MANGA: Tegami Bachi vol. 14

The massive Gaichuu juggernaut Cabernet is on a rampage! How many Letter Bees will it take to stop it? And at what cost?
By August 29, 2013

Vol. 14: A Letter From Mother

Heart, the magical manifestation of human sentiment, is a force that is central to all conflicts in Tegami Bachi. As the most thrilling and action-packed installment yet, Tegami Bachi volume 14 excites the heart enough to produce a shindan! 

With the Gaichuu juggernaut Cabernet rampaging and stealing hearts from Bees and civilians throughout Yuusari, it takes the combined might of all the Bees that remain to combat the beast.
 
 
The situation becomes even dicier when a diverse host of smaller Gaichuu are lured to the scene by the abundance of heart. When Lag becomes injured during the fighting, Niche undergoes a temporary transformation into adulthood to rescue him. Meanwhile, Noir unexpectedly comes to their aid, and with the help of Aria, Jiggy Pepper, Connor, Dr. Thunderland Jr., and others, they are eventually able to locate Cabernet's heart and destroy it.
 
 
Cabernet's death triggers Lag's unexpected foray into Noir's memories, where he encounters a hidden letter from his long-lost mother. She bids him to to seek out a woman in Campbell who will finally reveal the long-awaited truth about Amberground.
 
It seems that with each chapter, Tegami Bachi strays ever further from the whimsical, lighthearted tone set during Lag's initial journey with Gauche and his early experiences as a wide-eyed Letter Bee in search of a lost friend. The more that is revealed of Amberground's dark and mysterious history, as well as the plastic and convoluted motives of its government and inhabitants, the more we are forced to question who the good guys truly are. 
 
 
Could the Reverse actually be justified in its attempts to bring about the demise of the Artificial Sun? Has former-director Largo Lloyd truly betrayed the Bees in pursuit of power and revenge, or are his motives secretly altruistic? Has Noir finally come to terms with his forgotten past as Gauche and prioritized the happiness of Lag and Sylvette over the machinations of the Reverse? These and other dire questions leave the future of Tegami Bachi shrouded and unpredictable.
 
 
The series' ubiquitous mystery and uncertainty is what makes Lag such an outstanding character. His purity of heart, strength of will, and infinite compassion for others in spite of the suffering he has endured makes for a striking juxtaposition against the dark, cryptic world in which he lives.
 We can only hope that he is able to remain steadfast and incorruptible when he finally learns the cause of his mother's disappearance and the reason behind the experiments on the residents of Kagerou.
 
 
Such things require a strong heart, and Lag Seeing's is the strongest of them all!

Tegami Bachi volume 14 is available from VIZ.com!

by Kailash Black