"I almost thought I saw feathers floating around him!"
Kasane Katsumoto’s Hands Off! series finishes in volume 8, and while it’s not fully satisfying it’s better than the last two volumes led me to fear it would end up. Although this is all plot and none of the lighter moments I’ve mentioned missing, it’s well-paced instead of too quickly run through.
Can we believe anything about the organization and who’s doing what and why? I don’t think so. Katsumoto says this is the end of Tatsuki, Kotarou, and Yuuto’s story, so I guess we’ll never find out. I find it hard to believe they won’t have more organization trouble in the future or that Kota’s going to remain in the darkness about Tatsuki and Yuuto’s abilities for long given the way that the very next day they’re already using them in front of him. In public!
It’s nice that the author pulls in a reason why Kotarou is small even though she didn’t have to, though we have to wonder how many of Yukisato’s revelations are true, how many false to mislead Kotarou, and how many are shaded by his own sociopathic delusions. "Useless container"? If Tatsuki has nothing on his own, why have his talents manifested in ways completely different from anything Kotarou has shown? "Forced to lose his wife," sure. Too bad for Yukisato he’s so sociopathic and certain in his way of thinking that he completely misread Kotarou and the best way to remove Tatsuki from the equation to make Kotarou do what he wanted. Yukisato, you’ve seen Kotarou enough and probably heard enough from your son/minion Akira to realize that making it look like Kotarou killed Tatsuki by touching him will not inspire Kota to finish the job. (Ohmigod, the head explodey moment! Me: "...whoa! I can’t believe she went there!")
Of course the head explodey was done by Yukisato, not Kotarou, though I only picked up on that in the second read. Tatsuki’s agonizing headache and collapse in volume 7 can no doubt be laid at Yukisato’s feet as well.
What the hell do they shoot Tatsuki up with that night, anyway?
Kiba only looks like a moron for yelling at Yuuto because maybe if he and Udou had bothered explaining which side they were on before Tatsuki and Kotarou wouldn’t have been delivered right to their enemy. Then again, I think Kiba and Udou are arrogant morons in general. The author says she’ll do more with them in the future, which if it comes to the US will have to do a hell of a lot to get over my hatred of them.
I’m very pleased in Tatsuki and Yuuto’s character evolutions--with Tatsuki barehanded, casual at school, and even smiling a little in the end!--which makes me even more annoyed that Kotarou got a mind wipe. Kotarou learned a lot of important things about his cousin that were just taken away. Tatsuki becomes less of a sullen, uncommunicative bastard, while Yuuto’s caring nature and bravery shine through. Yuuto’s tackle-hugging when Kotarou shows up at the end was so sweet! And totally dorky.
I like that Yuuto and Tatsuki are drawn to look more like adults by the end.
Akira is out of their lives! Thank you! Don’t let the door hit you on the ass and knock you down a flight of stairs on the way out, you creepy little bastard.
That little hint of fanservice at the end made me smirk. Rumors that Tatsuki and Kotarou ran off together! The girls at school sighing over the hot boy-on-boy action! Yuuto showing up to say that it’s a threesome. *g* I guess the author had to do something to say she recognizes the cousinly heat even if she didn’t intend to go the incest road....
***
Dang, I'm getting old. I don't know if Chigusa Kawai’s La Esperança vol. 5 really is as melodramatic as I think it is or I just don't remember my teen self as well as I once did. Hmm, maybe a bit of both. Georges is suffering from lovesickness so badly--at times over-the-top badly--even though he doesn’t understand what it is.
Henri/Georges OTP, dammit! Even though it’s becoming more and more obvious that the author has no intention of going there. Robert is still such a waste of space, self-involved, with even the possibility of injury to Georges worrying him more because it’s connected to him than out of the possibility that Georges was really hurt. Robert being nice to Georges’ mother at times isn’t enough, especially since he’s wasting the second chance Georges and Freddy got him at the school. He’s still violent too.
Georges is evolving throughout the series, so why the hell is Robert the same if we’re supposed to believe that they’re going to end up together? Henri deserves better than to have to watch this. This makes me unhappy.
What does make me happy is that finally somebody’s spending less time sighing over how much Georges looks like Grace and more time seeing if there’s a reason why. Alain, I never would have expected it of you. Though if Georges’ mother was also Grace’s mother that means that most of the main members of the cast are related by blood, adoption, or married parents. *g* Alain gets more shading in "The Watch" but it’ll still be a while until he redeems himself... if he does.
Georges gets his rosary back by believing better of someone than the person deserves and inspiring that person to prove him correct. That’s either really brave or really stupid, although it’s working out well for him a lot of the time.
I’m glad that Erwin and Joshua have a purpose in the series after all so I feel less like previous volumes wasted my time spending so many pages on them. Joshua pokes Georges about Robert in ways Henri never would. (Mind out of the gutter, perverts!)
The author should stop making Georges more of a Marty Stu. Now he’s a piano virtuoso so good that he’s the best in the entire school ("music from heaven"?) and everyone’s noticing that he’s beautiful? I mean, some people are calling him "The Angel of the Chapel." Though I like that this notoriety is causing him trouble in rumors starting, as people are noticing him mooning after Robert and noticing when he tries to visit Alain and wondering why someone known as an excellent student is spending so much time around the problem ones.
Georges figured out the love thing at the worst possible moment. Geez, kid.
Can we believe anything about the organization and who’s doing what and why? I don’t think so. Katsumoto says this is the end of Tatsuki, Kotarou, and Yuuto’s story, so I guess we’ll never find out. I find it hard to believe they won’t have more organization trouble in the future or that Kota’s going to remain in the darkness about Tatsuki and Yuuto’s abilities for long given the way that the very next day they’re already using them in front of him. In public!
It’s nice that the author pulls in a reason why Kotarou is small even though she didn’t have to, though we have to wonder how many of Yukisato’s revelations are true, how many false to mislead Kotarou, and how many are shaded by his own sociopathic delusions. "Useless container"? If Tatsuki has nothing on his own, why have his talents manifested in ways completely different from anything Kotarou has shown? "Forced to lose his wife," sure. Too bad for Yukisato he’s so sociopathic and certain in his way of thinking that he completely misread Kotarou and the best way to remove Tatsuki from the equation to make Kotarou do what he wanted. Yukisato, you’ve seen Kotarou enough and probably heard enough from your son/minion Akira to realize that making it look like Kotarou killed Tatsuki by touching him will not inspire Kota to finish the job. (Ohmigod, the head explodey moment! Me: "...whoa! I can’t believe she went there!")
Of course the head explodey was done by Yukisato, not Kotarou, though I only picked up on that in the second read. Tatsuki’s agonizing headache and collapse in volume 7 can no doubt be laid at Yukisato’s feet as well.
What the hell do they shoot Tatsuki up with that night, anyway?
Kiba only looks like a moron for yelling at Yuuto because maybe if he and Udou had bothered explaining which side they were on before Tatsuki and Kotarou wouldn’t have been delivered right to their enemy. Then again, I think Kiba and Udou are arrogant morons in general. The author says she’ll do more with them in the future, which if it comes to the US will have to do a hell of a lot to get over my hatred of them.
I’m very pleased in Tatsuki and Yuuto’s character evolutions--with Tatsuki barehanded, casual at school, and even smiling a little in the end!--which makes me even more annoyed that Kotarou got a mind wipe. Kotarou learned a lot of important things about his cousin that were just taken away. Tatsuki becomes less of a sullen, uncommunicative bastard, while Yuuto’s caring nature and bravery shine through. Yuuto’s tackle-hugging when Kotarou shows up at the end was so sweet! And totally dorky.
I like that Yuuto and Tatsuki are drawn to look more like adults by the end.
Akira is out of their lives! Thank you! Don’t let the door hit you on the ass and knock you down a flight of stairs on the way out, you creepy little bastard.
That little hint of fanservice at the end made me smirk. Rumors that Tatsuki and Kotarou ran off together! The girls at school sighing over the hot boy-on-boy action! Yuuto showing up to say that it’s a threesome. *g* I guess the author had to do something to say she recognizes the cousinly heat even if she didn’t intend to go the incest road....
***
Dang, I'm getting old. I don't know if Chigusa Kawai’s La Esperança vol. 5 really is as melodramatic as I think it is or I just don't remember my teen self as well as I once did. Hmm, maybe a bit of both. Georges is suffering from lovesickness so badly--at times over-the-top badly--even though he doesn’t understand what it is.
Henri/Georges OTP, dammit! Even though it’s becoming more and more obvious that the author has no intention of going there. Robert is still such a waste of space, self-involved, with even the possibility of injury to Georges worrying him more because it’s connected to him than out of the possibility that Georges was really hurt. Robert being nice to Georges’ mother at times isn’t enough, especially since he’s wasting the second chance Georges and Freddy got him at the school. He’s still violent too.
Georges is evolving throughout the series, so why the hell is Robert the same if we’re supposed to believe that they’re going to end up together? Henri deserves better than to have to watch this. This makes me unhappy.
What does make me happy is that finally somebody’s spending less time sighing over how much Georges looks like Grace and more time seeing if there’s a reason why. Alain, I never would have expected it of you. Though if Georges’ mother was also Grace’s mother that means that most of the main members of the cast are related by blood, adoption, or married parents. *g* Alain gets more shading in "The Watch" but it’ll still be a while until he redeems himself... if he does.
Georges gets his rosary back by believing better of someone than the person deserves and inspiring that person to prove him correct. That’s either really brave or really stupid, although it’s working out well for him a lot of the time.
I’m glad that Erwin and Joshua have a purpose in the series after all so I feel less like previous volumes wasted my time spending so many pages on them. Joshua pokes Georges about Robert in ways Henri never would. (Mind out of the gutter, perverts!)
The author should stop making Georges more of a Marty Stu. Now he’s a piano virtuoso so good that he’s the best in the entire school ("music from heaven"?) and everyone’s noticing that he’s beautiful? I mean, some people are calling him "The Angel of the Chapel." Though I like that this notoriety is causing him trouble in rumors starting, as people are noticing him mooning after Robert and noticing when he tries to visit Alain and wondering why someone known as an excellent student is spending so much time around the problem ones.
Georges figured out the love thing at the worst possible moment. Geez, kid.