Title: Love Me, Love Me Not Vol. 8
Author: Io Sakisaka
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Physical
Pages: 184
Genre: Slice of Life, Romance
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
The Story
Last volume, we wrapped up a stereotypical cultural festival… this volume, we went right into the stereotypical Christmas holiday… with a not-so-stereotypical ending!? That actually surprised me!
Volume eight of Love Me, Love Me Not opens up with Akari’s ex-boyfriend Ryousuke trying to pull a fast one. He claims that Akari has something of his that she still needs to return and sets up a time for the two of them to meet. Figuring it’s an obvious ploy to try and get back together, Akari gets cold feet and ends up sending Inui in her place with a CD that she remembered that Ryosuke let her borrow. Inui returns it and Ryosuke receives the message loud and clear that Akari was avoiding him. Despite this, he declares to Inui that if he doesn’t do his job and make her happy, he’s coming to reclaim her!
This leads us into Christmas and while we get some heartwarming scenes with Rio and Yuna, the major focus is on Akari and Inui. We discover that they have one big thing in common… they both have parents that love to argue! While each of their parents has different reasons, they are very similar in the fact that they are arguing during Christmas and it makes the holiday very challenging for the two of them. They decide to spend Christmas together playing a game of tag to warm themselves up while out in the cold. There, Inui breaks down why his parents are fighting, tells Akari about his dreams and goals, and really opens up to her.
The ending was a bit predictable… or so you would think! It actually ended in a way that I didn’t expect to see… especially since there are only four volumes left in the series! It was an interesting choice to go with but it just builds up more of that good frustration that I keep referring to when talking about this series.
Characters
The huge focus here is on Ryosuke, Inui, and Akari.
Oddly enough, I think Io Sakisaka wrote Ryosuke out of the picture. While he did threaten to take Akari away from Inui, it only served as a bit of motivation for Inui to pop the question. Oddly enough, I don’t think we’ll see Ryosuke back for the remainder of the series. If we do, it might be a way to push Inui to make his decision. I just have this odd feeling that with the way that scene was handled, we might have seen the last of him… only reappearing in some sort of memory recall on Inui’s part.
Speaking of Inui, the fact that he wants to make movies is a pretty interesting goal. He talked about his brother not wanting to go to England to study acting and that’s what sparked the argument with his parents. I mean, if you have a dream you should follow it but the path that you lay out for that dream should be your own. If there is an alternate path that takes you on a different route that you’re more comfortable with… then taken it… despite what the desires of your parents are. It’s your life, not theirs and parents need to understand that. That’s kind of the message being sent here through Inui’s situation and the fact that he opened up to Akari like that was a major step forward in their development.
The only thing stopping this whole thing to popping off is Akari herself. She realizes her faults and the mistakes she made in the past. No doubt. Ryosuke had an indirect part to play in all of that; however, it’s making Akari want to do a bit of soul-searching despite the fact that what she desires is right in front of her. She’s got a guy who opened up and told her some personal things…. On Christmas… and she STILL wants to put her life in order before making it official… despite the fact that she could do that after asking Inui out and/or accepting his confession and then working through those feelings WITH him. That’s the frustrating part.
Inui’s love is so unrequited right now, it’s not even funny and it’s all over a selfish and silly reason on Akari’s part. This is a clear example of what happens when you live inside of your own head too much. Overthinking and overanalyzing separates the body from the mind! That is Akari in a nutshell right now. No doubt, she’ll probably overcome it in the end which will give us that happy ending we all want (and are expecting) but it’s been a few volumes and the series isn’t exactly going to be around for much longer. It’s beginning to feel like an artificial extension versus just pulling the trigger at this point.
Final Thoughts
I kind of ranted a bit in the characters section…
I said some things that I meant to save for Final Thoughts but eh… it fits better up there. If I were to have a complaint about this volume (or this series), it would be the Akari and Inui situation. Meanwhile, Rio and Yuna are such a cute couple and the cheesy corniness of their dialogue is a bit over the top but you have to understand that from Rio’s character’s perspective, he’s finally truly happy for the first time in his life.
Think back to when you found THE girl you were destined to be with. Think about how happy that made you feel… the first time you experienced that. That’s Rio right now and because he’s trying so hard and being so cheesy… it’s completely relatable to all of us who found the one. You want to make sure you grab hold and never let go. You want to make her happy and prove to her just how much you love her. If she feels the same way, it can be overbearing to those on the outside, but to the two of you, you are each other’s world. That’s the Rio/Yuna relationship right now and while that newness will probably wear off, it’s easy to expect that in its infantile stages and that’s exactly what we are getting.
And it’s cute! Don’t lie! You think so, too, don’t you?
At this point, though… the Akari/Inui situation doesn’t feel like a reward. If/when they get together, it’s not going to be a “YES! THEY DID IT!” moment. It’s going to be “DAMN! Took them long enough. Now can we move on!?” type of moment. It’s just a situation where the trigger is being pulled too late and as I said before, it feels like it is being artificially extended. I would have thought by now they would have ended up together and the rest of the series would focus on their relationships with some bumps for them to overcome. There’s still time but it’s running out rather fast and with the small number of volumes left, any drama at this point would just feel contrived and rushed.
So, I have to wonder what Sakisaka is really waiting for? Maybe it’ll be a swerve and they won’t end up together!? That’s a possibility but I don’t think it’s one people want to see. Could be wrong, though.
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This item was provided for review by VIZ Media
