Finally heading into the climax! (After a surprisingly well-done pitstop)
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Naoshi Komi
Translation: Camellia Nieh
What They Say
A meteor shower that comes only once in 50 years is said to bring lovers together, so both Chitoge and Kosaki want to declare their love to Raku when they all gather to watch the night sky! Meanwhile, Raku still hasn’t come to terms with his own feelings… What truth will shine on this starry evening?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Though this volume is the one in which the series finally enters into its endgame, first up we get the rest of the arc with Shu and Ruri. This involves them finding a lost little girl who is a foreigner, and thus can’t speak Japanese. It’s quite nicely done, interweaving that plot with Ruri having to sort out her feelings towards Shu along the way. I really am glad that the series managed to squeeze this in before the climax, as it’s a great little bit for these two minor characters that does a lot for both of them while also being a rather charming read in general.
The main event, though, starts off plainly enough, with a plan for everyone to view a meteor shower together. Both Chitoge and Kosaki pin their hopes on this, each deciding that now is the time to tell Raku how they feel. To complicate matters further, a typhoon suddenly changes course and ends up stranding the three of them in the school together, with nobody else able to make it. You get the natural bits of the girls being on edge thanks to the turn of events and their plans, but Kosaki then actually manages to voice her confession… naturally when Raku is unconscious thanks to previous shenanigans. The real trick, though, is that Chitoge happens to overhear. Oh, and this is all combined wonderfully with some beautiful imagery via the meteor shower. And then, to throw her for even more of a loop, later on she happens to overhear just the wrong amount of a conversation between Raku and Shu to realize that our hero feels mutually, but not to realize that she’s also in the running.
When Chitoge’s feelings of being just a third wheel drive her to flee all the way to America, will Raku and Kosaki be able to drag her back in just a single day’s trip there? And now that things are finally coming out into the open full throttle, just how will this love triangle find its way to a conclusion?
In Summary
This volume is a pretty fantastic entry into the series, as it’s the one where we finally start heading into the climax and really shaking things up in the process of heading there. There are huge moments for the characters which pack a real punch, and are combined with some appropriately striking imagery. We get a character introduction at this late game that’s done in a rather charmingly low-key manner while also tying into some recurring elements from throughout the series. And heck, perhaps most impressively all, the one little bit at the beginning not tied to this massive conclusion even manages to knock it out of the park, using this one last chance to seriously develop some of the more minor cast members while also telling a charming small story brilliantly. It really is a great read, so hopefully the series will be able to carry this momentum and really bring it home with the final volume.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A-
Package Rating: B+
Text/Translation Rating: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released by: Viz Media
Release Date: November 7th, 2017
MSRP: $9.99
