Uzaki and Senpai are about to hit the holiday season and that means that the spectre of Christmas Eve dating rears its head. Will this long simmering relationship finally boil over? Or is it my patience that’s finally evaporating?
This volume starts really rough, with Shinichi’s dad becoming a lot more annoying than he was really quickly and a splash page that has some truly dire fan service that winds up being reflective of the majority of what’s in this book. It’s a hell of a letdown after the guiltily enjoyable previous book.
Things tick upwards briefly when Uzaki pesters Shinichi just a little more than she should over his Christmas plans, ie none, and gets herself banned from his apartment. After her 14-year-old sister comes on to a college student (to be fair, the book is aware of exactly how wrong this is and she’s trying to agitate her sister), Christmas Eve turns out to be an evening with the whole Uzaki clan.
Everything about this Christmas storyline turns into an absolute debacle, minus the realization of Senpai and Uzaki’s dad that they’re also one another’s gym buds who have been dishing dirt on the same person this whole time. That would have been a lot more fun to pursue than the path taken.
Instead, this goes down a whole road with a lot being said and heart-stopping revelations about feelings and then Senpai’s brilliant plan to get blackout drunk so he doesn’t remember anything, which prompts the females present to strip him down, take pictures, and distribute them. No, seriously, this happens.
Now take five seconds to think about what was just said. I don’t care if this is a gag book, that’s nasty as hell and super off-putting. I think the only way this scenario could have sunk lower would be if the genders were reversed. Amidst this there’s a really tacky gay panic joke aimed at Uzaki’s brother, ruining a decent gag in progress.
Naturally, Shinichi basically just glosses over this and, instead, several volumes of blatant hints finally get through to our leads and they decide that they need to be honest, but before that can happen they hit the shrine where Shinichi gets some advice and admits, at least to himself, how much he likes Uzaki. Who just non-consensually violated him.
After being mostly okay with this series, I think this is where I get off. Bit of shame, I do like it when the coupling happens in a story, but it also struck me how absolutely charmless this relationship is, amidst all the nastiness, because it would have been nice if that had saved the rest of it.
Really, the mangaka’s style reminds me of that one friend that many of us have had (or have been; it happens) who took a joke just a little too far and made a colossal mess in the process, going from being funny to just a bit of an unpleasant arse. That’s this book in a nutshell.
2 stars - I’m going to miss those screaming cat heads a lot; the gag with the paper yen is the kind of idiocy I wish this had more of, but it doesn’t. There’s enough here for people enjoying the series, but I’d rather spend my money on something that doesn’t make me feel like I need a shower afterwards.
Those pages in Chapter 67 and the last page…things are getting way better for our wacky couple and it’s just so cute I want to freaking scream in delight. Now onto Volume 8, please!
This is the best volume yet! I'm so happy that we're finally getting some forward momentum with this lovable pair of idiots and I can't wait to see what happens next! I love the interactions we're getting between allllllllll the characters and the ways in which Uzaki and Sakurai are finally starting to open their eyes and become self-aware!
Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!, Vol. 7 (My Kindle Review)
Sakurai continues to ponder on his and Uzaki’s relationship while getting some helpful words and another setback. He reluctantly goes to the Uzaki household’s Christmas party and must endure a chilly atmosphere from the family matriarch. Things do smooth a bit buts leaves Sakurai a bit drunk but by the end, there’s finally a real ray of hope for his feelings for Uzaki. A- (91%/Excellent)
Está progresando bastante bien y ha habido algunos capítulos muy graciosos. Los personajes secundarios están obteniendo un poco de protagonismo bien manejado.
More of a 3.5 star rating; I really like that in this volume we get to see a bit more of Sakurai’s family, as well as, Sakurai officially meeting Uzaki’s father outside of the gym. It was very amusing and very interesting seeing how while their dynamic changed a bit with being in front of the family, they still had a lot of lighthearted moments and the father wasn’t mean to Sakurai. Also the most important thing that happened in this volume, Sakurai had the realization that we’ve all been waiting for! I find it adorable with how much thought he’s putting into this and that he’s actually willing to admit, to himself, how strongly he feels for Uzaki. I’m very hopeful for the next volume and curious to see when Sakurai officially meets Uzaki’s brother.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
While I don't want to spoil anything but let's just say the couple plot points that I've been dying to see finally might happen. Overall good story with good art style and cute as all get out.
She's my ideal girl - short, naturally grey short hair, a cute tush, a cute smile, and a massive rack. So senpai spends Christmas and New Year's with the Uzaki clan. Senpai discovers he's V