3.5 rounded up for the simple fact that Nasu realizes that there's something seriously wrong with Kaya. I'm not sure that the story understands that Ran can't fix him, but, well, sunk-cost fallacy and all that. I think I'm here for the long haul.
Every horrible thing people don't like about this series is why I like it. Our pseudo step bro attacks, takes kisses, is sick in the head, possessive, and controlling. Our dear step sister allows him to be those things to a certain degree cause she doesn't want to hurt his feelings but he blows through ever line she tries to set. Nasu finally sees him for what he is and sees how terrifying it is and does a little bit to keep her safe but then his jealousy seems to get the best of him.
When I love stuff like this... the smirk on my face after finishing this and wishing my library already had the next volume in my hands is so real.
Kaya is an absolute menace in this volume, but what else is new? As his relationship with Ran becomes more and more convoluted, the people in Ran's life begin taking notice. While she and Kaya are absolutely in a toxic relationship, can anyone really do anything about it? Kaya is a rather terrifying existence, and Ran seems to treasure him in her own way. I don't think anything could be done to separate them, and I don't think either party wants to be separated in the first place.
While Ran still seems to think of Kaya as a familial addition to her life, Kaya clearly sees Ran as a romantic addition to his life. Their relationship, from Kaya's point of view, is clearly a lot more complex than just romantic, though. While at the end of the day I do think he sees Ran in a romantic light, I think he may be confusing some of his emotions. In this volume, we learn that Ran really is the first person his age to truly want good things for him, without expecting anything in return. So, I think it's safe to say that while Kaya has had "friends" and "girlfriends" in the past, he hasn't had true connections with anyone—until he met Ran.
Maybe it's because Ran is the first person he recognizes as truly caring for him that he goes so absolutely crazy when she's involved. She's his first everything. And when I say he goes crazy—he goes crazy. Kaya is the type of crazy that you really can't anticipate. All you can do is witness it and try to stay out of his way. This leads to some incredibly toxic, though entertaining, scenes.
I would say the most toxic storyline in this volume is the love triangle composed of Kaya and one of Ran's classmates. The classmate, who boldly told Kaya that he has feelings for Ran in a previous volume, most definitely spent this volume regretting his actions. As Kaya will seemingly stop at nothing to stomp out any and all threats to his relationship with Ran, who knows what he will do next?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
La storia è intrigante, ma trovo le varie dinamiche strane, non riesco proprio a immaginare che svolta potrà prendere la storia. Sembra che l’autrice abbia le idee chiare quindi sono fiduciosa!
Amo il quartetto che si è formato. Devo dire che tutti e quattro i personaggi hanno una personalità ben delineata e ognuna è ben diversa! Insieme li trovo fantastici, spero che si svilupperà una bella amicizia tra di loro!
Nasu è adorabile, spero però che continui a restare coerente con i suoi ideali e valori. Temo infatti che potrebbe corrompersi ma speriamo non sia questo il caso! Kaya continua a piacermi ma al tempo stesso quanta pena che mi fa! Ha seriamente bisogno d’aiuto, spero che cominci a ragionare in modo diverso perché ha una visione tutta sua del mondo e delle persone. Io come Ran quando Kaya era con i compagni di scuola a giocare come un qualsiasi ragazzo delle medie 🥲🥹Non vedo l’ora di conoscere tutto il suo passato.
I really don't know how I feel about this series. Our sweet female lead is a clueless pushover torn between her sort of step brother (BARELY) with severe boundary issues and the cool classmate that might be a tiny bit more wolf than puppy.
I think this is a really good example of a very toxic relationship with a yandere and while I'm usually into that in josei or adult TL doujins... It's a bit depressing in a shoujo series. What do you mean her brother (sort of) forced a kiss on her and ignored her rejection? And he's a middle schooler. Only a middle schooler.
The future is bleak.
This doesn't mean I don't enjoy this series, of course, I think it's interesting, I jist also don't know if I actually LIKE it beyond being tugged along for the ride? But the art is gorgeous and I can't quite tell what will happen next. A win is a win?
3.5 ⭐️ Ho trovato questo volume più carino degli altri, forse per lo svolgersi più "normale" degli eventi e per la presenza più importante di Nasu-Kun. Ho apprezzato che questo personaggio sia subentrato pian piano e non all'improvviso quando serviva come a volte succede nei manga. Mi piace la calma che la storia si prende per andare avanti!