Ah, more like Scream Your Therapy Session Across the School Auditorium, I guess? The ongoing drama between Aki and Shiho comes to a rocking conclusion this volume and, well, it’s a great volume for those who like big swings.
This story is two things - huge dramatics and yuri paradise. Neither of those is inherently bad, although I don’t necessarily want this little nuance in most yuri. This is the kind of world where you can put your feelings on display for everybody to see with no shame. A better world, perhaps, but certainly idealized either way.
As befits the two of them, Aki and Shiho remain pretty stubborn. Even knowing that Shiho was in love with her, Aki is forced to acknowledge her feelings for Yori, or, more accurately, figure out what they are.
The fact that she’s happy for Yori and Himari suggests that she sort-of knows, but that also means Aki has to confront her feelings for Shiho too. Which is difficult when Shiho feels she’s said her piece and that’s that.
Neatly, this gives Himari her chance at a little hero moment. One thing this arc has really lacked is quality Yori and Himari content, even though I did enjoy their couple of meetings (and Himari’s innocent cosplay fantasy).
Everything goes big here, which sort of fits with the emotional tenor of these kids. It’s not that I dislike its bombast, but it does feel a bit much at the end of that concert. It’s a sweet way to wrap it up, but also a lot.
And, well, we don’t have that many long-running yuri as it is and I would miss this if it were gone. Yet another story arc is starting up, and that looks to be back to some old fashioned dating and that’ll be a nice change of pace from this one.
It’s very harmless with an emotional undertone that sometimes does good work. I wouldn’t say this made me love Shiho, but she and Aki might make for an interesting matchup going forward (if nothing else their dynamic is complete unlike Yori and Himari’s). If not, the manga seems dead set on pairing everybody with somebody, so there will be options.
4 stars - it’s good to have this back, especially after it got brutally screwed over with regards to the anime adaptation. An enjoyable ride and solid conclusion to a long arc; I certainly won’t be upset when the next volume arrives.