and family that have fallen into this, and at least one has been in therapy for it. Mental health is a monster, especially in the current digital age. And it tied into that undercurrent of social commentary I had started to pick up on.

On the subject of social commentary, this book massively expanded on its exploration of wealth and social class. One of the things that I’ve found interesting since volume two is that Anzu’s mother is portrayed as if she’s dead. In volume two she’s literally presented as looking like a ghost that hangs over Makiko, and when brought up with their father, his fondness in a different context can almost seem like he’s a widower. Up until this point, even her name is withheld, a literal “fallen woman” that has lost everything, even her name, a social pariah. Divorce is often social death for a woman, particularly for those in high society, so the way the story is told intentionally or not is clever. Everything that we learn about her is through the lens of other people, and it’s clear that she’s a complex character. Both mothers really, it’s a reminder that mothers are complicated, broken people too. The mystery of what happened to this family is starting to come together and it’s heartbreaking.

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