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Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane I didn't review volume 11 of High School Debut, and back when I was reading it, I was kind of glad that I wouldn't be writing a review--it would have been a fine installment for a lot of series, but High School Debut is one of my pure-glee shoujo series, and I hold it to higher standards. Happily, volume 12 (the second last in the series) lived up to my usual expectations. At the end of volume 11, Haruna decided she and Yoh should celebrate his birthday by going away on an overnight trip--not realizing the implications of a dating couple spending the night together. By the time they head out at the beginning of volume 12, she's been made very aware of what people will think, and more importantly, has had the idea that "all guys expect sex in this situation" drilled into her head. She doesn't feel at all ready to sleep with Yoh, but is so determined to meet his expectations that she spends the entire first day of the trip in a frenzy of trying to psych herself up for it. Whether or not to have sex with Yoh isn't Haruna's only worry in this volume, either. Asami's attitude toward Haruna dating Yoh is getting worse--or showing more clearly--and is developing into a real threat to Haruna and Asami's friendship. And on top of that, it's well past time for Yoh to be making decisions about what he wants to do with the rest of his life, and like many couples (real and fictional alike), he and Haruna haven't really thought about what that's going to mean for their relationship once they're no longer in high school together. It all sounds like a pretty heavy volume, but it's not. Haruna's naiveté is out in full force, and as usual, it walks a fine line between being remotely believable and being too over the top, but I still find her energy and enthusiasm charming instead of annoying. I love that she and Yoh are able to have serious conversations about their relationship that might not be possible if Haruna were more reserved (or prone to making more accurate assumptions), and it makes the moments when she does understand the situation or Yoh's feelings that much more enjoyable, especially since her moments of comprehension usually happen in public, where Yoh really doesn't want to talk about them. His acceptance of how different they are, even when he's acutely embarrassed by what's going on, continues to be one of the things I really like about him. I'm going to miss this series when it's over. Review copy provided by VIZ Media. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
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