それでも歩は寄せてくる 17 [Soredemo Ayumu wa Yosetekuru 17]

それでも歩は寄せてくる [Soredemo Ayumu wa Yosetekuru] #17

by Sōichirō Yamamoto

「からかい上手の高木さん」山本崇一朗が描く超尊い将棋ラブコメ!

この恋、詰むや詰まざるや…?
将棋の初心者・田中歩は部長の八乙女うるしに勝って告白したい。
棋力は程遠いけれども、ぐいぐい攻めてくる歩の姿勢に
別の意味でセンパイは“詰む”かもしれない…というお話。

卒業式、最後の対局。告白を懸けた大一番、歩の一手は…!? この恋、詰むや詰まざるや…?

Genres: Manga, Romance, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Humor

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2023

About the author

Sōichirō Yamamoto (山本崇一朗, Yamamoto Sōichirō) is a Japanese manga artist. He is known for writing and illustrating Teasing Master Takagi-san and Soredemo Ayumu wa Yosetekuru. Both series have been published in Monthly Shōnen Sunday and Weekly Shōnen Magazine, respectively.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s the final volume of the series, so, you know, no time like the present, I guess?

This is the way the series ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper. Yes, we are able to finally apply T.S. Eliot’s sage words about manga to another series. This is at least as friendly a letdown as you’ll probably read.

In fact, this finale is basically a grocery list of points, but it’s a pretty charming grocery list. Except, after seventeen volumes, I think it’s fair to say the reader deserves a lot more than they get here. If it ended with a little more oomph I would be more inclined to be nice about it.

To say that the denouement is both brief and underwhelming is pretty spot on, if I do say so. On the one hand, this is two people just basically stating the obvious, so they might as well couple up and be done with it.

But, again, it’s been a long, long walk with some serious dithering to get here, so to be denied even a little bit of them dating, minus an okay epilogue, is a hell of a thing. They don’t even kiss, in case you were wondering.

Otherwise you get a little bit from all the characters. Takeru and Sakurako show up and have their bit, Rin has a moment, etc etc. Urushi’s dad has the volume’s actual funny moment when he tries to beat Takeru using Urushi as his proxy.

This was such a low-effort read that didn’t ask much of the reader and didn’t, if I’m honest, offer much back either. It had a couple volumes that were corkers and some okay jokes, but mostly stalled out for way more than was necessary.

It’s fine if you liked it, but it dragged out way too long and the payoff provided is not at all commensurate with the number of pages it took to get there. And I do wish it had dealt with the notion, briefly mentioned, that Urushi feels she’s losing something by no longer being better than Ayumu at shogi.

3 stars - whimper indeed. A slight series that went too long ends with a slight ending that went too short. An underwhelming final volume that gives the bare bones and nothing more.

[JW · Rating 3 out of 5]

Final volume. Urushi graduates high school and Ayumu has his final game with her as club members. Will he win and finally confess?

[Sheepy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There we are, the final volume, all those shogi matches riding on the final match.
A pretty good series from start to finish, had a few moments there, and i thought it was going on for the sake of it, but overall, it was good. I'm satisfied with the ending. I would have liked a little more after with their friends, but still a good ending to a good series!

[Bruno Mtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un manga adorable y no tiene absolutamente nada de triste, pero ya siento el vacío de que se haya terminado...

[Jnyama · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series ends as adorably as it continued through the last 16 volumes.


No, nothing earth-shaking happens here, nothing dramatic or explicit. Just the same cute characters who never had any traumas too much worse than losing a game of shogi, coming to the resolution everyone knew was inevitable. I appreciated that the ending didn't leave us hanging or had some weird plot/character turn that betrayed everything that happened before (looking at you, many, many other manga.) The kids were cute, the parents supportive, and even when the teammates were at odds and rivals, they still were ruled by a sense of fair play and genial acceptance. I'm a fan.

[The Book Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Urushi is finished with her exams (she passed, of course) now there's only a few more days until graduation... and a few more days for Ayumu to finally beat her in a game of shogi and fulfill his personally set requirements to finally ask her to be his girlfriend.

Everyone is rooting for Ayumu (even Urushi's father is starting to warm up to him) and everyone is rooting for Urushi. And the conclusion of this game is nigh.

A romantic comedy full of will-they/won't-they drama that doesn't really teach you how to actually play shogi. Still, a delightful read.

This series has 17 volumes.

[Nick Pell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I definitely wish this confession had come way sooner so we actually got to see them as a couple, but still a fine ending for this cute little series. Now give us a spin-off following Takeru and Sakurako!

[Zian B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

As cute as this series was to read, I would’ve gave this last volume 4 stars if we had gotten to see Yaotome’s college life a bit. Or even see Yaotome and Ayumu got on official dates.
Overall though, I’m glad I read this manga series.

[Misty Superhero · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the type of flirting we deserved in the last several books instead of the other love interest I DID NOT CARE ABOUT.

[BreAnna (Bre'sBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and sweet conclusion to this fun shogi series