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Title:  Love*Com Vol 6

Author:  Aya Nakahara

Publisher:  VIZ

ISBN:  9781421517391

May Contain Spoilers

Once again, I was overcome with impatience while reading this volume, wanting to alternately strangle Risa or Ôtani.  How many times can they go back and forth, in Risa’s case remaining loyal like a puppy, and in Ôtani’s, remaining clueless like a rock?  Like Risa, I was ready to chuck it all away, until Maitake joined the cast, and Risa decided that enough was enough.  It’s time to give up on Ôtani and move along with her life.  Yay!  You tell off that little twerp, Risa!

I think the thing that bothers me the most about Love*Com is how blindly devoted Risa is to Ôtani.  She doesn’t know why she loves him, or even when she fell for him, but she’s convinced, with an unswerving resolution, that he’s the one for her.  When her friends get on her case because of her less than romantic idea of true love, she’s a little bewildered by all the fuss.  Short-sighted, she hasn’t given much thought to what will happen if they ever do start dating; hand holding and kissing take a back seat to hanging out and going to Umibozu concerts.  Don’t they?  Or is she just so embarrassed about her height that she chooses not to think about it?

When it finally dawns on Risa that Ôtani just doesn’t consider her girlfriend material, and he isn’t the slightest bit attracted to her, she starts to see the writing on the wall.  All of this pining after the little shrimp won’t ever get him to love her back, and that’s when I started to get sucked into the plot again.  Now it’s not Risa that chasing relentlessly after Ôtani, oh, no.  Needing an outlet for her energies, she’s turned her broken heart in the direction of new teacher Maitake, becoming the president of his fan club for him and leading cheers for him at basketball practice, where he’s taken over as the team’s coach.  It’s all silly and far-fetched, but you know something?  It’s fun watching Ôtani squirm, now that Risa’s officially turned in her resignation letter for her unappreciated position of his number one fan.  As clueless as he is, will Ôtani realize that Risa is the only girl for him before it’s too late?  And before he totally destroys her self-esteem?  Poor Risa.  I think everyone would be happier if we all just stapled Ôtani’s lips shut.

Grade: B

Rated for Teen