Title: Love*Com Vol 5
Author: Aya Nakahara
Publisher: VIZ
ISBN: 9781421517388
May Contain Spoilers
Risa was like a yo-yo in this volume of Love*Com. First broken-hearted by Ôtani’s rejection, she wallows in misery and longs for a return to their comedy duo days. Then, after a pep talk with her friends, she’s a tiger, determined to win him over, no matter how long it takes. I like the optimistic Risa far better than the woe-is-me version that she transformed into several times during the length of the book. Uncertain of herself, awkward in her body, Risa believes that there’s no hope of Ôtani ever falling for a jumbo gal like herself. Then the wind changes and she knows that she’ll eventually get her guy! That’s the kind of thinking, that steadfast refusal to accept his rejection, that makes her such an appealing character. If nothing else, she’ll wear him down in her unrelenting pursuit of love.
Relying on her friends’ dubious advice, Risa changes tactics in the hunt for Ôtani’s heart several times. I don’t blame her for being confused – how, exactly, does one go about flaunting their inner boobies? To add to her befuddlement, she learns that Ôtani’s ex had just broken up with her boyfriend! Does this mean that she’ll have some competition in the displaying of the inner boobies? The fact that Ôtani’s old teammates are rooting for him and Kanazaki to get back together again isn’t helping her seld-esteem much. Certain that she’ll lose in a battle with her pretty, petite rival, Risa’s attempts to keep the two apart were heart-wrenching.
Ôtani needs a kick in the pants. Everyone else can see that Risa is the perfect match for the little twerp, but he is unable to see beyond Risa’s outward appearance. Now that he knows that she loves him, he doesn’t hesitate to rub that fact in her face every chance he gets, either. He seemed to almost toy with her feelings, the way he encouraged her with one breath, and then shot her down with the next. Argh! I was starting to think that Haruka would be a better match for her.
Grade: B
Rated for Teen
March 19, 2008 at 8:09 am
wow !!!