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Adachi and Shimamura Light Novel #9
Adachi and Shimamura (Light Novel) Vol. 9
Winter is in full swing, and Adachi and Shimamura are about to celebrate their second Christmas together—so what better time to pause and reflect on the journey that brought them this far? This holiday season, perhaps even the most painful memories of junior high are a gift to be treasured.
191 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2020
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79 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 26, 2022
Winter has made its way back around and that means another Christmas date for the newly minted couple of Adachi and Shimamura. There’s a lot to process before that, however, and some very unexpected characters get some very unexpected development.
The only thing better than having all your questions answered by a book is being given answers to the questions you never knew you should be asking and that forms the basis of why this volume is so good.
We start off with a chance encounter contrasting the junior high Shimamura with the current one and how the former was much more outgoing and played team sports and basically hated every minute of it. Between that and an utter distaste for conformity, which probably informs some of her relationship with Adachi, she mentions at several points that her younger self would have hated most everybody in her life now. Except part of her misses her old ways.
It’s an interesting juxtaposition, as Shimamura is far more inscrutable than most of the story’s characters, even if she’s traded in what is clearly a life of shallow popularity for one where her relationships are often kept at greater distance, but when they mean more they mean a lot more.
Even Adachi is aware of this and treats every time she sneaks a peek behind her girlfriend’s walls as a massive triumph and something to truly be treasured. And Shimamura is mostly still figuring herself out, like any person her age.
The subsequent intermission sets the stage for Shimamura’s mom, who steals this volume handily by being the most embarrassing mother ever and like a version of her daughter with way more energy and no filter. Her meeting with Adachi’s mom, who we see doesn’t get along with HER daughter because they’re way too much alike (mom has far less trouble mouthing off though), is an absolute classic and seeds the hilarious ending to this one.
But the best stuff in this book is the middle section, which is completely focused on Hino and Nagafuji, of all people. These two have been mostly assigned to small comedy bits and some yuri baiting, which seemed to be the extent of their characters.
Yeah, about that.
We’ve known that Hino has familial obligations and hates being home, but that hasn’t explained how she’s tolerated Nagafuji, who is constantly getting on her nerves, since they were in preschool.
Perhaps I’m slightly thick or it wasn’t writ quite so large until now (maybe both), but Hino clearly loves Nagafuji because she’s so random and annoying and has absolutely no grasp of decorum. She’s the polar opposite of what Hino hates in her home life, which makes this all make perfect sense.
We see this in a flashback where, as a young teen, Hino asks their maid, Enome, to help her run away and they go ask for permission first and take the household car plus a quickly invited Nagafuji.
This trip reveals a lot to Hino, both in terms of herself and Enome, whose own story is headed exactly where you might think and is this wonderfully understated blend of happiness and melancholy. It also explains a lot about why Hino’s father tells her she will not be responsible for carrying on the family traditions, a subtle hint that parents are never as oblivious as you think.
That comes up again in the last chapters, the Christmas date, which infers heavily that Shimamura’s mom has her daughter all figured out. She even spots her daughter being a little turned on by the idea of Adachi’s cheongsam. Speaking of, there’s a brilliant moment where Adachi dies of embarrassment thinking of what she wore last year that made me laugh out loud when her fashion choices this year are revealed.
This year’s date feels less impactful than the previous one, at first, but it is actually just a lot more subtle. Adachi is still a wreck, but she’s learning to be in love and not a mess slowly. She’s definitely got the over-the-top emotions still, but she keeps her embarrassing proclamations to a minimum.
Shimamura knows what Adachi is like by now and, even with her walls up, we can see parts of her feelings peeking out. The way she lovingly teases Adachi never gets old for me and Adachi even wishes Shimamura was more affectionate and the latter agrees to work on showing it because Adachi means that much to her. Even if it is only for her, it’s clear that Shimamura loves when Adachi is expressing her true feelings.
This is even more obvious at the very end, which turns to a family party and some real cringe comedy. Shimamura is on fire here, entertaining incest (sort of), suddenly confronted with a past confrontation, considering outing herself (it’s remarkable how what seems like a fluff yuri series doesn’t shy from queer issues), and then winds up full of adulation when Adachi has real feelings towards something that isn’t her.
Yes, this volume has very little Adachi and very little Adachi and Shimamura, but what we do get is great and given the quality of everything else it’s really hard to complain. There were bigger fish to try and catch and then not catch and not fry, trust me.
5 stars - this series has stayed consistently strong, but this volume does so much with less than 150 pages and was absolutely delightful from start to finish. It is just a well-written book and that’s not something I often say about light novels as a rule.
The only thing better than having all your questions answered by a book is being given answers to the questions you never knew you should be asking and that forms the basis of why this volume is so good.
We start off with a chance encounter contrasting the junior high Shimamura with the current one and how the former was much more outgoing and played team sports and basically hated every minute of it. Between that and an utter distaste for conformity, which probably informs some of her relationship with Adachi, she mentions at several points that her younger self would have hated most everybody in her life now. Except part of her misses her old ways.
It’s an interesting juxtaposition, as Shimamura is far more inscrutable than most of the story’s characters, even if she’s traded in what is clearly a life of shallow popularity for one where her relationships are often kept at greater distance, but when they mean more they mean a lot more.
Even Adachi is aware of this and treats every time she sneaks a peek behind her girlfriend’s walls as a massive triumph and something to truly be treasured. And Shimamura is mostly still figuring herself out, like any person her age.
The subsequent intermission sets the stage for Shimamura’s mom, who steals this volume handily by being the most embarrassing mother ever and like a version of her daughter with way more energy and no filter. Her meeting with Adachi’s mom, who we see doesn’t get along with HER daughter because they’re way too much alike (mom has far less trouble mouthing off though), is an absolute classic and seeds the hilarious ending to this one.
But the best stuff in this book is the middle section, which is completely focused on Hino and Nagafuji, of all people. These two have been mostly assigned to small comedy bits and some yuri baiting, which seemed to be the extent of their characters.
Yeah, about that.
We’ve known that Hino has familial obligations and hates being home, but that hasn’t explained how she’s tolerated Nagafuji, who is constantly getting on her nerves, since they were in preschool.
Perhaps I’m slightly thick or it wasn’t writ quite so large until now (maybe both), but Hino clearly loves Nagafuji because she’s so random and annoying and has absolutely no grasp of decorum. She’s the polar opposite of what Hino hates in her home life, which makes this all make perfect sense.
We see this in a flashback where, as a young teen, Hino asks their maid, Enome, to help her run away and they go ask for permission first and take the household car plus a quickly invited Nagafuji.
This trip reveals a lot to Hino, both in terms of herself and Enome, whose own story is headed exactly where you might think and is this wonderfully understated blend of happiness and melancholy. It also explains a lot about why Hino’s father tells her she will not be responsible for carrying on the family traditions, a subtle hint that parents are never as oblivious as you think.
That comes up again in the last chapters, the Christmas date, which infers heavily that Shimamura’s mom has her daughter all figured out. She even spots her daughter being a little turned on by the idea of Adachi’s cheongsam. Speaking of, there’s a brilliant moment where Adachi dies of embarrassment thinking of what she wore last year that made me laugh out loud when her fashion choices this year are revealed.
This year’s date feels less impactful than the previous one, at first, but it is actually just a lot more subtle. Adachi is still a wreck, but she’s learning to be in love and not a mess slowly. She’s definitely got the over-the-top emotions still, but she keeps her embarrassing proclamations to a minimum.
Shimamura knows what Adachi is like by now and, even with her walls up, we can see parts of her feelings peeking out. The way she lovingly teases Adachi never gets old for me and Adachi even wishes Shimamura was more affectionate and the latter agrees to work on showing it because Adachi means that much to her. Even if it is only for her, it’s clear that Shimamura loves when Adachi is expressing her true feelings.
This is even more obvious at the very end, which turns to a family party and some real cringe comedy. Shimamura is on fire here, entertaining incest (sort of), suddenly confronted with a past confrontation, considering outing herself (it’s remarkable how what seems like a fluff yuri series doesn’t shy from queer issues), and then winds up full of adulation when Adachi has real feelings towards something that isn’t her.
Yes, this volume has very little Adachi and very little Adachi and Shimamura, but what we do get is great and given the quality of everything else it’s really hard to complain. There were bigger fish to try and catch and then not catch and not fry, trust me.
5 stars - this series has stayed consistently strong, but this volume does so much with less than 150 pages and was absolutely delightful from start to finish. It is just a well-written book and that’s not something I often say about light novels as a rule.
July 28, 2024
this series is so good i can’t believe it 🥲
July 5, 2023
I gotta admit, before this, I always skipped the nagafugi/hino bonus chapters, but I really loved reading their childhood getting-to-know-each-other hehe, and learning about Shimamura in middle school was so interesting! as for adashima, I think they're doing a better job at girlfriending and it's so good to see
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2023
I saved this one for a while and eventually wanted to make it the first book I finished in 2023, I hoped to have this sooner so I could jump into vol 10 right as the official release came out but alas life gets in the way. Still, more of my favorite book series is always a good thing for me.
February 18, 2022
2.5 stars.
June 13, 2022
This was kind of all downhill after the insanity that was book 5
January 22, 2023
2.5 stars
If you're a fan of Hino x Nagafuji you'll be eating good with this volume but if not then there isn't much to keep you entertained.
If you're a fan of Hino x Nagafuji you'll be eating good with this volume but if not then there isn't much to keep you entertained.
September 23, 2023
4,25
Not what I expected, but it's nice too get to know more about the different side characters and their pasts
Not what I expected, but it's nice too get to know more about the different side characters and their pasts
October 3, 2023
It's good to see Shimamura really reflecting on herself, her choices and her feelings. Adachi is as Adachi as ever and that is of course part of the charm.
April 4, 2024
3.5
definitely felt more alive / awake / present reading this one, than when i was reading the previous volumes.
definitely felt more alive / awake / present reading this one, than when i was reading the previous volumes.
April 22, 2024
3 stars. Well, that was a let down. I didn’t enjoy this one but it had its moments. Overall I was just incredibly bored. This one felt out of place.
Read
May 13, 2025A disjointed volume, though not a bad one. Glad to finally be caught up.
June 12, 2022
This one takes the titular characters and backseats them for a huge chunk in the centre of the LN. I am fine with them fleshing out the other two main-ish characters, but would rather they just do shorter chapters and integrate the main storyline better.
It felt really odd to go for as long as it does without the main duo. That said, what we did get from them was nice and really furthered getting to understand the dynamics of their relationship and why it works... at least for them.
I liked learning more about the side relationships and EVERYONE's mothers. I just wished there was more of a back and forth as they usually do. It was distracting to be away from Adachi and Shimamura for so long.
It seems like a Yuri trope that EVERYONE IS GAY, but, I think it is cute the way it is deployed in this volume.
It felt really odd to go for as long as it does without the main duo. That said, what we did get from them was nice and really furthered getting to understand the dynamics of their relationship and why it works... at least for them.
I liked learning more about the side relationships and EVERYONE's mothers. I just wished there was more of a back and forth as they usually do. It was distracting to be away from Adachi and Shimamura for so long.
It seems like a Yuri trope that EVERYONE IS GAY, but, I think it is cute the way it is deployed in this volume.
December 2, 2021
Al incio fue algo lento pero con cada que avanzaba se puso cada vez mejor... Fue interesante que mostrará la perspectiva de los demás personajes y profundizar más en sus vidas.
Y sobre todo el último capítulo no pude parar de rirme :3
Disfruté leerlo.
Y sobre todo el último capítulo no pude parar de rirme :3
Disfruté leerlo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2022
I forgot to mention theres this weird half-plot where this little kid they met is a time traveling alien I don't know if it's just ebecause the translation I read was bad or what but I do not understand it
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews