Will Takao ever grow a spine?
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Shuzo Oshimi
Translation: Paul Starr
What They Say:
Bookworm Takao and class bully Sawa may not appear to be the best couple, but together, they shake up their entire rural community to its core. In love with the class idol, Takao is given a chance to become a real hero and finally break out of his shell after righting a wrong he committed in a random moment of passion. With the help – or blackmailing – of Sawa Nakamura, Takao is on his way to change his future and enter a world of decadence.
Content:
Despite how awkward he is and the situation that Nakamura has put him into, Takao’s date with Nanako continues to proceed smoothly. Amazingly, Nanako even seems to be in awe at the sight of Takao’s favorite bookstore. Even more surprisingly, when he starts to geek out and purchases a copy of “The Flowers of Evil” for her, she seems happy rather than freaked out. Nakamura isn’t going to have any of this lovey-dovey crap, and calls aside Takao to demand that he kiss Nanako before the date comes to a close. The date starts wrapping up, and Nanako even asks Takao out again. Takao panics and loudly declares that he isn’t a pervert before asking Nanako to “enter into a pure, platonic relationship” with him. Shockingly, she accepts instead of fleeing in terror. Obviously, this invokes the wrath of Nakamura, who sneaks up on Takao and dumps a bucket of water on him. Realizing that this has exposed what’s underneath his shirt, he quickly blurts out an excuse and runs away as fast as he can.
When it turns out that Nakamura is willing to leave things as they are and that Nanako didn’t see the outfit, things are finally starting to look up for our hero. Takao starts to get suspicious, however, when he learns that Nakamura has secretly made “friends” with Nanako. At first Takao decides to think on the positive side and even decides that it’s time to reform himself. Of course, this all comes crashing down when Nakamura calls him aside and reveals that Nanako wants to have sex with him. This throws him for a loop, but things get even more complicated when Nanako asks him to tell her if he’s hiding anything. Unfortunately, our hero once more proves his spinelessness and declares that he isn’t hiding anything.
Things take a turn for the weird when Takao, realizing his own weakness, asks Nakamura to rat him out. She obliges, but first asks him to meet her at school in the middle of the night. Nakamura decides to torture Takao some more, so she makes him write everything he’s done on their class’s chalkboard. He says no and Nakamura chews him out, which weirdly causes him to freak. As the volume wraps up, the two of them absolutely coat the classroom with their message, destroying it in the process.
In Summary:
This volume takes a few odd turns, going in an unexpected direction and then swerving off elsewhere by the end. The main character of Takao is still absolutely unlikeable as always, and Nakamura remains the most interesting character in the book. Nanako, on the other hand, was a bit of a surprise in this volume, especially in the way she deals with Takao. Even so, her role remains somewhat shaky, and it will be interesting to see how her character develops. Most of all, it’ll be fascinating to see the fallout from this volume’s climax, which has left Takao with little room to worm his way out.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B+
Text/Translation Rating: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Vertical
Release Date: July 10th, 2012
MSRP: $10.95
