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A review by afreema3
Kimi Ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 23 by Karuho Shiina
I'm glad, I'm not rating individual volumes anymore, because I would struggle to quantify my feelings for this volume.
I was never a big fan of Kento, I found his character annoying and felt like he was really full of himself. I think he is the most teenager like character of the bunch, and that can be taken in any way you want to take it. His character, to me, felt off, even from when he was first introduced. Kento in my opinion was used to fill in the gap that Kurumi left. He was there to cause misunderstandings and mess with the flow of Sawako and Kazehaya's growing relationship. It is a staple trope in Shojo manga, but Kento's character was probably also extremely popular, and so unlike Kurumi, he was in almost every chapter and every volume. Kento became a part of the main cast unlike Kurumi.
I feel that Kento and Yano's relationship was too quick and felt awkwardly forced. Kento likes Sawako for all of a minute, and then in the next frame he's falling for Yano. This is what I mean when I say he is the most realistic teen character of the manga. That relationship was never going anywhere and it seemed that Kento was preventing Yano from being with her friends, and that separated her from the main story. Also Kento forcing himself on Yano, and simultaneously making her feel like it was her fault is not it chief.
To me Yano is at her best when she is independent, even though she grew a lot in the past two volumes, her character is stifled. Yano would thrive on her own, because she always changes herself during relationships to fit the need that the other person wants. She dated that boy during the school trip because he asked her, and she fulfilled his fantasy of just making out with a girl who is perceived as being "easy." Honestly, the best person for Yano I feel is Kurumi, they are both women who want to achieve, and will put in the work. They could help each other grow as people, and learn to love themselves for who they are.
Now, I feel like I have only been shitting on this volume and the character choices, and the plot, but I think what this volume, and series does well is show that a relationship does not mean growth, and that you do not need to be in a relationship to be happy or grow. Being single doesn't mean you are destined to struggle and be left behind or be sad, it can be a good thing. We need more friendship based series, and honestly I think Karuho Shiina could write a fantastic friendship based series. Don't get me wrong Sawako and Kazehaya's relationship is great and I have no qualms with Chizu and Ryu's budding romance. I'm just saying that there needs to be more non-romance focused manga out there as well as romance focused manga.
I was never a big fan of Kento, I found his character annoying and felt like he was really full of himself. I think he is the most teenager like character of the bunch, and that can be taken in any way you want to take it. His character, to me, felt off, even from when he was first introduced. Kento in my opinion was used to fill in the gap that Kurumi left. He was there to cause misunderstandings and mess with the flow of Sawako and Kazehaya's growing relationship. It is a staple trope in Shojo manga, but Kento's character was probably also extremely popular, and so unlike Kurumi, he was in almost every chapter and every volume. Kento became a part of the main cast unlike Kurumi.
I feel that Kento and Yano's relationship was too quick and felt awkwardly forced. Kento likes Sawako for all of a minute, and then in the next frame he's falling for Yano. This is what I mean when I say he is the most realistic teen character of the manga. That relationship was never going anywhere and it seemed that Kento was preventing Yano from being with her friends, and that separated her from the main story. Also Kento forcing himself on Yano, and simultaneously making her feel like it was her fault is not it chief.
To me Yano is at her best when she is independent, even though she grew a lot in the past two volumes, her character is stifled. Yano would thrive on her own, because she always changes herself during relationships to fit the need that the other person wants. She dated that boy during the school trip because he asked her, and she fulfilled his fantasy of just making out with a girl who is perceived as being "easy." Honestly, the best person for Yano I feel is Kurumi, they are both women who want to achieve, and will put in the work. They could help each other grow as people, and learn to love themselves for who they are.
Now, I feel like I have only been shitting on this volume and the character choices, and the plot, but I think what this volume, and series does well is show that a relationship does not mean growth, and that you do not need to be in a relationship to be happy or grow. Being single doesn't mean you are destined to struggle and be left behind or be sad, it can be a good thing. We need more friendship based series, and honestly I think Karuho Shiina could write a fantastic friendship based series. Don't get me wrong Sawako and Kazehaya's relationship is great and I have no qualms with Chizu and Ryu's budding romance. I'm just saying that there needs to be more non-romance focused manga out there as well as romance focused manga.