A Modern-Day Girl Returns to a Modern-Day World 
Creative Staff
Story: Rei Toma
Art: Rei Toma
Translation: Abby Lehrke
What they say
Asahi returns to the present day, and though her reunion with her family is joyful, she misses Subaru and the water dragon god in the other world. When Asahi comes to a decision about what to do, the water dragon god’s heart is greatly shaken!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
In the previous volume, Asahi was returned to her world by the water dragon god, but it seems like her heart and mind are still in the other world. She constantly reads books that would help in the other world, dreams about the water dragon god, and always seems so alone. I think this volume did a decent job of showcasing her emotional struggle, but I also feel like it could have done much better. The first major issue I had was how jumpy this volume seemed. It goes from scene to scene at a blistering pace without setting up the next scene or building the tension at all. I feel like Rei Toma tried really hard to compress all this content into one volume and ended up cutting out a chapter or two worth of plot development.
While Asahi is in her world, Subaru is now dealing with the fallout of her disappearance. Meanwhile, the water dragon god has disappeared and no longer seems to care about anything. I’m really not sure what to think about the water dragon god, and I’ll admit that I still don’t like him, but I think I’m biased because I like Subaru more. While the water dragon god is sulking, Subaru is trying to live despite the fact that he no longer knows what he should live for. He spent his entire youth trying to help Asahi. Now that she is gone, he feels lost, though I think he goes through some decent growth while Asahi is away.
One of the surprises of this volume was that we learn more about Asahi’s younger brother. Haruki was introduced last volume. He seems like a good kid. Despite the fact that he doesn’t like Asahi, he still looks out for her. In this volume, we learn that entering Asahi’s room was forbidden, but Haruki decided to enter anyway and discovered the truth about his sister who disappeared. I’m not exactly sure whether the flashback we see here holds any real significance to the story. It’s interesting, but at the same time, I was like, “why are we learning about this kid who probably won’t show up again after volume 7?” Maybe he will somehow end up in this other world. However, if he doesn’t, then adding this little bit of backstory just seems like it took up pages that could have been better spent developing other plot lines.
Asahi tries to live her life as best she can, but she is constantly seeing what is happening in that other world. Her absence has caused a lot of trouble for her friends. This causes Asahi to become conflicted. Does she travel back to the other world, or does she remain at home with her family? I like that we’re shown how much this issue is tearing at her because it shows how attached she has become to this other world and the people in it. She eventually makes the choice to return, surprising the water dragon god and Subaru, who cannot help but wonder why she came back.
While Asahi’s return seems to be a glorious occasion for everyone in the other world, Asahi learns there are more dark plans in the works when she meets a new antagonist—and leaves us on a cliffhanger when that antagonist shows up to confront her.
In Summary
I’m really not sure how I feel about this volume. It’s not a bad volume by any means, and I really love the drama going on, but I just can’t help but feel dissatisfied with the romance. The first issue is that Asahi seems to be falling for the water dragon god. This is a personal opinion, but I don’t really like him. The second is that Subaru, the boy who has lived for her sake and done everything in his power to protect her, is being sidelined. I don’t really like that either. I’ll also admit that I’m a little mad at Subaru. While I want them to be together, Subaru has not confessed his feelings to Asahi. He calls her oblivious, but how can she understand his feelings if he doesn’t tell her? Even though I get really riled up by the love triangle in this series, I think the fact that I can get so worked up about these characters proves that the series is working. If I didn’t feel anything about them, then it means the manga would need to go back to the drawing board.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Shojo Beat
Release Date: October 2nd, 2018
MSRP: $9.99
