Shu takes center stage!
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Naoshi Komi
Translation: Camellia Nieh
What They Say
Raku notices that his good friend, Shu, is behaving strangely… Could it be that Shu’s in love?! And should Raku, perhaps the most clueless guy to ever exist, really be the one doling out love advice? Meanwhile, Chitoge’s upcoming birthday brings unexpected trouble!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As the volume starts off, we get a rather silly yet fun chapter in which everyone ends up at the same public bath, with the situation steadily spiraling out of control. The gang then ends up cleaning the pool, and Paula opens up just a bit in the process. Following this, we enter the meat of the volume. Thanks to Ruri, Raku learns that Shu has a crush on someone. He’s not willing to give up who it is, though when their teacher, Ms. Kyoko, admits that she’s getting married, it becomes clear. Raku ends up actually figuring it out by not being totally dense for once, and is at first ready to let his friend gracefully give up, as there’s nothing he can really do at this point. However, thanks to some last minute advice from Tsugumi, he’s able to give Shu the kick he needs.
Following this, Raku ends up taking care of Onodera while she’s sick. Though Haru is at first adamantly against it, the two end up bonding a bit, and in the end she even ends up giving back the pendant. The latest fight between Raku and Chitoge then kicks off when Raku ends up forgetting her upcoming birthday. The two end up in a familiar pattern where they again feel the need to apologize to one another, but before they can do so an unexpected turn of events occurs. As Chitoge is spacing out over the problem, Raku pushes her out of the way of an incoming baseball, taking it in the face in the process. Rather than a simple gag, though, this actually ends up in a case of amnesia!
How will Raku react to his current life now that he’s lost his memory? And will he gain back something extra in relation to his past alongside his lost memories?
In Summary
This volume is, fortunately, another great entry in the series, with a nice mix of shorter, silly chapters, and more significant occurrences. By focusing on Shu, the arc in the middle surprisingly becomes one of the better ones to yet appear in the series. There’s something especially charming about seeing a character who was so silly and often one-note given some depth, and it’s fortunately handled excellently. The arc that appears at the end, meanwhile, tackles something rather cliché but does so in a way that feels surprisingly fresh, as well as absolutely hilarious. Add in some enjoyable shorter stories, and you get a volume that packs a real punch.
Content Grade: A-
Art Grade: B+
Package Rating: B+
Text/Translation Rating: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released by: Viz Media
Release Date: July 7th, 2015
MSRP: $9.99
