Nagabe. Seven Seas Entertainment.
The eleventh and final volume of Nagabe's fairytale inspired manga,
The Girl from the Other Side, was published on 9 November 2021. It is 178 pages long and brings a satisfying conclusion to the story of two people - one human, one inhuman - who form an unexpected bond despite coming from very different worlds. This review will contain major spoilers for volume 11 of
The Girl from the Other Side.
What a heartbreaking ending to a wonderful series. Nagabe broke the hearts of so many of his readers when he revealed that Shiva was not human and was actually was a black child and the one responsible for cursing Teacher when he was a human named Albert. The black child meant to take Albert's soul and bring it back to Mother, but chose instead to put his soul inside itself and then put a piece of itself inside Albert. Infected with a piece of the black child, Albert fell victim to the curse. His soul, meanwhile, manifested into a little girl named Shiva and took over the black child as a vessel. Shiva had no idea she was Albert's soul or that she was a vessel for a black child. She always believed that she was an ordinary, normal human girl. The truth was she was composed of Albert's deepest desires, which was to have a family again. Before he died, Albert had a wife and a baby daughter. After he was cursed, he forgot about them, but his soul didn't. Shiva came into existence to replace the daughter that he lost and to give him something to love and care for.
At the end of volume 10, Shiva gives Teacher back his soul, which causes her to disappear and for the black child that she was using as a vessel to reappear. The black child explains to Teacher in the opening chapters of volume 11 that Shiva was his soul and was using it as a vessel to manifest itself as a little girl. His soul has now been returned to him which is why he can remember his name was Albert and can feel pain and the cold again. The black child tells him that what remains of his soul is almost gone and that he has little time left before he succumbs to the curse. Before he dies, he has a choice, he can either give his soul back to the black child so that it can reappear as Shiva for one last time, or he can keep his soul and his memories until his final moments come to pass.
It isn't clearly stated what decision Teacher makes in the final chapter. It is left open to interpretation. What I liked about the ending was Teacher's final thoughts about Shiva. He reflects on all of the cherished memories he has of her and chooses to keep the promise he made to her earlier in the series to love her no matter what she turned out to be. He accepts the good and the bad in her and forgives her for the pain that she caused him.
