Strobe Edge, Tome 5

ストロボ・エッジ [Strobe Edge] #5

by Io Sakisaka

Ren prend conscience de ses sentiments pour Ninako. Mais il décide de les faire disparaître, car il veut soutenir sa petite amie, Mayuka, qui est déstabilisée par le remariage de son père. Pour Ninako, les vacances d'hiver, durant lesquelles elle ne verra pas Ren, commencent.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Shojo, Young Adult, Graphic Novels, Comics Manga, Comics

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Io Sakisaka (咲坂伊緒) is a Japanese manga artist. She also designed the characters for the anime movie HAL. Her works are:

-Call My Name (2001)
-Watashi no Koibito (2002)
-Bye-Bye, Little (2002)
-Blue (2006)
-Mascara Blues (2007)
-Strobe Edge (2007)
-Ao Haru Ride (2011)
-Sono Omokage o Shitteru (2013) (oneshot)
-Omoi, Omoware, Furi, Furare (2015)
-Otome no Itari (2020) (oneshot)
-Sakura, Saku (2021)

Reviews

[Phoenix2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story kind of toned down a bit but it's still interesting.

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review on IG: @xojazzle
Tbh I didn’t know what to expect but it definitely wasn’t THAT lol ando is def giving majorrrr toma vibes from ao haru ride and I loveeeee him 😩😩he’s so fun and so cute I want ninako to choose him! But her feelings rlly confuse me lol everytime she talks a about ren she talks about how she shouldn’t love him but she can’t help it and just cries like girlllll u know he has a gf idk why ur THAT upset 😭 anyways I’m curious what will happen now between her and ren. Overall this volume was ok, nothing that really kept my attention BUT I LOVED THE BONUS STORY!🫶 team ando frrrrr

[Theresa ♫ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeez. This one.
This one just might be the best book of the series so far.


NINAKO.




"I'm still in love with Ren . . . Right now . . . this wind blowing through our hair . . . it's the same breeze. It's a small thing . . . but it's precious to me. Even if Ren has Mayuka . . . even if I'm not supposed to try . . . even if I love him more and more, and suffer more too . . . my love won't disappear. It won't . . . disappear . . .? That's not true. It's not that it WON'T disappear. I don't WANT it to disappear.


You know . . . one of my friends that I said I didn't love in "that way" anymore said to me, "True, genuine feelings never change." He kept telling me he still cared about me. And I don't feel that way for him, I don't . . . but I know I DID.

I talked to the one I love about that same thing and he said, "No, Theresa. That's not true."
And it's not.


......It's hard to explain.

But ANYWAY, this one touched my heart. SHOT IT RIGHT THROUGH WITH A SPEAR.
This one was tear-jerking, it was.
Why?

JEEZ, here's a huge spoiler. DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU!!!



Alright, so what got me angry the most is exactly how Mayuka thought.
So here's how her love story went.
She fell for a guy.
She started to think that he would leave him because she wasn't good enough (WHICH WASN'T TRUE. Ren was the most loyal freaking guy you could find in a manga, even if he did start to grow feelings for somebody else.).
So she became a model.
WHICH IS SHALLOW.
And Theresa hates shallow . . . . . . (*poses in threatening, super scary karate pose)
Then she starts putting her JOB . . . as a MODEL . . . in front of her own boyfriend.
HER OWN. FREAKING. BOYFRIEND.

What is wrong with you, girlfriend?! You'd choose a freaking modeling job over a BOYFRIEND?! HEY, there are millions of models out in the world, but ONLY ONE OF YOUR BOYFRIEND.

In the end, SHE WAS THE ONE WHO LEFT HIM.

And that must have hurt Ren. COMPLETELY. ABSOLUTELY.
How could you think someone would leave you, and then you end up leaving them YOURSELVES? You freaking . . . you . . . . . . (*rage).


She lost him. FINE. YOU DIDN'T DESERVE HIM ANYWAY!!! (Sorry, she just . . . . . *sniffle* she just made me so angry. She's just a character but . . . how can a character make you feel THIS MUCH?)

.......*SOB.


But I love Ninako, for the way she loves. That's what love is.
It doesn't look for anything for itself.
It depends on their happiness.
Even though it can make you suffer, it can make you happy.
And as long as they're happy . . . you're happy.
I know how that feels. I do. It does hurt, it does. It makes you feel all these different, crazy emotions, but still . . . . . still . . . . . .
The person is worth it. They are. AND YOU SHOULD LET THEM KNOW THAT!


AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2011-JANUARY 1, 2013
*rated 5 stars*


OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
MYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
GO~D!

This book . . . this book . . . this book . . . this book . . .

Was.
Really.
TEAR-JERKING!!!!


Well...I didn't exactly cry but seriously, what happened in this book was something I experienced and...it brought back memories!
But the way the manga placed out events and feelings that I've experienced is AMAZING.

I've never read something that understood my feelings the way this manga did.
Sometimes authors put what they experienced into their stories so that they can describe them better (because they know EXACTLY how it feels).
If that's the case here...I wonder what Io-san has been through...


Anyway, the love lesson in THIS BOOK is important!! My first review of the year 2012 shall be . . .
STROBE EDGE Vol. 5!!

And am I the first to type a review on this book? I wonder . . .


But anyway...the lesson is really important. (Err--or should I say LESSONS <-emphasis on the S!)

1. When you love someone, it is REALLY REALLY REALLY hard when you try to stop. See, when your mind makes these kinds of decisions, it's hard to change them! (Which is pretty ironic when you can't change YOUR OWN mind...)
I knew this before I read this volume. I know what it feels like when you try to change your mind and choose who you like.
It's hard. It's really really really hard, not to mention torturing.
Especially when the person you like has a girlfriend.

Oh, that brings me to the next lesson.

2. It's hard to love selflessly if you do not want to hurt or steal from anyone.
I mean now a days, at my high school, when some chick likes another dude that already has a girlfriend, that girl will try to STEAL HIM AWAY while only thinking of herself. And as tricky as stealing the guy away might seem, it is much easier than refraining yourself so that the person you love will be left alone with their girlfriend.
Selflessness requires a lot of effort!
And the feeling that you have in the pit of your stomach that will tell you that you want the person you like is definitely there!
And it's also hard to make that part of you go away...

3. Let's say you're away from the person you love for a long time, right? Maybe...winter break--just like Ninako in this volume. Or spring break. Or summer. Or Weekends. Or their absence in school. Y'know, when they're not there in front of your eyes.
Well I dunno about you but when that happens, I just tell myself, "It's okay! You're over him! You don't like him anymore!"
And it usually works because forgetting him IS a possibility.
But when you lay eyes on that person again, all of your feelings just jump right back into place as if they never left.

I mean don't get me wrong. Sometimes when they're absent to the eyes, you do still think about them.
But I had friends during my winter breaks and spring breaks and summer breaks, and weekends, and absences of the dude...they helped me.
They were my friends!

Forgetting someone really depends on how much you like them. If you just stay away with them out of sight for a long period of time, you might feel that you're over them. But when you see them again--even after months and months and months, that feeling just comes back and
It.
Is.
ANNOYING.

I had that happen to me just a couple of Thursdays ago! I was away from this guy for months and months and months and I haven't heard or seen him or anything.
And when I go to a school concert for my middle school, I see him, and then my stomach just got all queasy.
That's just what happens if you see them.
BUUUUUUUT when I saw him, he changed a lot. It was like I didn't see the same person, y'know? So I didn't get the full impact like Ninako did. It's like the person I knew him to be was...gone...FO-EVAAAA!

But you get my point, right?

4. Just like lesson number 3, when you see someone, you get a feeling returned right?
But lets say that person did something horrible to you.
Andou is our example for the lesson that was taught in this volume!
When he saw his ex-girlfriend (the one that used him and tricked him and deceived him), he felt the same hurt that he felt before.
See, when you're gone from someone and then you see them again, your feelings sort of return, right? Andou's case is different...but yeah, the pain of the jerkiness of his ex-girlfriend came back to him.
And he definitely did not forget what his ex-girlfriend did because she was important to him.


YOU DON'T FORGET THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU!!! Besides, if you try to forget them, it goes back to lesson one where it's REALLY REALLY HARD TO FORGET SOMETHING/SOMEBODY!!



Anyway, for all these extremely valuable lessons, this volume gets 5 sparkly sparkly stars.

But the ending was just............jaw-dropping.
OKAY, THIS IS A SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!! DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED!!
Especially when this ending will spoil so. so. so much if it was spoiled.


Okay. So through the first four volumes, the relationship with Ren and Mayuka looked like it was going to last FO-EVA.
Especially how in volume 4, Mayuka was clinging onto the dude when Ren and Ninako both noticed the scent of winter.
And how Ren was always telling Mayuka that he's always there for her.

Why was he doing this?
Well, because in Volume...2, I believe...or 3...there was the story of how Mayuka and Ren met. As they got older, Mayuka noticed that Ren was also getting older and taller than she was, and she was thinking that he'll probably sprout wings and fly away from her (IN A FIGURATIVE SENSE!!!)

But in the end....SHE SPROUTED WINGS AND FLEW AWAY FROM HIM!
GYAAAAAAAAA~H!!!
That's extremely ironic. In fact, that gives me the feeling of smacking Mayuka for doing that to Ren!
She tells him she's afraid that he might go away, but SHE'S THE ONE WHO GOES AWAY!

And for what?
For her work! Her modeling job.
I mean I'm sort of glad that she broke up with Ren and had not stayed with him while she valued something else, but still.
A job over love? A JOB.
Maybe I misunderstand because I've never had a job more important to someone I love or anything like that. There's got to be a lesson in why Mayuka gave up Ren for something like that, right?

But the thing was that Mayuka KNEW Ren had feelings for Ninako. So I'm glad that Mayuka gave him a chance to go after Ninako.
She says that she changed...jeez, I guess changing in a relationship is risky.
Ayaaaaa~h. I love this story.



But...just know that in real life, the person you love won't always have the chance where their girlfriend breaks up with them. Ninako's situations just got specific (in this case).

But there are times when you love someone and that person has a girlfriend (or a boyfriend...) and they actually LOVE each other.
I think Io-san will reveal THIS LESSON with Andou.

Or who knows. Maybe Ninako will fall for Andou and it's Ren who will endure this life lesson.


Either way, you get a life lesson.

Lovely.







I love this manga.

[Azet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is so sad and bittersweet at the same time. All moments with Ren & Ninako makes my heart ache. I feel so sorry for Ando as well, this guy deserves so much love!
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[Laura A. Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/49J17zomUnI

This whole volume through me for such an emotional loop!!! I did NOT expect so many things to happen! :o :o :o :o

Probably the biggest was the ending, but to keep this review spoiler free, just brace yourself for the emotional train this volume is.

That is all.

[Leila ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

¿La historia extra de Ando y Ren cuando estaban en primaria juntos? God.

3.5 de 5 estrellas.

[Ady Weasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Se acerca Navidad y Ninako va a pasar las Navidades sola, y no va a poder ver a Ren ya que él ha renunciado.
Ando espera una respuesta de Ninako, pero ella no quiere dejar atrás los sentimientos hacia Ren. Él ya se dio cuenta de sus sentimientos, pero no quiere dejar sola a Mayuka.

El final del tomo me sorprendió ya que solo a uno le salieron alas y no era la persona que pensábamos iba a ser.

[Noemí (Mysticnox) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disfruto mucho con este manga. Todos los personajes me enamoran. Todos tienen algo interesante que decir y sus reflexiones a cerca del amor y la amistad son acertadas y a la vez dolorosas.
Ninako, Ren y Ando son divinos. Por lo que hablan y por lo que callan. Con Ando es imposible no reírse, es encantador.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

So adorable and sweet. I love Ando's hair in this volume, he's so cute! And u can't get over the girls' huge adorable eyes! Ah, my heart! I love this series and can't wait to read more.

[Conejo Literario · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mucho drama, como me gustan las cosas <3, además se dijeron cosas bien bonitas y llegadoras.

[Jasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Shenwei · Rating 5 out of 5]

my prediction was right...

[Addicted2booksStefania · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars | First of all, I had a gut feeling about Ando’s situation AND THE FUCKING CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS CRAZY BETWEEN ANDO AND REN. I’m starting to get pissed because they made it too easy when Mayuka broke up with Ren, like there was no build-up to that.

[Breana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forgot how irritating this one was but... STILL LOVE!

[Dragonfly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5 🌕

Tengo que decir que este es de los tomos que más me han gustado, ha tenido de todo, desde sus momentos cómicos, hasta los dramáticos, y en el camino Ninako ha elegido bien por un lado, pero sigo pensando que sigue sin tomar la decisión completamente correcta, esta chica es masoca. Ando está madurando, aunque el mismo no lo vea y Mayuka por fin ha crecido como persona, ahora es Ren quién deberá comenzar a caminar el solo por su propio camino, y aprender a conocer sus sentimientos y crecer como persona.

Me ha parecido un tomo precioso, además del capítulo extra, era muy necesario conocer el pasado de Ando y Ren, al menos para mí.

[Holly Letson · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I want to say that I love the cover here. Mayuka's a beautiful character, and I think she deserved the cover. But, she has to be beautiful, after all, since she's a model.
-------------
Winter Break is here, and all that Ninako is worried about is how much less she'll get to see of Ren. But, when she sees him the only thought in her mind is about how much he loves Mayuka. If she keeps thinking that way, she will never stand a chance with him.
So, she starts have thoughts of Ando. But, she quickly squashes those, because she could never bear to use someone...even if she has been given distinct permission to do so.
---------
On another note, even as Ren promises Mayuka that he'll always be there for her, he already seems to be becoming more distant from her. Daiki notices from Mayuka's side, and believes it's Mayuka pushing Ren away. She isn't at that moment, but she soon will be.
When an opportunity arises for Mayuka to become more friendly with the stars, she starts to realize that her modeling is more important to her than anything else....including Ren....so, she dumps him.
This would be the perfect time for Ren to finally confess to Ninako and make his move, but instead, he is allowing Ando to do so. So, he catches the two in an embarrassing position. But, what's more embarrassing is how Ninako keeps letting Ren get to her like this.
----------------
Am I the only one here that realizes that nobody in this manga is truly happy with how their life as it is? Everyone is chasing after someone else or hiding their feelings, and none of these feelings are being fulfilled. That's sad.
---------------------------
This volume was to me as an eManga by VIZ Media, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this series, right from the start, for having characters the negotiate a love parallelogram (and, later, pentagram) with a surprising and unusual amount of maturity. The bittersweet (and actually believable) end to this volume continues that trend beautifully. I can see that there are still a few more volumes before the story concludes, so I'm sure there will be some more twists and turns in this love story. But the writing has earned my trust that it'll play out in a way that keeps all of the characters truthful.

[Ris Sasaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

" "LOVE"... Even though it's a simple emotion, why is it that just as you fall in love things get difficult?"

😭

[Rei · Rating 5 out of 5]

NO WAY! The last bit was heartbreaking.

I didn't expect Mayuka to do what she did. It was so real, what she realized, how she processed everything.
The reactions.

[JustJay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume is kind of repetitive. I think the only thing that really saved it for me was the ending.

7/10

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. (maybe 4.5.... maybe)

Okay first off, I loved how the break up scene with Ren and Miyuka went. The callback from her viewing Ren with wings that would potentially cause him to leave her, except it's now Ren seeing her with wings as she is leaving him. DAMN. I literally was just taken aback by how beautifully it was done and how much I loved that neither of them were made out to be the bad guy. I also loved that she was the one to break up with him, because I really couldn't see Ren ever doing it. I think he really would have stay with her and shoved his feelings for Ninako down without question, just to make sure he kept his promise, and that really makes me sad. I think that the break up was truly the best thing for the both of them, regardless of ships or stuff like that.

I'm so happy to see the bonus story about Ando and Ren. I knew the ex liked Ren! I won't lie, it was neat seeing the situation from Ando's perspective and realizing how different and innocent he was before that moment and how Mao really fucked him up in a lot of ways. That scene before the bonus story where he says that he's 16 made me really think.... damn y'all are so young. You have your entire lives ahead of you and there will be so many people that you will meet and connect with and maybe fall in love with and even love out of love with. There is so much life they haven't even lived but they are feeling so intensely about their high school loves. But isn't that usually the case? After all, they are all experiencing their first loves and all the feelings that come with that for the first time. Of course it feels intense and like it's the end of the world and like it's ripping through them. Of course. (bro why am i taking like i'm decades older than them? i'm literally 20 wtf am i even saying)

I liked though that Ando in the bonus story seemed to constantly struggle with wanting to be seen as an adult making mature decisions, while still very much being a kid and acting like one. Even him understanding that Ren is not at fault, but still being really angry towards him makes sense to me.

Also, I'm glad that Ninako didn't take Ando up on his offer for her to use him to get over Ren. I don't see that situation ending well for anyone. I feel bad at how heartbroken she is over Ren but I'm glad that she realizes how doing that would potentially just hurt more people.

It's 3am and I don't think much of what I said really made sense. I think this is going to be the last volume I finish tonight. I really wish though that this series gets a full anime series. I really need to see the breakup scene, specifically the wings part, animated. Oh my goodness. Also I think Io Sakisaka is a genius at writing emotions and understanding and articulating the emotional core of characters. Like damn. These last two volumes have made my jaw drop over either the dialogue or the artwork.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume opens up with Mayuka and Ren talking on the phone. We find out he is quitting the café to get a job closer to her, so they can see each other more. We also see Ren trying to distance himself from Ninako again, probably thanks to Manabu confronting him about his feelings in the last volume.

Ando and Nikami go shopping together for the Christmas party and stop to eat. Ando’s ex-girlfriend shows up, and he reacts pretty emotionally. He’s so distraught, he decides to skip out on the Christmas party. Later on, Nikami sees Ren working at a gas station, and she wonders why he’s not with Mayuka on Christmas, but he’s all alone. She experiences inner turmoil over her feeling for him and wonders if she’d be using Ando if she went out with him to make the pain stop.

After Mayuka and Daiki meet with their dad before he moves, she calls Ren late to meet her outside her house. He reassures her he will be there for her during this difficult time, but when she does back in the house, she tells Daiki she wasn’t so shocked over her dad remarrying, but shocked that she wasn’t that upset.

Ando shares more of his story about his ex with Ninako. We find out she just used him to get to his friend, she didn’t actually care about him. And then one day his girlfriend tried to kiss his friend, and for some reason he still got mad at said friend. He explains he lost both of them, and it was his own fault. He also says they aren’t enemies or anything, but they can ever be as close as they were before. Of course, Ninako erupts in tears over this sad story. He tells her she’s dumb for crying about someone else’s problems, but then wraps her in his arms and says it’s also what he loves about her. At that exact moment, Ren comes in.

Ando propositions Nikami again, he tells her the next person she falls in love with will be him, but Nikami isn’t so sure. Later for some reason Ando tells Ren, and asks him if he will fight hi m for her. Ren says he will crush his feelings for her.

This volume ends with a bit of a shocker, Mayuka breaks up with Ren! She realizes she isn’t being fair to him and that she can tell he has feelings for someone else, but he is too noble to give into those feelings. So she lets him go.

The bonus chapter goes more into Ando and Ren’s backstory, and we discover, he was the friend his ex used him to get close to. We also see this is what led him to his playboy ways.

[Literatura sin límites · Rating 5 out of 5]

La reseña tendrá ligeros spoliers, están advertidos por si no han leído el manga y desean leerlo en el futuro.

5…
4…
3…
2…
1…

Rupturas. Toda relación que inicia, en algún momento debe terminar; siempre llega el punto donde se acaba el amor, los intereses son otros y se llega la inevitable separación, o porque hay malos entendidos que hacen que la relación pueda terminar.

La relación de Ren con Mayuka no es la excepción. Fueron varios factores que entraron en juego: Mayuka ocupada en su trabajo y casi no tenía citas con Ren, la costumbre que lleva a la monotonía, y el que Ren empiece a sentir algo más por alguien…

Ninako sufre de amor, porque se da cuenta que, aunque este con Ren como amiga no es suficiente. No es agradable ver la persona que te gusta este con otra chica y no eres tú. Así que trata de alejarse con él, además, descubre la herida que tiene Ando a raíz de su anterior relación, incluso, conocemos a la famosa ex novia, la cual, me cae MUY MAL.

Ando quiere a Ninako, y aunque sabe que le gusta Ren, no se quiere dar vencido. A pesar de que ya fue rechazado por ella, mantiene la esperanza de poder tener una relación con la joven, más ahora que ella decidió alejarse de Ren.

¿Me gustó? Si, aquí sufrimos por amor.

¿La recomiendo? SIIIIII

[Bery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este volumen muestra los sentimientos de todos mas a fondo. mientras Ren sigue ocultándose y alejándose de Ninako, Ando sigue empeñado en enamorar a Ninako y espera de ella una respuesta a su amor. Spoilers: durante las compras de Navidad, Ando y Ninako encuentran a la ex novia de Ando quien le causó gran daño, y Ninako se da cuenta del efecto que causa en él, al final por más que lo piensa decide decirle no a Ando. Por otro lado Ren sigue apoyando a su novia Mayuka con el segundo matrimonio de su papá, al final Mayuka SPOILER!!! Se da cuenta que Ren está enamorado de alguien más y que es mejor que amabas sigan creciendo y extendiendo sus alas por separado... Dejando un final abierto al siguiente volumen...¿que pasará con los sentimientos de Ren?

Una extra historia al final sobre el pasado de Ren y Ando y la chica que rompió el corazón de Ando, dando a conocer más a fondo la relación entre ellos dos .

[Brianna Jo♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

All I have to say is...I have major respect for Mayuka. For ending the relationship and ending it like that. Can a breakup ever be poetic? beautiful, even? Because I actually teared up a bit. Saying goodbye is hard but the way she did it, was so painfully human. What a gal (⺣ﻌ⺣) 3

As always --Ando annoyed me throughout and surprisingly Ninako as well. They are both being kind of desperate in a repetitive and excruciatingly agonizing way for the reader. Hopefully next volume will be a bit better! Ren suppressing his feelings is a different kind of pain because on one hand. I relate to it because I am similar in a lot of ways but then as an onlooker, I just want to shake him, snap him out of it!

[Delirious Disquisitions · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fucking finally! Honestly, Ren gets so caught up in his ways that it's really a relief when people call him on his bullshit. This volume we saw the cracks appearing in Ren and Mayuka's relationship as she confronts him about their feelings. Things come to a head and I'm very much excited to see how the plot progresses from this point onwards. The highlight of this volume was Ando and Ren's backstory which was unexpectedly heartbreaking. I want these two to find their way back to each other and heal some in the process. 3.25 stars

[Joe Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it, love it, love it!

Wow. Ren didn't end up growing wings. Mayuka did. It killed her to do it, but she knew in her heart how Ren feels about Ninako. So Mayuka set him free, so he can follow his heart. Now Ren just has to come to terms with an exit stage right, & an entrance stage left. In other words, it's time for Ren to enter the next act of this play we call teen angst. But how will Ninako react? What about Takumi? How will HE react to what's inevitably coming? Time will tell, hopefully he doesn't try to pick a fight with Ren.

[eko · Rating 4 out of 5]

i don't really find comfortable the trope where in order for main characters to be together they have to sacrifice someone else's sake to the extent of hurting them. although judging at a vantage point, i definitely understand why mayuka has to do it and how it would set her free and ren as well.

however, is it ethically a good resort to build the main characters' relationship? i don't think so.

4 stars for successfully establishing the plot and turning events despite i can't deny the frustration i felt.

[Mika · Rating 4 out of 5]

(01/23/2021)
This volume continues just establishing what we know. Mayuka is a nice girl but a bad girlfriend. I think Ren is wrong to stay with her out of guilt. He's not wrong to avoid Ninako if he doesn't want to cheat but he should just be honest. Ninako rejects Ando, and I was starting to dislike the volume but then.

Then Mayuka breaks it off with Ren and I respect the author so much for why she made the choices she did. Saved the series for me, I'm back on board. The characters, generally, just seem very well rounded. They make good choices, or the best that they can.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK so here we have Ninako who is still madly in love with Ren - a boy who is completely out of bounds because he's dating someone else. In the meantime we have Ando in love with Ninako. Sheesh, this all gets complex. The problem is, Ninako is absolutely refusing to even consider anyone else. I'm getting kind of fed up with her. And I'm really liking Ando the more I get to know him. Why do people get so stuck on what they don't have? Argh...this series is absolutely maddening sometimes.