The Tarot Cafe (manhwa, vol. 7) by Sang-Sun Park

This is the final volume of The Tarot Cafe. Nebiros offers to take Pamela to Hell to see Belial (she wants to do what she can for Belus, who is still badly hurt - Nebiros, on the other hand, has other motivations). Meanwhile, Belial instructs his people to treat Pamela with respect and kindness when she arrives. During her journey to see Belial, Pamela encounters many dangers and even a warning from her dead mother that she can't quite decipher. When the danger Pamela's in seems to be at its greatest, Belus miraculously swoops in to save her, and she and Belus finally admit their feelings for each other and have sex (and here I thought Park would just keep the tension between the two of them going forever).

Unfortunately, Pamela's world is turned upside down when Belus reveals that he is and has always been Belial. Not only that, Belial was the one behind everything that eventually resulted in Pamela's immortality - it enabled him to enjoy her for a longer period of time. If Pamela wants to die like a normal human, she has to kill Ash - the real Ash this time, not the fake one - to acquire the final gem for Belial. Belial has the real Ash right there, but Pamela can't bring herself to kill him. All of a sudden, all kinds of beings Pamela's helped over the years start appearing around Ash and repay their debts by helping Pamela get away from Pandemonium, Belial's home.

The story jumps forward 60 years, with Pamela still reading cards at the Tarot Cafe. Nebiros visits her and takes her to see Aaron, who is now an old bedridden man. Before he dies, Aaron gives Pamela some advice about forgiveness. Later, Nebiros tells Belial a few things he doesn't want to hear, namely that Belial's feelings for Pamela were less of a game than he thought they were. Belial isn't pining because he lost the necklace, but rather because he lost Pamela. After Belial gets over his anger a bit, he gives Pamela a visit and offers her a new contract, but she knows better - if he's lonely and needs a friend, that's what she wants him to say. The series ends with the two of them sitting companionably side-by-side at the cafe.

I have to say, I really liked this volume. Maybe I would've guessed Belus' true identity sooner if the gaps between my readings of the volumes hadn't been so great, but I'm glad I didn't really get a chance to guess sooner. Being shocked at his identity myself made me feel Pamela's shock and betrayal even more than I might otherwise have. The "we're all here for you and want to repay our debts" ending was a bit more fluffy than I expected, but I'm glad that the series didn't end with death and destruction - some people may find happy endings to be too Hollywood, but I like it when my entertainment doesn't make me depressed.

The 60-year jump into the future was a bit odd, but I thought it, too, was nice. Sixty years is enough time for everyone involved in the final showdown to have gotten a little emotional perspective - I'm not sure that Belial, especially, could've gone to Pamela the way he did in the last couple pages without 60 years to think about things. A part of me had expected Aaron to be as immortal as everyone else, so it was odd trying to see how his usual babyface had turned into the well-wrinkled face of an old man. I liked Aaron, but the way Park did his death, as a sad but natural thing, made it surprisingly painless, for me anyway - not sure how other readers felt about it. The little appearance by Ash seemed a little tacked on. He obviously doesn't remember Pamela, although something about her caught his attention and maybe stirred up a ghost of a memory. He's still as young as he was 60 years ago in Pandemonium - did Belial not release him for a few more decades, or does he not age? Maybe this is the next generation of reborn Ash, but that seems off to me, too.

Despite some of the really nasty things Belial has done to Pamela in the past, I'm glad that they at least decided to be friends by the end of the series. It's almost like Belial has a split personality - the nasty demon part of him that likes messing with people, and the nice, protective part of him that loves Pamela. Hopefully, he'll work at letting the nice part of himself dominate.

As far as extras go, there's excerpts from The Tarot Cafe: The Novel and Bizenghast: The Novel. I skimmed the excerpt from the Tarot Cafe novel - it looks like it's set before volume 7 of the manhwa, since Aaron is there, but it's possible that it could be set sometime during volume 7's 60-year time jump. I didn't read either excerpt in full because novels based on manga or manhwa, with few exceptions, don't generally interest me.

Read-alikes:

• The Sandman (graphic novel series) by Neil Gaiman - The first book is the series is called Preludes and Nocturnes. This series focuses mainly on Morpheus, the Sandman, a dark figure who watches over dreams and makes sure they stay separate from reality. Despite this, several of the stories in this series involve the blending of reality and dreams. Morpheus' various siblings make the occasional appearance, and they're fascinating as well. Those who found Pamela's journey to Hell interesting may enjoy this series, which often deals with Heaven and Hell in a way that (to me, at least) is similar stylistically and in tone.
• Alichino (manga) by Kouyu Shurei - This fantasy series revolves around Alichino, beautiful creatures that appear human and will grant any wish at a huge price, and a beautiful boy named Tsugiri, who has a terrible past. Overall, this series is darker and more serious than The Tarot Cafe. Those who'd like another story with somewhat similar artwork and beautiful and androgynous (yet somehow still sexy) men might enjoy this manga. Unfortunately, although it's only one volume away from being concluded, it's unclear when and if the final volume will ever be released.
• Wish (manga) by CLAMP - One night, a man named Shuichiro untangles an angel from a tree branch. In gratitude, Kohaku, the angel, offers to grant him a wish, but Shuichiro can't think of a single wish he needs granted. Kohaku is nothing if not persistent and refuses to leave his side until Shuichiro discovers some need that he can't meet on his own. This short series is gentler and more romantic than The Tarot Cafe, but the two titles have a similar bittersweet feel at times. In addition, Wish, like The Tarot Cafe, jumps forward in time quite a bit by the end, with similar happy/peaceful results.
• Night Pleasures (book) by Sherrilyn Kenyon - Kyrian is a Dark-Hunter, someone who's given up his soul to the goddess Artemis in order to be able to exact vengeance after death. Part of the price he must pay is that he must continue to fight for Artemis, battling Daimons (a bit like vampires, only their main goal is to consume the souls of their victims). Kyrian meets Amanda after the two are attacked and handcuffed together. Amanda's never been one to believe in the supernatural, but seeing Kyrian fight Daimons shakes her world view up a bit. Along the way, Kyrian and Amanda fall in love, but they're going to have to get Kyrian's soul back from Artemis if they want to have any kind of a life together. All (or almost all) of Kenyon's Dark-Hunter books deal with love and betrayal, so if you enjoyed that aspect of The Tarot Cafe this book or one of the others in her Dark-Hunter series may appeal to you.
  
• Demon Diary (manhwa) by Lee-Hyung Lee (script, vol. 2+), Lee Chi Hyong (story), and Kara (art) - Lord Raenef is supposed to be a Demon Lord, the reincarnation of one of the most powerful ones in existence. Unfortunately, even with an exasperated and frustrated Eclipse tutoring him, he's less powerful and terrible and more cute and cuddly. Even if he does become a better Demon Lord, do Eclipse and Raenef's friends really want him to be that way? Similar to The Tarot Cafe, the characters in this series eventually have to make some tough and painful decisions and somehow deal with their pasts. Plus, there's several pretty-boy male characters.

The Tarot Cafe (manhwa, vol. 6) by Sang-Sun Park

Alecto visits an old three-headed fortuneteller who reminds him of a promise he once overheard between Ash and Belial, the devil, and tells him various important secrets. Alecto tells Cora these secrets, secrets with include the knowledge that Cora is Pamela's mother, reborn in a new form. Elsewhere, Ash arranges a surprise meeting with Pamela and tells her about his relationship with Belus. Since he was a child, Ash saw Belus as something like a father figure, but one day Belus left him in order to go be with Pamela. That's why Ash hates Pamela. He tries to push her into a door to Hell, but Belus saves her, getting wounded in the process.

Cora finds Pamela and, just before she dies, tells her to find Alecto. Belus and Pamela track Alecto down, as does Ash. Alecto reveals some of what he's found out. It turns out that Ash isn't really Ash, but rather a gem - the real Ash is being kept at Belial's castle. A long time ago, Ash made a deal with Belial: Ash wanted to give up immortality for the ability to die, be reborn, and have an end. He said that, although he loves Pamela, he loves himself more. Before Alecto had even met Pamela, he'd also learned from the three-headed fortuneteller that it's his fate to have unrequited love for a human female and then disappear like dust. Alecto did his best to protect himself from that fate, but then Ash took in Pamela. Alecto eventually fell in love with Pamela and was jealous of the love between her and Ash.

Alecto begins coughing up blood, and Belial appears. Alecto turns into his dragon form and attacks Pamela, who is told by Belial that she must do what she can in order to stay alive if she wants Belus to continue living. With that motivation, Pamela tries to kill Alecto but fails. Belus appears to try to finish the job but is badly wounded. By the end of the volume, it's unclear whether he will continue to live, since Alecto had the power to kill immortals like Belus. Meanwhile, back at the Cafe, Nebiross comes back for Aaron.

I have to admit that this volume was massively confusing for me. Ash isn't Ash, Alecto loves Pamela and hates her too, Cora is Pamela's mom, and Belus may be dying. Actually, it doesn't sound too complicated when I put it like that, just... soap opera-ish. Even if the confusion turns some readers off, I imagine the high pretty-boy content will keep people reading anyway. This volume is just filled with images of Alecto. Are really gorgeous images of Alecto worth paying $9.99 for? I suppose that depends on who you ask. At any rate, the series is almost over, and the events of this volume may make more sense after the next and last volume.

As far as extras go, there's a preview of Park's Ark Angels vol. 2. Three sisters are sent back in time to rescue the last remaining Seychelles Elephant Turtle.

Read-alikes:

• Alichino (manga) by Kouyu Shurei - This fantasy series revolves around Alichino, beautiful creatures that appear human and will grant any wish at a huge price, and a beautiful boy named Tsugiri, who has a terrible past. Overall, this series is darker and more serious than The Tarot Cafe. Those who'd like another story with somewhat similar artwork and beautiful and androgynous (yet somehow still sexy) men might enjoy this manga. Unfortunately, although it's only one volume away from being concluded, it's unclear when and if the final volume will ever be released.
• Night Pleasures (book) by Sherrilyn Kenyon - Kyrian is a Dark-Hunter, someone who's given up their soul to the goddess Artemis in order to be able to exact vengeance after death. Part of the price he must pay is that he must continue to fight for Artemis, battling Daimons (a bit like vampires, only their main goal is to consume the souls of their victims). Kyrian meets Amanda after the two are attacked and handcuffed together. Amanda's never been one to believe in the supernatural, but seeing Kyrian fight Daimons shakes her world view up a bit. Along the way, Kyrian and Amanda fall in love, but they're going to have to get Kyrian's soul back from Artemis if they want to have any kind of a life together. Those who'd like another story that includes gorgeous male characters and people with painful past relationships might enjoy this. Actually, the entire series is full of gorgeous guys, hideously painful pasts and betrayals, and romance, plus demons and shapeshifters.
  
• Demon Diary (manhwa) by Lee-Hyung Lee (script, vol. 2+), Lee Chi Hyong (story), and Kara (art) - Lord Raenef is supposed to be a Demon Lord, the reincarnation of one of the most powerful ones in existence. Unfortunately, even with an exasperated and frustrated Eclipse tutoring him, he's less powerful and terrible and more cute and cuddly. Even if he does become a better Demon Lord, do Eclipse and Raenef's friends really want him to be that way? Similar to The Tarot Cafe, the characters in this series eventually have to make some tough and painful decisions and somehow deal with their pasts. Plus, there's several pretty-boy male characters.
  

The Tarot Cafe (manhwa, vol. 5) by Sang-Sun Park

Pamela and Belus make sure that everything works out all right for the young singer who was going to have to pay for a magical contract with his life. Afterwards, Pamela lets her friends know that she's decided to take a trip to Scotland by herself. Belus and Ash are already not getting along well (they are both apparently attracted to Pamela, and she seems to be attracted to them both as well), but Belus is also suspicious that Ash has something bad planned for Pamela in Scotland. Belus and Ash both follow Pamela when she leaves for her trip. Pamela ends up following a mysterious man in a robe, who turns out to be Victor, the monk who tried to kill Ash and Pamela long ago.

Belus was right to be suspicious of Ash, as Ash's plan is now put into effect - Pamela gets exposed to a perfume that causes a person to fall into a dream, from which they cannot awaken, of their most painful memory of the past. Pamela dreams of the monk, of everything falling apart with Ash, and of Ash's apparent death. The person who made the perfume for Ash has plans of his own (I think this person is a guy, but I'm not sure...) - he needs the life-strength of an immortal being like Pamela to create a perfume that will restore his youth and beauty. He does manage to create a perfume, but Belus replaced one of the ingredients with poison, and the man dies. Belus wakes Pamela up in the only possible way, by letting her hurt him so that she can taste his heart's blood. Although things appear grim, when Belus next appears he's bandaged up and nearly good as new. In the last part of the volume, Pamela's store is visited by an old man who's trying to help his only friend, a young boy who is repeatedly abused by his father. The man, who is actually an old tree, gives up his trunk so that the boy can live and grow up to be a great and kind man.

It's been a while since I've read the earlier volumes in this series, so I had a little bit of a problem following what was going on and remembering who all the characters are - although there's a "story so far" page, it's incredibly unhelpful. The relationship between Pamela and Ash is particularly confusing to me. She loves him, or did love him at one point, but he wants to punish her for some reason. Perhaps he blames her for his supposed death so long ago? One scene from Pamela's past also seems to indicate that at one point Ash actually told Pamela that he could never love her - did she blank that memory out, or was she so in love with him that she couldn't believe he could possibly mean what he'd said?

Unlike Ash, Belus seems to genuinely like (maybe even love?) Pamela. He was certainly willing to risk dying in order to wake her up. I'm not sure how great his risk of death was, since I think he's nearly as difficult to kill as Pamela (who is immortal). Pamela still seems determined to believe that their relationship is entirely based on the contract that they have with each other, rather than any deeper feelings, but I wonder how long that's going to last.

The final part of the volume was a bit jarring, since it was such a sudden departure from the overarching storyline involving Pamela and her past, but it was still a sweet story. It was kind of cliched, though, and I'm sure I've seen stories like it before, where some ancient tree or something gives up its life for the human being it cares for.

As far as extras go, there's a several page long preview of the first volume of Sang-Sun Park's Ark Angels, in which a trio of sisters from the future try to rescue animals on the brink of extinction. In this preview, the girls are trying to save one of the last Guam Fruit Bats. It's a bit goofy, which, in my opinion, doesn't really fit Park's art style.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Xxxholic (manga) by CLAMP; Xxxholic (anime TV series) - Watanuki is a high school student who is plagued by the ability to see spirits. One day, he meets a woman named Yuuko who can help rid him of this ability. Anybody who receives her help must pay a fair price in return, so Watanuki becomes her cook, housekeeper, and errand boy for an undetermined amount of time. Until he has worked enough to earn her help, Watanuki will continue to have to deal with his abilities, which often come in handy when Yuuko gives him special errands to run. Like much of The Tarot Cafe, this series has lots of mini-stories, as Yuuko deals with clients who need her specials skills and knowledge. Those who'd like another series with a similar mix of humor and seriousness, along with a supernatural shop owner, may want to try this manga.
  
• Alichino (manga) by Kouyu Shurei - This fantasy series revolves around Alichino, beautiful creatures that appear human and will grant any wish at a huge price, and a beautiful boy named Tsugiri, who has a terrible past. Overall, this series is darker and more serious than The Tarot Cafe. Those who'd like another story with somewhat similar artwork and beautiful and androgynous (yet somehow still sexy) men might enjoy this manga. Unfortunately, although it's only one volume away from being concluded, it's unclear when and if the final volume will ever be released.
• Seeker: The Tarot Unveiled (non-fiction book) by Rachel Pollack - This is a good book for beginners who'd like to know more about the Tarot. The Tarot Cafe's Pamela often uses Tarot cards, and those who find this aspect of the series particularly interesting may enjoy this book.
  
• Pet Shop of Horrors (manga) by Matsuri Akino; Pet Shop of Horrors (anime TV series) - Count D is a mysterious pet shop owner whose pets aren't the sort you could find anywhere else. When cared for properly, these pets can bring their owners contentment and companionship like no ordinary pet ever could. However, there are potentially horrific consequences when Count D's pet care instructions are not followed. Officer Orcot, an American policeman, goes to Count D's shop to investigate after the strange and unexplained deaths of several of Count D's former customers. Like much of The Tarot Cafe, this series tends to be pretty episodic - a customer with a need comes in, Count D provides them with a pet that fulfills that need, and things either end well or badly for the customer, depending on his or her situation and how he or she treats the pet. Those who'd like another story starring a mysterious shop owner who's a bit supernatural might enjoy this series.
• Yume Kira Dream Shoppe (manga) by Aqua Mizuto - The only characters that show up on a regular basis are Rin, the owner of the Yume Kira Dream Shoppe, and Alpha, Rin's helper at the shop. Rin and Alpha use the magical items at the shop to make people's desires a reality, at a cost. Similar to The Tarot Cafe, this single-volume manga is episodic - each chapter is a standalone story. Some of the stories are sweet and happy, while others are more bittersweet. Those who'd like another story starring a mysterious shop owner who uses his/her powers to help customers might enjoy this.