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高校デビュー [Kōkō Debut] #13-15
High School Debut (3-in-1 Edition), Vol. 5
With graduation on the horizon, Yoh faces a difficult choice: should he go to university all the way in Tokyo or stay near Haruna? Haruna wants to support Yoh’s decision no matter what, but can their relationship weather long distance?
Don’t miss the series finale, plus previously unpublished stories from volumes 14 and 15 of the High School Debut series!
Don’t miss the series finale, plus previously unpublished stories from volumes 14 and 15 of the High School Debut series!
560 pages, Paperback
First published February 3, 2015
4 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Kazune Kawahara
164 books289 followers• Birth Date: March 11th, 1972
• Blood Type: A
• Zodiac: Pisces
Kazune Kawahara (河原和音) made her manga debut at age 18 with Kare no Ichiban Sukina Hito (His Most Favorite Person). Also, while thinking of her manga, she often spaces out and brings grocery baskets home. Adores her nieces.
• Blood Type: A
• Zodiac: Pisces
Kazune Kawahara (河原和音) made her manga debut at age 18 with Kare no Ichiban Sukina Hito (His Most Favorite Person). Also, while thinking of her manga, she often spaces out and brings grocery baskets home. Adores her nieces.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
March 19, 2022
I used to think Yoh was so cute... but now he just looks like he's tired all the time 😭
July 12, 2017
Since the moment I picked up the first volume of high school debut I fell in love with it. Haruna is hilarious and I couldn't stop laughing multiple times during reading the series.
Recently, as I was buying another manga I found out that Kazune made another two volumes after vol. 13 that are published in a 3 in 1 edition. I already had volume 13 but I loved high school debut enough to buy this for the bonus volumes.
I'm glad I did. It added closure although I also feel like it wasted some potential of going to other places. Still it was a nice way to say goodbye to Haruna and Yoh. I really liked it and although I can't say that I absolutely loved it, I still recommend it for fans of the series especially those who still want more after volume 13.
Recently, as I was buying another manga I found out that Kazune made another two volumes after vol. 13 that are published in a 3 in 1 edition. I already had volume 13 but I loved high school debut enough to buy this for the bonus volumes.
I'm glad I did. It added closure although I also feel like it wasted some potential of going to other places. Still it was a nice way to say goodbye to Haruna and Yoh. I really liked it and although I can't say that I absolutely loved it, I still recommend it for fans of the series especially those who still want more after volume 13.
August 31, 2020
This is a fun, shoujo series!
I really enjoy the growth that Haruna goes on. Though she is a bit awkward in the beginning, it's hard to not root for her to find her happiness. Yoh is really a good boy in a grumpy, attractive package, and we love to see it.
The cast of characters in this series are really enjoyable as well! Some favorites being Mami and Fumi! They all feed into what the main couple needs, and it works really well.
I wish I could have tweaked a couple of things, but other than that, I genuinely enjoyed the reading experience on this one!
I really enjoy the growth that Haruna goes on. Though she is a bit awkward in the beginning, it's hard to not root for her to find her happiness. Yoh is really a good boy in a grumpy, attractive package, and we love to see it.
The cast of characters in this series are really enjoyable as well! Some favorites being Mami and Fumi! They all feed into what the main couple needs, and it works really well.
I wish I could have tweaked a couple of things, but other than that, I genuinely enjoyed the reading experience on this one!
November 24, 2018
It was last volume.sad to finish it,i had i great timing (laughed a lot).This manga gave me many positive feelings
March 9, 2019
Perfect ending to an adorable manga.
August 31, 2022
So so much better than the last omnibus, it was refreshing to see a successful long distance relationship work. The ending was so abrupt though!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2023
Hmmm idk i think it took me a rlly long time to finish this volume bc by time i picked it up, i wasnt rlly into the story anymore. i also think this rating is due to the short stories at the end bc for some reason i dont like reading them 😭
May 24, 2021
This series started off stronger than it finished. The story is nothing special, pretty standard fare, but it's lighthearted and fun, and I'm a sucker for ugly duckling stories, so I was hooked immediately. But with a main character like Haruna, you have to write your story in such a way that the character won't become annoying or absurd to the point of unenjoyable. And while I think the author did a good job of making Haruna a fun character in the first half, turning her overactive imagination and extreme reactions into great story fodder, I don't think she did so well with this in the second half. Haruna's personality and behavior slowly became more and more grating as the story goes on. Not so much so that I stopped enjoying the story entirely, but enough so that I don't know how likely I am to ever pick this series up for a re-read.
And that's really all I have to say about this series. It's not a stand out story, the art is decent but nothing special (even occasionally subpar), and Haruna starts out really fun but sort-of devolves in the second half. It's nothing to write home about. Still, it is generally enjoyable fluff, so if you like lighthearted ugly duckling stories and don't mind somewhat cliché/standard storylines and a female lead who can become occasionally grating on your brain, this isn't a bad series to waste some time on.
And that's really all I have to say about this series. It's not a stand out story, the art is decent but nothing special (even occasionally subpar), and Haruna starts out really fun but sort-of devolves in the second half. It's nothing to write home about. Still, it is generally enjoyable fluff, so if you like lighthearted ugly duckling stories and don't mind somewhat cliché/standard storylines and a female lead who can become occasionally grating on your brain, this isn't a bad series to waste some time on.
June 28, 2025
This series kind of fizzled out in volume 4 for me, although there were a few bright spots in this conclusion. Was it worth the hassle of trying to track down a used copy of a hard-to-find book? Probably not, but it would've annoyed me to not know how it ended.
The actual conclusion is volume 13, the first section of this omnibus. It wraps up with Yoh going to college and Haruna joining him there a year later, after she agonized through the difficulties of a long-distance relationship and insisted that she fully supported him following her dreams.
We also finally get Haruna meeting...well, not Yoh's parents, because his dad is still oddly never around, but she does get an extended, combative face-to-face with his mother. Who it turns out is a lot like Asami, so you can guess how well that went. I wonder if that means Yoh is like his dad...because his mom and his sister are kind of unbearably self-centered, and he is weirdly such a sweetheart.
The funniest thing about this whole series is that Yoh turns out to have been the world's worst romance coach. Haruna chose him because he was handsome and popular and seemed like he knew what he was doing. But he absolutely did not at any point in the narrative. Everything he "coached" Haruna on just...made her more appealing to him, really, and not to any other guys she was trying to attract. Because Yoh has very little experience with romance himself.
The reality is that he's only popular because he's hot and aloof, which makes him seem cool. But he's not intentionally like that...he just doesn't speak to people because he's really shy and easily embarrassed.
My favorite part of this omnibus was the side story in Tokyo, with Yoh's friends back home worrying about whether he was going to make any new friends in college...and Yoh forming a very unexpected and accidental bond with the second-hottest guy in school, who initially hates him.
That whole sequence absolutely cracked me up. The guy was just stewing about how badly he was wanting to win this whole competition that Yoh had no idea he was even in. And then when he sticks up for Yoh (to impress girls) and invites him to karaoke (to impress girls), he ends up actually talking to Yoh and finding out what a genuinely nice, quiet, loyal guy he is. With a girlfriend who...doesn't fit the idealized image at all, but whose pictures Yoh smiles at and gets possessive over, like anyone would ever want to steal Haruna from him.
There is another side plot with a guy who forms a pigtail-pulling relationship with Haruna at school, then eventually confesses to her. Kind of unnecessary, but I guess it's nice to show that she does have options beyond Yoh, and chooses him simply because she loves him. I did like that she full-on lectured this guy about how to NOT speak to or interact with girls he's interested in, because he did an absolutely terrible job of everything.
The stupidest part, though, was this dude ripping up Haruna's college recommendation...and that being a thing that somehow damaged her chances at getting into college? Why...why wouldn't the school just...print out a new copy...?
These are the kinds of absurd twists that got thrown in just to drag out drama, and I did find that element of the storytelling pretty frustrating.
Volume 14 was a "spin off" showing more of the year that Yoh and Haruna spent apart, with Haruna working hard to ensure she could end up at the same school as Yoh, and Yoh displaying absolute steadfast dedication to her. They're sweet, although Haruna's over-the-top personality and constant shouting was starting to get on my nerves after a while. I get that Yoh likes her passionate nature, but can't they ever just have normal conversations? At a regular volume? Without her passing out and landing in the hospital because he kissed her?
The side characters got massively sidelined in the last couple volumes. Asaoka and Mami barely got any lines. Asami, annoyingly, got a whole side story in Volume 15. It was a bit unfair, honestly, for her coworker to be presented as such a terrible girl - kind of Asami in a different hat. Because some of what she was saying in the beginning, about Fumi being way too good for Asami, was true. At least she did eventually admit (to herself) that she's very much in love with him, and I liked that she defended Fumi when the girl got spiteful after his rejection.
The final story was just completely unrelated, so I don't get why it was included in this series at all? It was way, way more in line with Kawahara's other big series, My Love Story!!, with a delicate, pretty girl falling in love with a big burly traditionally unattractive dude.
I guess that's her thing? Haruna was supposed to be "unattractive" with an extremely hot boyfriend, although she's actually very pretty the entire way through. She's just outspoken and athletic.
Anyway, I liked this series more at the beginning, but it was a fun enough read. Even if the conclusion didn't feel all that satisfying, the side story with Yoh at college almost made it worth it.
The actual conclusion is volume 13, the first section of this omnibus. It wraps up with Yoh going to college and Haruna joining him there a year later, after she agonized through the difficulties of a long-distance relationship and insisted that she fully supported him following her dreams.
We also finally get Haruna meeting...well, not Yoh's parents, because his dad is still oddly never around, but she does get an extended, combative face-to-face with his mother. Who it turns out is a lot like Asami, so you can guess how well that went. I wonder if that means Yoh is like his dad...because his mom and his sister are kind of unbearably self-centered, and he is weirdly such a sweetheart.
The funniest thing about this whole series is that Yoh turns out to have been the world's worst romance coach. Haruna chose him because he was handsome and popular and seemed like he knew what he was doing. But he absolutely did not at any point in the narrative. Everything he "coached" Haruna on just...made her more appealing to him, really, and not to any other guys she was trying to attract. Because Yoh has very little experience with romance himself.
The reality is that he's only popular because he's hot and aloof, which makes him seem cool. But he's not intentionally like that...he just doesn't speak to people because he's really shy and easily embarrassed.
My favorite part of this omnibus was the side story in Tokyo, with Yoh's friends back home worrying about whether he was going to make any new friends in college...and Yoh forming a very unexpected and accidental bond with the second-hottest guy in school, who initially hates him.
That whole sequence absolutely cracked me up. The guy was just stewing about how badly he was wanting to win this whole competition that Yoh had no idea he was even in. And then when he sticks up for Yoh (to impress girls) and invites him to karaoke (to impress girls), he ends up actually talking to Yoh and finding out what a genuinely nice, quiet, loyal guy he is. With a girlfriend who...doesn't fit the idealized image at all, but whose pictures Yoh smiles at and gets possessive over, like anyone would ever want to steal Haruna from him.
There is another side plot with a guy who forms a pigtail-pulling relationship with Haruna at school, then eventually confesses to her. Kind of unnecessary, but I guess it's nice to show that she does have options beyond Yoh, and chooses him simply because she loves him. I did like that she full-on lectured this guy about how to NOT speak to or interact with girls he's interested in, because he did an absolutely terrible job of everything.
The stupidest part, though, was this dude ripping up Haruna's college recommendation...and that being a thing that somehow damaged her chances at getting into college? Why...why wouldn't the school just...print out a new copy...?
These are the kinds of absurd twists that got thrown in just to drag out drama, and I did find that element of the storytelling pretty frustrating.
Volume 14 was a "spin off" showing more of the year that Yoh and Haruna spent apart, with Haruna working hard to ensure she could end up at the same school as Yoh, and Yoh displaying absolute steadfast dedication to her. They're sweet, although Haruna's over-the-top personality and constant shouting was starting to get on my nerves after a while. I get that Yoh likes her passionate nature, but can't they ever just have normal conversations? At a regular volume? Without her passing out and landing in the hospital because he kissed her?
The side characters got massively sidelined in the last couple volumes. Asaoka and Mami barely got any lines. Asami, annoyingly, got a whole side story in Volume 15. It was a bit unfair, honestly, for her coworker to be presented as such a terrible girl - kind of Asami in a different hat. Because some of what she was saying in the beginning, about Fumi being way too good for Asami, was true. At least she did eventually admit (to herself) that she's very much in love with him, and I liked that she defended Fumi when the girl got spiteful after his rejection.
The final story was just completely unrelated, so I don't get why it was included in this series at all? It was way, way more in line with Kawahara's other big series, My Love Story!!, with a delicate, pretty girl falling in love with a big burly traditionally unattractive dude.
I guess that's her thing? Haruna was supposed to be "unattractive" with an extremely hot boyfriend, although she's actually very pretty the entire way through. She's just outspoken and athletic.
Anyway, I liked this series more at the beginning, but it was a fun enough read. Even if the conclusion didn't feel all that satisfying, the side story with Yoh at college almost made it worth it.
Read
March 24, 2022 ** Updated 03.23.2022 **
I finished rereading this series on March 17th, and at the time I didn't have much to say aside from how well HSD held up since the last time I'd read it, which was somewhere in ... I don't know, 2012? 2010? But I've returned with a somewhat cohesive review.
This review is for the entire series, and therefore contains spoilers. I've left this review on the final volume in the series for a reason.
Synopsis: Haruna Nagashima has one goal upon entering high school: leave her tomboy image behind and bag a man! Or rather, since this manga is mostly pure fluff, find love. Unfortunately, Haruna's idea of romance comes directly from the shoujo manga she read on the sly after softball practice. She is, needless to say, woefully unprepared. Enter Yoh Komiyama, an incredibly attractive upperclassman who happens to be exactly what Haruna is looking for...in a coach. Though Yoh resists at first, eventually he agrees to teach Haruna how to find love. The only condition? Haruna isn't allowed to fall in love with Yoh.
The Review:
Pro Tip: If you can find the live-action film they made...it's absolutely worth the watch. They crush a few different storylines together to make it fit into the timeframe, but it's funny and the acting is pretty solid and it's just a nice, feel-good film.
**STAR BREAKDOWN AS OF 3.23.22:**
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Series Overall
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Characters
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Art
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Standard RomCom “Drama”
[[I've left this same review on the last volume of the individual volume version of High School Debut because...Goodreads doesn't have a better way to review manga 🤷♂️]]
I finished rereading this series on March 17th, and at the time I didn't have much to say aside from how well HSD held up since the last time I'd read it, which was somewhere in ... I don't know, 2012? 2010? But I've returned with a somewhat cohesive review.
This review is for the entire series, and therefore contains spoilers. I've left this review on the final volume in the series for a reason.
Synopsis: Haruna Nagashima has one goal upon entering high school: leave her tomboy image behind and bag a man! Or rather, since this manga is mostly pure fluff, find love. Unfortunately, Haruna's idea of romance comes directly from the shoujo manga she read on the sly after softball practice. She is, needless to say, woefully unprepared. Enter Yoh Komiyama, an incredibly attractive upperclassman who happens to be exactly what Haruna is looking for...in a coach. Though Yoh resists at first, eventually he agrees to teach Haruna how to find love. The only condition? Haruna isn't allowed to fall in love with Yoh.
The Review:
Pro Tip: If you can find the live-action film they made...it's absolutely worth the watch. They crush a few different storylines together to make it fit into the timeframe, but it's funny and the acting is pretty solid and it's just a nice, feel-good film.
**STAR BREAKDOWN AS OF 3.23.22:**
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Series Overall
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Characters
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Art
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Standard RomCom “Drama”
[[I've left this same review on the last volume of the individual volume version of High School Debut because...Goodreads doesn't have a better way to review manga 🤷♂️]]
August 19, 2023
I've enjoyed the series more than I expected but the end is just a bit bland? And also kind of unrealistic on how it happened. Maybe that's just me, but I felt that it was way too fast and easy.
I did really enjoy their relationship but I must say, a long distance relationship does not translate well in manga format. It felt too detached. It lost all the previous spark that were in the last novels. I am however happy I read it all, I had previously only read volume one, which I re-read now and it gets much better since the first novel.
I did really enjoy their relationship but I must say, a long distance relationship does not translate well in manga format. It felt too detached. It lost all the previous spark that were in the last novels. I am however happy I read it all, I had previously only read volume one, which I re-read now and it gets much better since the first novel.
October 23, 2021
I'm kind of sad that it's all over.
Yoh and Haruna's relationship is so cute and the way the progress and grow individually and together is so adorable. I adore how Haruna and Yoh are so opposite from each other yet they get along so well, and Yoh just absolutely loving who Haruna is and her loud, weird, and quirky personality.
Ugh. I want to see them in college to be honest. It would be even more cute and funny!
Yoh and Haruna's relationship is so cute and the way the progress and grow individually and together is so adorable. I adore how Haruna and Yoh are so opposite from each other yet they get along so well, and Yoh just absolutely loving who Haruna is and her loud, weird, and quirky personality.
Ugh. I want to see them in college to be honest. It would be even more cute and funny!
April 25, 2023
Overall thoughts on High School Debut, I loved this series!!! 5/5 stars!!!! It was hilarious. It was cute.It was fun! I loved the characters and to be honest, I would read a spin off about their college lives/adult lives if the mangaka wanted to continue!!!!
Side note: I really wish that volumes 14 and 15 were published in the single volumes because to be honest, I hate how thin the pages are in these 3-in-1s. But sadly, this is the only way to read vol 14 and 15..
Side note: I really wish that volumes 14 and 15 were published in the single volumes because to be honest, I hate how thin the pages are in these 3-in-1s. But sadly, this is the only way to read vol 14 and 15..
June 28, 2019
This volume was just ok. The long distance stuff wasn't as interesting, but it was still cute and I'm glad the author decided to write it.
I really liked the scenes on Haruna putting her all into studying. I'm going to try and borrow some of that energy. lol
I really appreciated that there was no filler in this volume (unlike Fruits Basket)
I really liked the scenes on Haruna putting her all into studying. I'm going to try and borrow some of that energy. lol
I really appreciated that there was no filler in this volume (unlike Fruits Basket)
January 2, 2026
Volume 13 is the real end to the story. 14 and 15 are a collection of additional stories. 13 ended in a high note for me brought me back to why I like these two so much. The rest of it, was kind of just okay for how much additional pages we were given I felt like a great epilogue showing all the HEA was doable but we didn’t get that.
July 31, 2017
One of my favorite manga series. So I read up to the 13th volume. Then found there's two more. So of course I found this one had the other two. And it reminded why I love this series and the two leads. That art style especially helps. Anyway, this was pretty good.
May 7, 2022
I really only read the final volume of the series. The two "unpublished volumes" I just skimmed through. I don't know, the ending wasn't as impactful as I remember it being. Still love it and I'm glad I'm done with it, but still.
July 14, 2022
The ending wasn’t as satisfying as I wish it was but the main characters are still adorable! And I absolutely love how in love they are! I wish that the series had more books because I love it so much! And I’m very sad it’s over! I will most likely check out more of the authors works.
August 24, 2025
⭑*•̩̩͙⊱• reread on 8/4/25! such a beautiful ending to this series! can’t believe I finished this for the second time. I wish we saw a glimpse of them post college and how they all matured. but still a beautiful story nonetheless.
March 17, 2018
This series was so corny and fun :3 I also enjoyed the final bonus manga.
July 14, 2019
3.5 stars
The official final volume in the series Volume 13 is a 5 stars though😋
The official final volume in the series Volume 13 is a 5 stars though😋
May 4, 2020
4.5/5 stars
July 4, 2020
It's a bit of a random collection but nice to revisit these characters again.
March 10, 2021
Can't believe it's over.
July 25, 2021
this was too cute 😭
July 27, 2021
I LOVE THIS MANGA 🙌🧎♀️ it made me laugh so much stayed up all night to finish it 100/10
April 9, 2023
I wish the side stories delved more into their future but other than that this was a nice finish to an enjoyable series.
June 8, 2023
I admit I skimmed some of the bonus material in favor of the main story/main characters BUT I had fun reading this series.
March 30, 2024
Overall I really loved the series. I missed humor in last volume, but side stories were very cute.
June 13, 2015
After I finally picked the last omnibus volume up at Tekko back in April and finally getting around to finish going through the manga haul for both April and May (which isn’t counting the old volumes of Pretear and Avalon High that I picked up at the con either), I finished High School Debut. I should note that while the original printing of the series had thirteen volumes, the final omnibus also includes two bonus volumes that take place right before the very end of the series.
I actually really liked the original ending of the series. Like with the last volume, I liked how Haruna and Yoh were beginning to think their futures, not just as a couple, but what they want to do with their lives after high school. Having read a lot of romance series (not just manga, but it’s incredibly prevalent in young adult), the idea of high school romances being the one singular romance for the characters is the norm, and it does feel like it’s obvious that these characters are going to be together forever. (This isn’t getting into the cultural mores of Japan.) But what I’ve really enjoyed with the crop of high school shojo romances that I’ve been getting into recently is that the characters are dealing with the future and their plans as a couple, but it’s not centered around “But I have to get into your college and we have to live together.” It’s more about trying to deal with those feelings and maturing and realizing that you’re going to have to let that person go and it’s not an improbable event that can never happen.
And what really drives this whole volume forward is Haruna’s speech that she accidently writes to Yoh, which is incredibly sweet and moving. I really liked that it works as a potential goodbye for Haruna and her realizing that they’ll have to move on someday if things don’t work out, but I loved that it works as a wrap-up of their relationship up until this point in the series. (And I really liked her actual speech to the graduating seniors, how she was able to make it sweet and moving without sounding too generic.) I really loved the first ending of the series, and that Haruna and Yoh do eventually make it to the same college together.
As for the two bonus volumes, I did end up liking them, although I think pacing-wise it would have worked better in the omnibus volume to cut the last few pages of volume 13, and then insert them in the end. I know that Viz can’t do that, but it did feel a little jarring to have the emotional build-up of Yoh running to the airport to go pick up Haruna for her freshman year at his college, and then we get two full volumes of Haruna trying to get into said college. That said, I did like them—I liked seeing the little bonus stories of Haruna and Yoh’s relationship and just because they did get a happily ever after, that there’s still little bumps along the way. (Although Haruna’s boss at the café is just 100% gross. I didn’t like him, even if all he does is try to give life advice to his employees.) And I actually liked Haruna’s wacky hijinx of trying to get into the same college as Yoh—the scene of her trying to get to her interview on time was really funny, and I loved the punchline to it. (“Yeah, they’ve never seen a prospect that’s so been so intense!”) I also liked how Kawahara dealt with Haruna and Yoh’s being separated meant for the characters, albeit a little outweighed in how the characters’ situations were presented. Haruna has to deal with a guy who likes her and is convinced that they could hook up if he stops her from going to Yoh’s college. Luckily, Haruna shuts him down cold (and yells at him assuming he’s been friendzoned), but compared to Haruna and her friends going, “Oh, but Yoh is so standoffish! I wonder if he’s been making friends,” there is a massive difference. (Although I did enjoy the “Oh look, Yoh made a friend!”) story, that was funny.)
I did really enjoy this series overall, and I think the final omnibus is a sweet capper to a very sweet series. For something that’s very atypical high school shojo romance, I think Kawahara Kazune pulled it off beautifully by highlighting the characters and their relationships, and developing there to be more mature and thinking about how they’re approaching their relationships instead of going down a checklist. I really recommend checking out this series (especially with all the attention that My Love Story!! is getting now), because it’s so sweet and delightful. Absolutely loved it.
I actually really liked the original ending of the series. Like with the last volume, I liked how Haruna and Yoh were beginning to think their futures, not just as a couple, but what they want to do with their lives after high school. Having read a lot of romance series (not just manga, but it’s incredibly prevalent in young adult), the idea of high school romances being the one singular romance for the characters is the norm, and it does feel like it’s obvious that these characters are going to be together forever. (This isn’t getting into the cultural mores of Japan.) But what I’ve really enjoyed with the crop of high school shojo romances that I’ve been getting into recently is that the characters are dealing with the future and their plans as a couple, but it’s not centered around “But I have to get into your college and we have to live together.” It’s more about trying to deal with those feelings and maturing and realizing that you’re going to have to let that person go and it’s not an improbable event that can never happen.
And what really drives this whole volume forward is Haruna’s speech that she accidently writes to Yoh, which is incredibly sweet and moving. I really liked that it works as a potential goodbye for Haruna and her realizing that they’ll have to move on someday if things don’t work out, but I loved that it works as a wrap-up of their relationship up until this point in the series. (And I really liked her actual speech to the graduating seniors, how she was able to make it sweet and moving without sounding too generic.) I really loved the first ending of the series, and that Haruna and Yoh do eventually make it to the same college together.
As for the two bonus volumes, I did end up liking them, although I think pacing-wise it would have worked better in the omnibus volume to cut the last few pages of volume 13, and then insert them in the end. I know that Viz can’t do that, but it did feel a little jarring to have the emotional build-up of Yoh running to the airport to go pick up Haruna for her freshman year at his college, and then we get two full volumes of Haruna trying to get into said college. That said, I did like them—I liked seeing the little bonus stories of Haruna and Yoh’s relationship and just because they did get a happily ever after, that there’s still little bumps along the way. (Although Haruna’s boss at the café is just 100% gross. I didn’t like him, even if all he does is try to give life advice to his employees.) And I actually liked Haruna’s wacky hijinx of trying to get into the same college as Yoh—the scene of her trying to get to her interview on time was really funny, and I loved the punchline to it. (“Yeah, they’ve never seen a prospect that’s so been so intense!”) I also liked how Kawahara dealt with Haruna and Yoh’s being separated meant for the characters, albeit a little outweighed in how the characters’ situations were presented. Haruna has to deal with a guy who likes her and is convinced that they could hook up if he stops her from going to Yoh’s college. Luckily, Haruna shuts him down cold (and yells at him assuming he’s been friendzoned), but compared to Haruna and her friends going, “Oh, but Yoh is so standoffish! I wonder if he’s been making friends,” there is a massive difference. (Although I did enjoy the “Oh look, Yoh made a friend!”) story, that was funny.)
I did really enjoy this series overall, and I think the final omnibus is a sweet capper to a very sweet series. For something that’s very atypical high school shojo romance, I think Kawahara Kazune pulled it off beautifully by highlighting the characters and their relationships, and developing there to be more mature and thinking about how they’re approaching their relationships instead of going down a checklist. I really recommend checking out this series (especially with all the attention that My Love Story!! is getting now), because it’s so sweet and delightful. Absolutely loved it.
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