Joseph Luster
March 6, 2013 
As our review of Limit vol. 2 winded down, I started wondering whether or not the narrative was getting a bit comfortable and easing up on the tension that’s been there since the beginning. Appropriately, vol. 3 answers that question by turning the tables and switching things up, lifting the reader gently with hope before throwing them in another scenario of imminent, life-threatening danger. Yeah, this series still has some bubblin’ to do before it completely boils over.
Things kick off with the girls finally getting the upper hand against Morishige, who has delighted in watching them squirm as she incites her own twisted Lord of the Flies scenario. Without her precious scythe, however, she’s just another relatively helpless victim of a horrible bus crash. Morishige feels even more threatened when a new survivor shows up, and this one’s a boy. He immediately points out the absurdity of what Morishige has done, calmly suggesting they all work together to get through this.
Judging from her horrified reaction, there’s clearly more going on within Morishige that’s prompted all the post-accident insanity. Keiko Suenobu dives into this as the volume continues, providing plenty of justification for Morishige’s prominent placement on the volume’s cover. And just when you think things might work out, tragedy comes raining down once again.
One of the best hooks of Limit has been the sporadic peppering of backstory for each of its principal cast members. Suenobu knows when it’s time to step away from the story at hand and dig a little deeper, as well as when it’s best to keep the veil firmly in place. The art also remains a strong point, mixing harsh realism with a distinctly shoujo aesthetic, right down to the framing of certain panels. Limit is a story we’ve seen before in various forms, but Suenobu’s spin on it offers up an intoxicating blend of inspirations and styles.
Publisher: Vertical Inc.
Story & Art: Keiko Suenobu
© 2013 Keiko Suenobu
