Title: Love*Com Vol 14
Author: Aya Nakahara
Publisher: Viz
ISBN: 9781421523729
May Contain Spoilers
Just when I was getting a tad bit tired of Love*Com, this volume arrived and reignited my enthusiasm for it. True, the pacing was a little uneven, and the middle of the book was much more solid than the beginning or the end. It was kind of like an Oreo cookie. There was a sweet gooey middle sandwiched between some tediously repetitive material. How many times can people try to interfere with Risa and Otani’s relationship? The last chapter, featuring Haruka’s fan club, though at times amusing, was too clichéd to be truly enjoyable. Ugh! Otani’s abduction barely held my attention, and how many times can somebody get excited about seeing the same goofy looking guy in concert?
Moving back to the good stuff in the middle, Risa thinks that Otani is being played by Hitomi, an older, very attractive woman. Risa is sure that her gramps set Hitomi up to steal Otani away from her, forcing them to break up. When confronting her grandfather directly, the only bias he has against her boyfriend is his lack of height. Fed up with the old fart, Risa vows to run away if her grandfather doesn’t leave her and Otani alone. Being a teen in love with a shorty is soooo hard!
I was annoyed that the start of this story arc, because gramps’ objection to Otani as a suitable boyfriend is based on the same tired plot device that has been beat over our heads since page one of Love*Com: Otani is below average height, and Risa is above average height. If the two of them have learned to overlook this, why can’t anybody else? Unless they are standing next to each other on level ground, nobody can see that Risa is taller than her boyfriend. When they are seated next to each other, it’s not an issue. When they are talking to each other on the phone, or texting, or IM’ing, there is no height difference between them. It’s a non-issue, a vain prejudice thrust on them by other people that keeps causing problems for them. Physical appearances aren’t supposed to matter, and it was disappointing that Risa’s grandfather, someone who professes to love her unconditionally, is so put off by the sight of his gangly granddaughter dating a shorter guy.
Now, given Gramps’ personality, one that values looks above all else, it isn’t a stretch that he would feel this way. Add in some facts from his youth, and he gets enough sympathy that his immature attitude makes a little more sense. Aya Nakahara managed to turn around my negative feelings for Risa’s grandfather, and then even threw in some of the most romantic scenes in the entire series. Otani, even though he can be an idiot, really is a great guy. He values friends, wants to protect their feelings, and genuinely cares about others. And though it’s embarrassing to admit how he feels, he really loves Risa. I hesitate to call him noble because he can be so think-headed, but he gets awfully close to being a knight in shining armor. The entire middle of the book was both amusing and moving, and in the end, I hated to see this particular story arc come to an end.
Love*Com continues to deliver solid entertainment, though the formula does get trying occasionally.
Grade: B+
