At the end of summer break, Aoki and Ida go watch a fireworks show. Aoki’s heart is set fluttering as Ida abruptly shows more interest in romance! When their school cultural festival comes along, there’s even a chance for their parents to meet?!
Es war wunderschön, romantisch und es schafft es einfach immer, meine Stimmung aufzuhellen. Diese Reihe ist definitiv eine Wohlfühlreihe für mich und eigentlich kann ich den Gedanken nicht ertragen, dass es der vorletzte Band ist 😭
I live for Hashi and Akkun's love story. I can't believe it's almost over. I've been holding back on reading the last two volumes because everything's been great with this series and the lovable characters!! I just love the fluffy feeling it brings me, this is such a comfort. I really wish for an anime adaptation of this one 😭
Termina el verano, llega el festival escolar, y Aoki está a tope estudiando para poder entrar en la misma universidad que Ida. A su vez quieren contar a sus familias que son novios, aunque no saben cómo hacerlo, tienen miedo a su posible reacción. En cambio las madres se conocen y se caen bien.
Se acerca el fin (solo queda un tomo más) y me va a dar pena separarme de Aoki y compañía.
While the central relationship and the boys in it mature, the series slowly makes it way through some more tropes: summer festivals and fireworks, cultural festivals and school plays.
Meanwhile, that other trope for high school romances: college plans are looming . . .
Ida and Aoki... oh how I adore those two! My heart flutters every time I think of them. It's like watching my children grow. I am NOT ready to say goodbye yet 🥺😭
This was a cute volume. Aoki worries about getting into the same university with Ida as we continue to see Ida learn how much he likes Aoki. I like that he’s the more straightforward person in the relationship and we learn more about his family in this volume too. Aoki continues to be adorable!
Aoki and Ida haven’t been terribly open about their relationship, but is that cool for the two of them going forward? While Aoki’s college plans are in jeopardy, there are also looming parents and cranky dogs thrown into the mix. Also other characters are in the story.
Provided you are here for the confiden-yet-fumbling romance of Aoki and Ida, this volume is a belter. I like that, having leaned into that skid real hard, the story has opted to follow their relationship through not just the regular parts but the homophobia and questions of acceptance as well.
Ida is almost too low-key, compared to how high-strung Aoki is, so for him to rankle over not telling people they’re dating is a big deal. Then again, Aoki is the one who got judged for his orientation already so it’s easier for Ida to say.
Once school starts again the whole thing becomes moot as Aoki’s practice exams are not going well, so he has to bury himself in his books again. Conflict arises, as usual, but the boys talk through it and get cozy again. If you’re here for these two getting close, you’ll be very well served this volume.
The parent section is also very fun, as Aoki constantly screws up with Ida’s mom (at least to his mind) and the moms may be a little shrewder than their sons give them credit for, although that could go either way. Given how he comports himself, it’s pretty obvious Aoki’s given the game away to Ida’s mom at least.
Honestly, the mom stuff is almost too wholesome, but in a good way. Aoki’s parents are the super supportive type that can be proper hellish when all you want is some independence. Poor Aoki is consistently his own worst enemy and I think that’s been true for the entire series. He assumes too much and says too little, or too much, at any given moment.
Then we have Mio and Aida, who are supposedly co-stars in this series though you wouldn’t know it given how little they have to do. Which is unfortunate because Aida drops a bomb on Mio this volume that shatters the poor girl’s dream of Aida being close by after high school.
And it’s in service to Aida’s goal of becoming a hairdresser and taking over his grandmother’s business, which is a great pivot that I wish the story was exploring at all. Ida and Aoki are the clear focus here, but that means a lot of good stuff with their friends is just being left to the side, sadly.
We’ll end with a special shout-out to Mametaro, Ida’s dog, whose antics might make this volume for me. Aida versus Mametaro for Ida’s affection has been a ridiculous subplot and that combination steals more than a couple scenes this volume.
4 stars - this is really good and very wholesome stuff. I still think the art is borderline hideous at points (yet also very good when it isn’t going for the galloping uglies) and it’s a shame the writing can’t seem to support two couples, but the main pairing is admittedly strong and interesting enough that it mostly gets away with it.
Yes, sure, the continuing romance plot is wonderful, but what really hit me was when Aoki realized that his test answers were all one column off. I had to have (and still have to have) an assistant to mark those damn sheets for every standardized test I've ever taken. Thanks, dysgraphia!
Re-Read: August 2024 For the life of me I can't remember why I only gave this 3 stars the first time I read it. This volume was sooooo cute! It deserved 4 stars at least for the fireworks scene alone! And while it's definitely more serious than the earlier volumes, I still laughed aloud multiple times (mainly due to Aoki's face haha). I can't believe I only have 1 more volume to read :(
Original Review Cute, but definitely my least favorite volume. It was more serious and less funny than the earlier volumes. That makes sense given that the series is wrapping up, but I still prefer it when things are humorous.