Budjette Tan

Shadow Agents

★★★★ // I was slightly struggling while reading the Jakarta chapter because of all the new words and characters. But once I got into it and adjusted, I was racing through the pages, until I have finished the entire volume in one sitting. More than anything, I am grateful that there is a new Trese volume. Feels like a miracle even to still have this story, and for Sir Budjette and Sir Kajo’s generosity to still share their art and story to the world. This volume feels like a setup for the next one, perhaps the buildup to the penultimate end of the Shadow series. Still, it stands on its own and does a good job of letting us revisit old names and introducing us to new characters. 

Definitely, its best chapter was the last one, “Sunday Ritual” — apparently Sir Budjette’s answer to ‘what will Trese do about the EJKs happening in the country?” I don’t know if it is a satisfactory answer, to be honest. But I find that in a country like the Philippines where tangible justice is almost unachievable especially against powerful people, somehow poetic justice is the next best thing. In the world of Trese, where magic and spells are part of the ‘real’ world, the idea that souls from the after life can torment these perpetrators throughout their lives is good enough for me. Nevertheless, in this world where we are still facing the aftermaths of war on drugs and EJKs, I hope that the victims and their family get the tangible justice that they deserve.

Shadow Agents

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