Pumpkin Scissors, Volume 4 by Ryotaro Iwanaga

Lieutenant Alice Malvin, a noble who is part of Section III, also known as "The Pumpkin Scissors", has been persuaded to attend a ball held for the nobility by Lord Paulo, the Economy Director of the Empire. As she wears and beautiful dress and tries to fit in by dancing with Lionel, her fianceé, he realizes that she is thinking of someone else, a giant of a man.

And she is. She is thinking of her Corporal, a heavily scarred man named Oland who was one of the "Invisible Nine" unit members. Despite his having been in a unit where they fired guns that were the largest caliber ever developed, and he can fire it without the recoil affecting his aim or even moving his arm much at all, at heart he's a gentle. peaceful man who shouldn't be forced to be fighting at all. That's what Alice believes, and it's true, because Corporal Oland has come to rely on Alice for help when people threaten him.

Even now, as Alice dances at the ball and steps on the feet of her fianceé, invoking titters from the watching noblewomen, Oland is confronting men who want to kill him. They are rebels who are tired of Lord Paulo, who eats and wastes food like it is no more than the dirt beneath his feet while the common men and women see their children dying of starvation and hopelessness.

Oland cannot bring himself to kill the men who are hitting him and hurting him with their pitchforks and shovels, and its up to his comrades, Warrant Officers Oreido and Machs, to come to his rescue. Oreido is tired of Oland leaning on Alice, and tells him so in no uncertain terms, telling him that he's a man and a soldier, and he needs to be able to stand on his own two feet. But as they question the men, who reveal the greed and treachery of Lord Paulo, the man's other conspirators have gathered to attack the ball.

Alice, who has excused herself from the dance for the moment, senses the attack before it happens and warns everyone to get away from the windows before they all ahatter. As the leader of the conspiracy bursts in to try and kill Lord Paulo, Alice talks to him and gets him to reveal why he is doing this. She is enraged and challenges Lord Paulo to a duel for the honor of the nobility.

The lead rebel thinks this is funny, but Alice is serious. As he comrades come to the conclusion that Lord Paulo really *is* a traitor to the Empire and an embezzler, they hurry to the ball. But Alice's challenge is answered by Lord Paulo's bodyguards, who step forward to defend him. At that moment, Oland and the others arrive and Alice uses Oland as a wall, covering him with a tablecloth and her as well, so she can draw the sword she's been concealing under her skirts all this while.

Oland steps forward to defend her as well, but Paulo's bodyguards draw their own weapons- a machete and a morningstar. Alice fights the man with the machete, and Oland the man with the flail. But can they defeat the bodyguards and bring down Lord Paulo, or will the leader of the rebels take advantage of the distraction to kill Paulo while Alice and Oland are otherwise occupied?

Meanwhile, outside, Section 1 of the army surrounds the lands where the ball is being fought. They won't go to the aid of the nobles, but they will kill the rebels once the massacre is over and they have begun to flee. This way, they will be rewarded for putting down the rebellion. If the rebellion doesn't slaughter the guests outright, it will be a trick from the Devil, not a miracle from God...

It's true that I haven't read Volume 3 yet, but I did read Volumes 1 and 2, and I find this to be a very unusual war manga. Most manga about war are rather jingoistic, and look on war as something to be fought with honor. It never lingers much on the victims of the war. But this series is all about the victims, and how one section of the army, section III, is trying to bring succor to the victims. The war may have ended 3 years ago with the "Thin Ice" treaty, but the effects of it are still being felt, and many war profiteers have driven the common people into utter hopelessness and deep anger.

Many commoners blame the nobles for the war and its aftermath, but Alice is a different kind of noble, in that she is trying to uphold the honor of the nobility. Rather than live as a useless ornament, she chose to serve her country in war, and now in peace. But her choices are cutting her off from her class, as she mostly serves with Commoners like Oland. Based on the choices she is making, she will have a life mostly alone and empty- presumably a noble marrying a commoner is cast out of the nobility, and even those who prefer to associate with them are suspect.

So, this manga has a more realistic and very refreshing look at war and conflict, one I don't often see in a manga based around the military, rather than the civilians. I am very much enjoying the manga, and will probably end up collecting it. I enjoy the characters and situations, and find them arresting and fascinating. Give this series a whirl if you're tired of the "War is a glorious fight" stories. It will open your eyes as you enjoy the book.