Content Warning: A chainsaw, some stupidity, and a boy in girl’s clothing. If that really bothers you…
Oh, boy, it’s weird to read something this far back in the series, as volume 17 (!!!) just dropped in English recently (at the time of typing). So, it’s weird to see some things here that may or may not become important later.
This volume opens with Komi kind of stalking Tadano and a new character, Onemine. Now, she’s talking them because she wants to join in on the conversation, but because she doesn’t know Onemine, Komi has trouble approaching them. Of course, it’s going to get a little more complicated in a minute. After this opening, we see that everyone in class is trying to get Tadano, as class president, to commit to their pet projects or ideas, as well as getting all the work dumped on him. When Najimi tries to run out on Tadano, Onemine stops them and starts to help out. While helping out, Onemine and Tadano are walking and talking. It’s here that we see that Onemine doesn’t really know Komi at all and Tadano educates her on what Komi is really like. This is where we come back to the opening. Onemine tries to say hi to Komi but Komi hides and even Tadano is confused. Later on, Tadano and Onemine are getting started on the piles of papers and they say Komi can go. However, Komi wants to help and Onenime puts two and two together (or should I say that one plus one plus one makes a crowd?) and takes off. The next day, Komi apologizes and then Onemine apologizes for hogging Tadano and that she’ll be rooting for them. I like this little introduction, as Onemine is going to be around for a while and it makes it feel natural.
The next chapter is a bit of filler, about Komi not going to school due to a typhoon, and she ends getting a call from Tadano after the power goes out. Mind you, her mom is home but it’s Tadano she ends up talking with to calm down. Her mom sees this but knows better than to get in the way. It’s cute, it’s short, but it is filler.
The next chapter is about Ren Yamai’s obsession with seeing Komi’s underwear. Which, have I mentioned how creepy this girl is? This is another short one that’s just filler but I don’t like it as much, because of how creepy this girl is.
Next up, we have a chapter about getting food with a half day of school. Agari takes them (Komi, Najimi, and Tadano) to a family run place to eat. She’s never been there before but ends up giving it a try because Najimi says they should go to a place she’s never been to before, and the place is always empty. Before they walk inside, the father and daughter that run the place are having an argument and the daughter mentions a really popular reviewer known as Ramen Core. When Komi sits down, they assume that she’s Ramen Core. Spoilers, it’s actually Agari. But, they bend over backwards to serve Komi before anyone else. While cooking, the father realizes that what he’s forgotten about why he went into the business in the first place. He then whips up something fantastic. This leads Agari to give them a high review and business picks up for them.
Now, it’s time for the major story of this (and a bit of the next) volume, the cultural festival. This is something that’s important in Japan, or so my reading of manga and watching of anime would leave me to believe. Anyway. This story starts with the class unable to decide what THEY want Komi to do. There’s a lot of ideas, and even another new character introduced, but again, it’s all about what they want Komi to do. When Komi reveals that she voted for the Maid Cafe idea, everyone changes their vote and the idea is settled on. Now, they have to actually get started on making the outfits and whatever else. Of course, they can’t have Komi do any work so she ends up sitting on a throne while everyone else toils away. This isn’t what Komi wants and it actually makes her very uncomfortable, so she leaps to help Otori when asked if she will go with her to buy supplies. Onemine, her mom sense tingling, also goes with them and they wander into the hardware store. Somehow, they manage to lose the slow-moving Otori not once but twice, with her acquiring a chainsaw the second time. This girl is a menace, don’t let the stoner vibe fool you! Jokes aside, we’re really starting to get more characters in this volume, that’s for sure. The final part of the preparations is getting flyers put up around the area. Komi strikes out at the first place she goes to, because she’s so nervous, but has better luck at the salon where she gets her hair cut. And at the ramen place they visited with Agari a few volumes back. And at the restaurant they went to earlier in the volume. There’s one more thing before the festival itself starts, and that’s the girls feeding the boys after all their hard work. I won’t comment on the gender issue there but just know that I let out a small sigh. Anyway, Onemine made the larger rice balls, Yamai made the smaller ones, and Komi made the perfect ones. Oh, and Najimi made the ones that aren’t actually spheres. Because everyone wants Komi’s rice balls (there’s a turn of phrase for you), they end up doing Jan-Ken for it and Tadano gets a “perfectly square” one. Which is, of course, one of Komi’s as she kind of liked the idea of doing weird ones. When Onemine makes a crack about it, Komi turns bright red.
Finally, the cultural festival begins! And they get Komi in a short skirt. For four panels. After that, she gets to wear a long skirt. And we get another character, an older guy who has a thing about maid cafes. Now, this is the first time we see this happen in the manga but I’m going to tell you right now that something similar happens during the next festival. Once again, Komi’s super power activates and he reads way too much into her lack of speaking. However, she does actually say something to him as he’s leaving. It’s not much but it’s a moment to let you know that Komi is slowly improving her social skills. Afterwards, Najimi gets Tadano into a maid outfit. It’s mostly played for laughs but I really have to wonder why he did it. Oh, and it will happen again. Honestly, his character model doesn’t look half bad when in women’s clothing and they give him a rather ridiculous wig to wear. As shenanigans must ensue, Komi’s mom shows up, and says “I understand” when she realizes that it’s Tadano in the outfit. Komi’s brother also shows up and gets put in Komi’s throne by the girls but feels uncomfortable and leaves. And then Tadado’s little sister (Hitomi, I believe) turns up. She takes a picture of Tadano and sends it to their mom. Komi does think that Tadano looks cute in the maid outfit, however.
One thing that becomes quite obvious during this story is that Najimi has a certain moral flexibility when it comes to methods to make money. What I mean to say is that they’re very greedy and will do anything for money. But only the fake money they use for the festival? They use a variety of different methods to get the fake money but are caught rather quickly. However, this does give them the chance to walk the festival and have some fun. Najimi tries to get Komi to shout out a thing about their maid cafe, using the roof where people have been shouting love confessions. Yeah, Yamai says one about Komi and it’s just as creepy as you might imagine. After that, Najimi is pulled away for punishment by the principal and then Tadano and Komi are joined by Onemine and Otori. There’s some more highlights of the events at the festival and Otori manages to not get anyone killed. I’m sorry, but after the chainsaw incident earlier, I will never trust her again! Ahem. Moving on. At the end of the festival, Komi’s class wins but the prize is revoked because of Najimi’s meddling. Then, there’s the dance. Komi wants to dance but is too shy to ask and Tadano finally realizes what she wants so they start to dance. It starts getting awkward for a moment, as they start holding hands, and Tadano doesn’t really know how to dance, but they’re saved by Najimi who jumps in and the three of them start dancing together.
So, how was this volume? It’s not bad. I like the festival stuff but it takes a while to get to it. And I like how some people are picking up on Komi’s crush on Tadano, and even he seems to be getting a feeling about it. I do think the “boy dresses as a girl” thing getting played for laughs is old and isn’t very funny beyond the bit that happens in the little four panel thing where Komi grabs Tadano’s “boobs” as it’s about her lack of hesitation and curiosity. This volume, towards the end, really shows how good this series can be and has a lot of good laughs in it.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Suggestion: Pick it up,
if for Komi in a maid outfit, if nothing else.
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