Manga Review: Maid Sama!, Volume 8, by Hiro Fujiwara

4 of 5 Stars

Publisher: Tokyopop

Goodreads Synopsis:

What will the uptight class president do when the sexy bad boy finds out she works at a maid cafe! More hilarious shenanigans unfold, when the uptight class president moonlights at a maid cafe!

Review:

 

This series had to grow on me a little at first, but then I got caught up and was really liking it when Tokyopop closed. I haven't really talked about my feelings on Tokyopop, and I don't know if I will in a different post, because they're not very good feelings, and I don't want to blather on about them. Especially since I'm an amateur and probably missed some things, but I was not happy with them before they closed, and now I'm very unhappy with them. And since I like finishing things, or at least books, once I start them, and now I have several series left hanging that I was attached to... Whatever, I am going to start talking about the manga now.

Maid Sama! is about Misaki, the president at a school that used to be all boys, and so there are more boys than girls and she's very forceful with rules. She doesn't even like boys very much (not that she goes to the other way, because she doesn't. She just has a bias to women, and is still upset about her dad leaving her and her mom.), and tends to protect all the girls. But she also works at a maid cafe, which she tries to keep hidden from everyone.

Anyway, in the previous volume, Usui confessed to Misaki, and the first chapter focuses on how she's reacting to him now. She's usually very embarrassed and blushes whenever he's around, and whenever anything is intended toward them being anything more than friends, and now she's just very embarrassed and trying not to show it.

Usui is a supposed bad boy, but he's very stoic, in trying not to show anything. He doesn't show a lot of emotion, but he loves Misaki, and he's very open about this. He's possessive, and he'll fight anyone for her.

The next chapter focuses on Hinata, an old childhood friend of Misaki's. He's also very open about liking her, but Misaki only sees him as a friend, nothing more. This chapter is mostly about him and his feelings for her. And by the end of the chapter, he's decided that he's going to fight Usui for her.

I'm a bit surprised that I don't like Hinata more. I mean, he's cute and fun. And usually I go for the characters that are fun and free spirited and happy go lucky. But for some reason, I'm much more for Usui. He's just so great, and I love the way he can be honest and say things with a straight face and how he love Misaki.

Anyway, in the next chapter, Usui unknowingly helps out Misaki's mom, then stays for dinner with her family. It's her mom, who's sweet, her sister, who's also a bit stoic and funny, and Misaki and Hinata. Usui feels left out, and leaves early, because he's watching Misaki and her family interact so well with Hinata, and his hopes are being dashed. But then Misaki goes after him, wondering what's wrong. And while he's stupid and doesn't tell her, it makes him feel better, which is all that matters, really.

In the last chapter, elections at the school are on. And usually no one runs against Misaki for president, but this time, Kanou's class decide that he should run. This is a bad idea in many ways, and Kanou doesn't even want to run, but the chapter ends with the declaration of it.

And then there's an extra chapter about the three delinquents. Mostly it's just weird seeing them drawn out fully like that, since we see them with a more basic look at the cafe. But this little chapter has them in full detail, which is a bit odd, and refreshing. They have an odd part in the series, since we mostly see them fawning over Misaki at the cafe and her turning them down. And it's probably weird that they're a normal occurrence, but still. And then there's a last little chapter with a cute moment between Misaki and Usui, which is cute.

And that's it. The last volume released before they shut down. There's even a page at the end giving a preview of what will happen in the next volume. These things weren't in every volume, or at least not every volume Tokyopop released, so it wasn't a normal occurrence, so it especially bothers me that they were in some of the last volumes to be released. Because I will never get to see what happens in the next volume, what it's proceeding to.

I'm still mostly just upset that they closed with all of these series left hanging for us readers to wonder what happened next. But whatever. I really liked the series, quite a bit at least, and want to know what happens next. I'm hoping that someone picks this series up, but there are several others that I miss more.