Kai likes Uka, Uka likes Kai. Story would normally be over, except Uka can’t stand Uka still. Yet change is in the air, both good and bad, as everybody thinks Kai should get back with his old girlfriend, Serina, and Uka tries to step way out of her comfort zone.
Its characters may not make the smartest decisions, but this is one sharp manga and I love how it does a lot of different stuff within the shojo genre staples while still being very firmly in that genre in terms of style and narrative.
Kai especially is, minus one instance, not Uka’s saviour, which I really like. So many stories like this kneecap their heroine by making her get rescued constantly without achieving anything except being a damsel (*cough*Maid-sama*cough*), but Uka is the architect of her own destiny.
Now, whether that is down to Kai’s planning or his general ennui is a whole other question, but I like the hints of something deeper running under his superficial-seeming surface when he tells Uka plainly that she’s the one whose judgement he trusts.
I also really like the scene where he has to describe Uka in a word and he provides a litany of both her good and bad points. That’s really kind of special because the way he likes her as a whole person and not just her good sides is important. He doesn’t just see her, he knows her.
There’s also the whole thing with Serina, who looks stunning as part of a matching set with Kai, and whose presence constantly undermines Uka’s confidence as she tries to raise herself to Kai’s level. Serina is not thrilled with her popularity and the way the cast keep throwing her and Kai together is kind of awful, especially for Kai.
I love how the story handles Serina, since she is not a rival, just an ex, and she and Uka are friends. There’s a lot of hay about how she and Uka followed similar paths with Kai, but the difference here is that Kai’s interested in Uka, not Serina, which is pretty key.
I guess we’re also going to talk about that teacher, yikes. When he first lurches onto the scene you’d be forgiven for thinking we might suddenly change to Daylight Shooting Star territory, but this guy is his whole special brand of awful.
Which I appreciate, honestly, because rather than being generic hot teacher, this sleazeball is a full stop predator. He corners Uka, preys on her insecurity, and generally tries to white knight her in a scenario that she doesn’t require saving from. And he was quietly moved on from another school where he was a problem with the students. Dude is textbook.
This is the point where Kai steps in, but it’s for the best because Uka’s definitely not quite there yet for confidence and her half-hearted but heartfelt protests aren’t going to cut it. There’s a quiet menace to him, which makes it even more satisfying when Kai keeps getting the better of him (and Uka stands up for herself).
So far, so typical, but it’s when Uka volunteers to run the class’ festival preparations that things really get interesting and the writing goes from strong to some real sizzle.
Which you wouldn’t recognize at first, as Uka’s plans are constantly being shot down or she’s being yelled over or ignored. As usual, you do have to tolerate a lot of doormat behaviour from Uka and that can be, indeed, a lot - she is always just this side of tolerable for me (probably because I see a lot of myself in her anxiety).
Just when it looks like this is going to be a big old downer of Uka doing everything on her own, it turns out that there’s a big reveal to be had and it was really, really good because it is believable, satisfying, and lets Uka solve a problem (which nobody even realized was a problem) with her own two hands. It’s absolutely satisfying when something that doesn’t seem special (seriously, you’ve seen their idea a million times) turns out to have been way more complicated than you think.
That’s what really tipped a very good volume over for me. I don’t love every second of this series, but I tend to really, really like it and even when it’s grating a little it is because of how well it’s written. Seeing Uka suddenly appreciated for what she’s been doing is such a great lift and it carries the story straight to the volume’s end.
4 stars - not a classic, but it’s definitely way better than the more average shojo out there too. You could do so, so much worse than this charming little story of somebody trying to be better and the boy who nudges her to do so.