An absolutely powerful and all around outstanding volume
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Go Ikeyamada
Translation/Adaptation: Tomo Kimura
What They Say
Having a long-distance relationship isn’t the easiest thing for Megumu and Aoi, but after a romantic evening and a standoff with her parents, their relationship is stronger than ever. And now that Mitsuru finally has a life goal (beat Azusa’s other fiancé in the national mock exams and win her hand), he’s pouring all his fierce energy into securing their future. But despite how rosy their lives look, the twins are having ominous dreams. Are the nightmares just a symptom of stress, or is something more prophetic going on…?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
We start off this time with some adorable post-coital cuddling, including some of the cutest nudity I’ve ever seen. It’s just a really charming little bonding scene between Mego and Aoi, and works real well. They then have a little fake wedding, which is also a nice scene, though we get some more foreshadowing that something bad will happen. And in the aftermath, we get some more great scenes, including the lovers confronting Mego’s parents, which ends in our heroine declaring that she’s ready to really take the next step and marry Aoi!
Of course, that needs to wait a bit, so we instead jump back to our other pair of lovers. Mitsuru has been pushing himself stupidly hard with his studies, it turns out, as he’s motivated to win his insane challenge no matter what. Anyway, on the way to the test, Azusa’s fiancé, Shogo, gets caught by some thugs, and Mitsuru happens to pass by. In retrospect, it’s not all that shocking of a turn of events, but it’s still played well. Having come to respect Mitsuru as a result, Shogo casually sabotages his own scores, our hero ends up getting an impressive score that would’ve normally had him lose (10th overall), and everything works out. It’s a smooth, well-played way to follow up on the fairly ridiculous scenario set up last time, and when you add on Azusa stepping up in her own way, it’s pretty much just plain satisfying all around. Oh, and then we get a real awesome bit of closure between Shino and Azusa that’s just straight up fantastic.
And then, the huge, insane twist for the volume happens. Which is to say, in the midst of the characters just having a happy time and doing their thing, the Tohoku Earthquake hits. And all I can say is… it’s played to powerful effect. It’s got a realness to it in how it hits out of nowhere, just like the real event, and is absolutely devastating. It’s shocking, but not in a bad way, to see a shojo romance tackle such a topic. And it’s both moving and, fortunately, tactfully done. There’s really not enough praise I can heap on this, as it’s played as perfectly as I can imagine such a thing being, and is likely the defining moment of what was already a powerful series.
In Summary
While the last volume may have felt a bit off, it was ultimately all worth it, as this book picks up on all those plot threads and executes them perfectly. Both pairs get really strong story bits that show why they just plain work together, and are a joy to read from start to finish. Nothing here feels cheap, and it, in fact, manages to salvage a lot of the lesser ideas from last time splendidly. And heck, we even get an awesome moment with Shino that gives some much-appreciated closure to an earlier plot thread, as well as just being a great scene in general. And yet, all that pales in comparison to the event at the end of the book, which is played so masterfully and tastefully that I really can’t praise it enough. It’s most likely the biggest, most impactful moment of this already outstanding series, and I’d be willing to call it one of the strongest story beats I’ve ever seen in a shojo series in general. This volume easily earns my highest recommendation, and I say again that if you haven’t picked up this series yet, be sure to do so, as it’s unlikely to disappoint.
Content Grade: A+
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: A-
Age Rating: 18+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: June 6th, 2017
MSRP: $9.99
