Title: 鋼鉄天使くるみ (Steel Angel Kurumi) Vol. 9
Artist/Author: 介錯 (Kaishaku)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 180pp., w/furigana
Volume: 9/11
Original Serialization: Monthly Shonen Ace Next 3/02-5/02, Ace 7/02-11/02
First Printing: 12/25/02
Rating: 3/4

What happened here? Kurumi got moved from Ace Next (older audience) to Ace (younger audience) half way through this volume. But it's not even so clear cut as Ace Next doesn't use furigana while Ace does. One would expect that the first few chapters lack furigana, like all the previous volumes, and the later chapters containing kana. But that's not the case. The chapters that lack furigana are 50, 51, and 52, in the middle of the book. Strange.

With the transition, the character designs have changed slightly. It's not a little more cheerful and "bright" (it's still a black and white volume). I dunno about that. One thing I noticed is that there's no coherent story anymore, but rather, little episodes.

Bonus is prologue chapter (probably for the readers of Ace) and a 1 page bonus comic.

47. サキの病 (Saki's Sickness): Saki passes out from Kurumi feeling for her temperature and has a dream about her and Kurumi as kids where Kurumi was the only one who would play with her. She wakes up and get taken care of by Kurumi until Nakahito shows up.

48. カリンカの気持ち (Karinka's Feelings): Excelia comes to the restaurant to work and while she's changing, she gets involve in a conversation with Karinka about who they love the most. Karinka tells her she loves Nakahito although he's not her real master. Later, Karinka introduces a new item to the menu, but it tastes horrible as Kurumi took the liberty to add some more ingredients.

49. 仲人の不安 (Nakahito's Uneasiness): Jinkuji-sensei tells Nakahito that her family's angel is Aoi. Nakahito calls Amagi, Dr. Amagi, but Kurumi reminds him that it's store-owner Amagi. Both these bring up the fact that he's 100 years in the future and that he's in an age where most of the people he used to know have died. However, the Steel Angels remind him that he still has people to rely on.

50. そして、歯車は廻りだす (And Then, The Gear Turns): While chasing someone who stole a briefcase, the Angels bump into Aoi, who has actually passed the last 100 years in real-time. Nakahito tries to get some information as to what happened to his family, but Aoi's memory had been erased. It's a new semester at Angel school, and they anxiously await the new students.

51. 新入生の実力 (The New Person's True Strength): Three new angels arrive and they defeat the 3 Angel of Angels at school, Maki, Asuka and someone else. The next person they want is Kurumi.

52. 詩人の奏でる詩 (The Poem that Portrays the Poet): The fight gets broken up. Amato takes his Angel, Excelia to the depths of the school to the cradle of the Angels where the first 13 Angels were created, including herself. He starts telling her the story of her sisters with Kaga listening on.

53. クリスティーヌ天城の新連載 (Christine Amagi's New Story): Amagi tries writing a new manga which resembles the Kurumi story [at least the first part of it].

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