Kaguya-sama: Love is War (2021)
[ใใใๆงใฏๅใใใใ ๏ฝๅคฉๆใใกใฎๆๆ้ ญ่ณๆฆ๏ฝ]
Volume 22
Author/Artist: Aka Akasaka
Publisher: Young Jump Comics
Synopsis:
Shirogane's rival Mikado Shijou transfers to Shuuchi'in Academy.
Story/Characters:
We start off by focusing on Mikado. His rivalry with Shirogane isn't quite what we've been led to believe and it ends up being fairly amusing. Also, Shindou's nickname for him... ^o^ Next, we have a chapter about the warming relationship between Shirogane and Iino and what happens when Fujiwara catches wind of it. After that, the Student Council gets a new mascot when a cat from the neighborhood wanders in. This is preceded by Shinomiya and Hayasaka declaring themselves dog people when asked by Fujiwara, their reason for disliking cats being feline resemblance to their own personalities (with zero self-awareness on their part, of course). Next is some boys' talk, in which Ishigami bestows on Shirogane the title of "Oppai Hakase" for his dissertation on the charms of female anatomy. This discussion gets overhead by Shinomiya, prompting a round of girls' talk (which Maki initially mistook for a discussion about the brewing Shinomiya-Shinjou war, the silly girl). A thoroughly self-conscious Shinomiya gets into some hijinx when Shirogane takes notice of some awkwardly placed stickers she picks up from Gomanosuke (the previously mentioned mascot cat, and by "stickers" I mean burrs). Things settle down and our main couple gets some alone time where they talk about the meaning of life and then Shinomiya comes over to Shirogane's new place, where both Papa Shirogane and Kei are absent, prompting all this building tension to come to a head.
What follows is both amusing but also touchingly genuine. Physically and emotionally, they want it, but they're also scared, both for themselves and for each other. It's clumsy going with advances and retreats on both sides. Particularly in Shinomiya's mind, she feels the ticking clock with Shirogane's impending move to the States and the poor odds of a long-distance relationship working out (and surely her brother's designs to marry her off to the family's advantage). Adults in the audience might question Papa Shirogane's responsibility for not interfering and letting it all play out, but it's definitely in character for him to do what he does. The aftermath fills Shinomiya with new resolve and the cliffhanger promises her bringing someone close to her closer still into her confidence.
Art:
There's plenty of good stuff here. Shinomiya's interactions with Gomanosuke are great. The chapter with the stickers is comedy gold. As for the sleepover, it's all handled quite tastefully and the visuals do a lot of the work selling the emotions of the scene. Hayasaka's reaction upon hearing the news the morning after is first-rate.
Other:
It wasn't until recently that I noticed there's stuff under the dust cover of each volume. Here we have some words from Akasaka talking about the end of the series. The exact timing isn't set in stone yet, but apparently we're moving toward the endgame. I figured the series might end with graduation (or around that time), but I also saw the possibility for it to continue. It would seem that the former is going to be the case.
Conclusion:
The series doesn't spin its tires with regards to the romance and we tackle the next big milestone this time around. I feel it's handled well, with the right balance of comedy and sincerity. It will be interesting to see how things develop from here. By this point, it probably goes without saying that you should be adding this to your collection, so be sure to get it.
Rating:
Own It