In a bold move, we have here the good old ‘no chance rival’ and the miscommunication trope blended together into a single long arc. And it works because this is a well-written series that knows what it’s doing, so there.
What I like about this is that it starts out not being about miscommunication. Poor Momose hit her head while with Yachiyo, who is said rival, and the whole thing ended up looking very wall slam-adjacent.
But Ichinose knows Momose well enough that he figures out that it was an accident and nothing serious. So when he decides to start feeling jealous as hell about it, it’s not because he thinks anything is going on, it’s because he’s letting it bug him.
That’s a small detail, but it makes for a nice change. It’s absolutely believable that Ichinose would realize something and still get cranky about it anyway. Even better, he overhears a ridiculous conversation between two girls and becomes determined to deal with all this on his own.
Seriously, this conversation nearly broke me. One girl is about as fickle as can be and the other is just a ‘yes-man’ ninny with apparently no mind of her own. It was the best part of the volume.
Anyway, this leads Ichinose to bottle up his feelings, which leads to Momose feeling lonely since she starts to think she’s being annoying. The two of them begin drifting apart in one of the better examples of how not talking can really wreck your bond.
And amidst all this, the double act of Yachiyo and Yataro keep bumping into Momose and Yachiyo is starting to realize that he definitely feels some sort of way about Momose.
It’s a fun mess because I like these characters a lot and the little touches definitely make things better. Yachiyo is pretty smooth, maybe a little too pushy, but Momose is always super clear about her feelings for Ichinose. There’s no wavering heart here.
Yataro is also very funny, with his blue hair and punk demeanour hiding a guy who is sort of romantic but also has no idea how to talk to women properly. His friendship with Yachiyo is sweet.
And we get a little romance snuck in under the radar, with a little jacket swapping for Momose and a bunch of Ichinose wreaking havoc while dressed as a girl for the class cafe (which Momose doesn’t mind either).
It’s a very enjoyable volume, even if it takes a path we’ve seen dozens of times before. That’s what you get when you have some great characters like these and the writing to back it up.
3.5 stars - I mean, it has been better, sure, but I had zero problems with this one. Docked for its tropes, but then rounded up for doing some good stuff with them.
the second lead was so annoying i was frustrated.. im glad it got resolved quickly, i love how momose set her boundaries clear! And obviously theyre so cute.. im kicking my feet
Eeeeepppp! I love these characters so so SO much!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
I’m not a fan of love triangles, but even after rereading this volume, I still feel it’s so well done! Honestly, if I weren’t such a big fan of Ichikura, I would totally be a fan of Yachiyo! 😆 Unfortunately, he’s liking the wrong girl, where I simply can’t cheer for him, BUT!
I am cheering for his happiness and loved seeing how respectful he was of Momo! 🥹 I mean, yes, he’s obviously wanted to stay close to her, but I think them walking around the festival shows he isn’t going to overstep and knows that nothing is going to sway Momo’s heart.
Poor Ichikura, though! If only he could have heard that last bit of that one conversation, things might have been handled differently! 😭
And poor Momo too! These two are sort of going through the emotional wringer, but I know they’ll be okay!
I can’t wait to reread the next volume physically! I know it’s going to be just as good as this volume is, especially knowing what's to come! 🤭
this volume lowkey pissed me off in the middle ngl bcs 2nd lead was being so pushy but im so glad w how it all got resolved and momose and ichikura were being SOOOOOO cute 😭😭😭
Really enjoyable but liked this one a bit less cause there were not enough with our couple. The romantic rival had too much in this volume and there is just no way he is any actual competition so it feels not meaningful, I wish it was just friendship cause that I could understand from a jealousy standpoint.
SHE NEEDS TO LEAVE THAT MAN ALONE. Also they both just need to communicate with each other especially him cause if he just said that he was jealous then she probably would have stopped hanging out with the other dude. Honestly when I first got into this serious I wasn’t expecting to like it that much but I am fully into it now I bought both this volume & the next one so I could read it sooner!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Este tomo me lo dio todo, me encantó. El Yataro está cagadismo jajajajajaja y los chicos vestidos de mujer fueron lo mejor JAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJJA… Yachiyo está como quiere, no se vale esa de meter a un nuevo chico guapo y para el colmo bueno, lo odiooooooo porque ya me gusta el igual 🥹🥹😍😍
I know the second ML is always has a good gesture but it isn't right and Momose did a right thing. Ichikura also behave like a mature person. I loved this volume.
That ending! Now things are getting interesting with a little conflict! I love all the sweetness but it’s great to have a bit of drama to go with all the lovely art.
Amo que Momose haya puesto límites con Yachiyo desde el primer momento, es frustrante cuando ese tipo de arcos los arrastran por 20+ capítulos sin razón aparente