manga: Kare Kano Vol 4-6
Nobody warned me about the part where Arima grabs Yukino, shoves her against the wall, and yells that he’ll never leave her.
I mean yeah, “I’ll never leave you” sounds better than “I’ll never let you go” BUT WE DID NOT APPROVE OF THAT AND WERE DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED! We thought Arima was not going to be that kind of shoujo hero!
*sigh*
Maybe it was a one time thing? I approve of the makeover he got during summer break, but not if it’s coming with more of that. (Also, I really wish shoujo heroines didn’t respond to that kind of thing be reassuring them of their love, but would punch the guy in the face and beat it and make him work to earn forgiveness for that.)
Arima’s evil family was too soon after that for me to feel pity about his angst. Sorry. (What can I say? I did-and still do-expect better from this title.)
But I am deeply amused that Arima’s reaction to sex with Yukino was to have a dream where they’re little kids frolicking in the field, and then to have a dream where he’s tormented by an evil inner twin. This strikes me as the kind of thing that could turn a person off sex forever.
But mostly, these volumes were about Yukino making friends while Arima was gone for the summer. I kind of adore Tsubasa, the small girl who had a crush on Arima. Her telling Maho that only she could bully Yukino was beautifully shounen. Actually, if they were shounen guys, the line would have created 2 hordes of shippers. I love Maho, but I love the stoic BFFs who get dragged into the insanity kicking and screaming. Then there’s the requisite girl who likes cute girls. I look forward to clashes between her and Arima’s friend who flirts with him and is obsessed with cute girls.
Tsubasa and her soon-to-be stepbrother are exceptionally cute together, but I fear they will soon be dancing the angsty-forbidden-not-really-incest-but-everyone-will-act-like-it-almost-is-love dance. And Maho is dating a 29 year old? What? Do not explain. I also liked the backstory with Yukino’s parents, which was exceptionally cute.
And all the freakouts! They were so great! Yukino flipping out in public was kind of amazing, and I loved everyone’s “You are on your own because we do not want to die!” when Tsubasa tried to escape.