Review: Junjo Romantica - Vol. 8 -

Author: Shungiku Nakamura
Pages: 192
Price: 12.99
Publisher: Blu
Summary from back cover: When Usami can't write a teenage love story, it's up to Misaki to teach him the proper way to go on a "normal" date. As usual, things end up less than normal when family issues arise with the introduction of...Usami's father! It's time for Misaki to bite the bullet and say what he feels in his heart for Usami... And when Hiro finds Nowaki sleeping naked with a haughty hunk, will this spell the end of their relationship?

Review: We're eight volume's in, and it's very heartening to see a BL manga continue on for so long. But was Nakamura able to succeed in keeping the story new and intriguing? Maybe not so new, as she recycles some old plots, but definitely intriguing.

Towards the end of volume seven we were left with a obviously disgruntled Akihiko. We the readers know what's bothering him but for some reason Misaki has yet to figure it out. Volume eight takes Misaki further down his path of confusion and utter obliviousness when Akihiko suggest that Misaki should live on his own. Our spastic uke does what he does second best and totally ignores his lover while stressing to himself why he would say such a thing. This far into the series not asking questions is part of who Misaki is, and so we're stuck with having to see him come up with a million and one reasons why Akihiko says and does the things he does instead of going straight to the horses mouth. This plot device might work a couple of times, but by now, it's gotten old, as we see it repeated not just within the Romantica storyline but also in Egoist and Terrorist. Is it too much to ask to have a straightforward character who actually wants to work through their problems instead of angsting about it?

While wallowing in his angst, Misaki runs into a odd old man at the train station. This seems utterly familiar...Oh, wait because it happened before when Misaki met Akihiko's brother. I'm not quite sure what Nakamura is going for by reusing this scene, but it doesn't work. It was difficult reading through this part because of how similar it is to the other train incident. It felt like you were sitting in on a lesson of something you had just learned. You keep checking your watch as you eagerly wait for it to end. And boy was I glad when it was over.

Just when I've given up on this volume I reach the second chapter and I'm reminded why I like Romantica. Chapter two opens with Aikawa doing what Misaki does best, completely spazzing out. Akihiko only has a few more chapters to wright in his new novel but he wants to make his normal everyday characters have ritzy high class dates that normal everyday people only dream about. He needs to be shown what the rest of Japan does for a typical date and Aikawa asks Misaki to take on this task.

I really enjoyed the interaction between Misaki and Akihiko in this chapter. They chat casually with each other, and actually have a discussion that really goes somewhere without having Misaki totally freak out. If anything, for once, I just really enjoyed Misaki. There was less angst, more questions, and just Misaki being really super adorable (aquarium scene ftw). Throw in my favorite Usa-sibling and a super sweet moment on a ferris wheel and you've got yourself a winning chapter.

Next we're treated to an Egoist story (my personal fave couple). It was refreshing to read a whole chapter about these two instead of the tiny morsels served up in the previous volumes. The chapter opens with Hiroki walking in on Nowaki sleeping on the floor with his colleague from the hospital, Tsumori. Nowaki, upon awakening, sees how bothered Hiroki is and tries to reassure him that things aren't what they seem. Of course, Hiroki's still bothered, even more so when Tsumori throws himself on Nowaki, and later informs him that his lover was thinking about moving out. What, wait? Move out? But why? And here is the plot line we follow for the rest of the chapter, Hiroki going back and forth in his head trying to figure out why Nowaki would want to move out instead of *gaspity* just asking him! One of the things I've always loved about these two is how Hiroki's image of an "adult" is mirrored in Nowaki. Nowaki's always calm, straightforward, and knows how to read a situation and does what he can to control it. And his "adult" behavior shines through again in this volume. I find the final scene between the two very touching and although it's no library scene (omigod library scene, so awesome), the insight Nowaki gives Hiroki into his thoughts and feelings can only make you love him more. This chapter would be a lot better if we had more interaction between these two and less of Hiroki moping, it really makes the story drag on. And feeling like you have to plod through a story is never a good thing when you're suppose to be entertained.

This volume may not be one of the best in the series, but it does tie up some loose ends for Akihiko and Misaki, making it a must for all you Romantica fans. And the Egoist story is a nice little bonus for us Egoist lovers. But the first chapter really felt more like filler since nothing was really resolved and the repeat train incident was more boring than interesting and the egoist story could be a bit tedious to read at parts. But overall it was a good read which deserves a good solid: