Love Com, Vol. 10, 10

In this volume, As Risa starts to fit in more at the cafe she works at, she makes friends with Kohori, who is a cute (and not to mention short) coworker of Risa's. Kohori develops a crush on Risa, which makes a stressed out Otani very jealous. As fate would have it, Otani catches Risa in a series of unfortunate circumstances that make it look like she is cheating on Otani. Otani gets angry, then breaks up with Risa! I don't want to give away the ending, but I will say that the end makes all the sadness of the breakup worthwhile. You should definitely pick up this volume if you haven't yet.

In this volume, Risa and Ootani's relationship is really put to the test. Ootani's been studying like crazy, but he's still having a hard time. And when Risa tries to encourage him, he practically bites her head off. She understands that he's just stressed, but she can't help feeling a little hurt. Risa wants to help him, but she doesn't know how. She finds consolation in her friendship with Kohori-kun, her sweet natured co-worker(who just so happens to be a mad Umi-Bozu fan). But Kohori-ku is interested in more than friendship... This is another really stand-out volume. Most shojo manga have arcs featuring relationship woes, but it usually involves a lot of drama or some misunderstanding. Not "Love Com." The problems Risa and Ootani face are so realistic, especially for teens. You may get a little irritated with the characters behavior, but you can see exactly where they're coming from. Ootani's being a real jerk, but you can tell that it comes from stress. Risa does something kind of stupid, but you know it's partly because she's feeling neglected. And they're both concilatory for their actions. You don't get frustrated, either, because you don't feel like the characters could work it out just by talking. The emotions come across strong, and the way Risa reacts to the situation is realistic and sweet. The eventual make-up is also cute (and funny). This was another funny volume. My only gripe was that they translated "chibi fetish" as "shrimp lover," and I thought the former was funnier. But that's a very small problem. Volume 10 is one of the best in the series.