Tarou grapples with his feelings for Kagura.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Shizuki Fujisawa
Translation/Adaptation: Alethea and Athena Nibley
What They Say
While the class trip may not have been a slam dunk for Kai, Kagura finally accepted her true feelings and confessed to her childhood friend Tora. With nothing left to hide, she’s ready to move on, but womanizer Tora suddenly finds he’s at odds with himself! Luckily for him, reformed playboy Kai knows exactly how to help…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As you might guess from the cover art, this is the volume where Tarou and Kagura finally get together. Of the four romances, theirs is the least satisfying. After Kagura’s awkward confession in Volume 11, Tarou decides within the span of one chapter that Kagura’s the only one for him and immediately drop his playboy ways to devote himself to her. The resolution comes way too quick and easy and leaves me more annoyed than anything else. After all, there was never any real obstacle to their relationship other than their own personalities.
Thankfully, Fujisawa-sensei makes up for it by throwing an actual obstacle into the path of Misaki and Ayumi. Ayumi’s dad catches them making out in his house and blows his top, refusing to accept Misaki as her boyfriend. Under the circumstances, his disapproval–though extreme–is natural, but what’s really interesting is how Misaki responds to it. Although Ayumi insists he can just ignore her dad, Misaki takes the much more difficult route of trying to win the man’s approval. While the elder Shimura’s personality does make this arc somewhat wacky, it is a wonderful episode that deepens all the relationships involved.
With everyone paired up, it is no surprise that the next volume will be the last. As Kai and Riko are the main couple and Riko’s ever-absent mom has made two appearances in this volume, chances are pretty good she’ll play a role in the series wrap up.
Extras include story-thus-far, mini-manga about Fujisawa-sensei, and translation notes.
In Summary
Tarou and Kagura finally pair up! This is a shojo manga that began with four guys and four girls, so it was inevitable the remaining singles would get together. But considering the intensity and duration of Kagura’s outward hostility toward Tarou, his sudden turnabout from playboy to devoted boyfriend is too convenient for belief. Fortunately, the narrative then shifts to a much more engaging arc about Misaki and Ayumi as they face a parent’s opposition to their relationship.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: October 6th, 2020
MSRP: $13.00
