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Title: High School Debut Vol 11

Author: Kazune Kawahara

Publisher: Viz

ISBN:  9781421526669

May Contain Spoilers

Haruna is suffering from some serious pangs of jealousy after seeing Yoh smile at Miyabi, the scary girl from his prep school.  When Miyabi falls for Yoh, she starts trying to sabotage Haruna and Yoh’s relationship.  With the crafty girl playing tricks on the couple, will they be able to figure out what’s going on before their misunderstandings force them to break up?

Miyabi causes emotional turmoil for Haruna, as her fainting spell forces Yoh to miss a date with Haruna.  Since he foolishly left his cell phone at home, he can’t even call Haruna to let her know what’s holding him up.  When he finally does have access to a phone, he calls Asami and asks her to call Haruna for him.  Since Asami is as subtle as an atomic bomb, her call does little to ease Haruna’s worries – it instead blows open a massive wellspring of doubt and jealousy.  When Miyabi works a little technological mischief of her own, both Yoh and Haruna are left confused, hurt, and wondering what the heck has happened to their relationship.

This story arc was fairly entertaining, though the consequences of Haruna’s overeating grated on my nerves.   It was supposed to be humorous, but poking fun at sudden weight gain and then having the extra pounds magically melt away was irritating and insensitive.  I wish this medical problem was so easily solved, and I was disappointed when the plot veered off in this direction.  It might have been more interesting to see if Yoh was still as supportive if Haruna was forced to struggle with this issue, but, like their miscommunication, this problem disappeared by the following chapter.  It sent the wrong message and trivialized a very serious problem.  I am not even going to get started on Miyabi and her miraculous transformation.

With Yoh’s birthday fast approaching, Haruna wants to do something extra special for him.  Since they have already been everywhere around them, she decides that it would be fun to go on an overnight trip.  The thought of what might happen with the two of them sharing a room, without a chaperon, never occurs to her, though it’s the first thing on everyone else’s mind.  This was true Haruna behavior – impulsive, childlike, not considering all of the possibilities.  Is it believable that two high school students who have been dating for almost a year would be satisfied with an occasional kiss and holding hands?  No, but Haruna’s personality is so flighty and innocent that if I really, really stretch my imagination, I guess I can run with it.  Her friends and family are shocked when she brings up the overnight trip, but Haruna is so clueless that she doesn’t catch on to how shocking her proposal really is. 

This was a fun chapter, and it played Haruna’s cluelessness against Yoh’s disbelief at his girlfriend’s outrageous suggestion with a lot of humor.  Yoh puts up with a lot from Haruna, and he constantly takes a ribbing from his friends because of it.   One of the things that I like so much about the series is how Yoh is so even-keeled, especially when faced with Haruna’s antics.  He is patience personified; the ideal boyfriend.  Too bad he only exists in the pages of this manga!

High School Debut continues to deliver a charming story that is loaded with humor and romance.

Grade: B