First of all, what the fuck was that. Secondly, holy shit. And last but not the least, wow, this series sure is something else.
As someone who's been a big fan of Iruma Hitoma ever since discovering him through Regarding Saeki Sayaka, it is no surprise I eventually explored more of his works, like Adachi and Shimamura and, more recently, My First Love's Kiss. The first volume was released last year in English by Yen Press, and of course I had to pick it up.
My First Love's Kiss is a peculiar story centered around prostitution (though you'll only really understand why I call it as 'peculiar' once you read it yourself). Since the first volume, Iruma consistently portrays Chiki as this dangerously captivating woman who continously grooms Umi, and perhaps, Takasora, to an extent. Well, at least she tried to be, and Takasora was somewhat bewitched by her charm, anyway.
Since the major twist was already revealed at the end of volume two, and this final volume mostly deals with the aftermath of that revelation, I have to admit the beginning felt a little underwhelming. Still, there were other surprises along the way. Umi, for instance, changes—mostly for the better, I'd say—thanks to Chiki's influence. And then there's Shimamura's unexpected appearance near the end. Her interactions with Takasora were genuinely sweet, especially since Takasora mentally noted at how much Shimamura's changed, likely because of Adachi.
By the way, these lines left the deepest impression on me. At the start of the book, the three of them visited a planetarium together, and near the end, Takasora said these words. I really like how Iruma wove the star motif throughout the story. These lines in particular described perfectly how Takasora's first love ended... with a heartbreak.
"The story was over. It was a tale of two stars on a collision course. They crashed and suffered damage, but they couldn’t help gravitating toward each other. It was a summer story of banal attraction.
I wasn’t either of those colliding stars. I was merely an accidental observer, a dirt-covered, earthbound star, envious of the dazzling, beautiful lights in the distance."