Manga Review: Takane & Hana, Volume 6, by Yuki Shiwasu

Rating (Out of 5): ~4

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: December 2018

Volumes: 14+

Spoilers?: Light.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. RightStuf. 

Volume: 1. 5. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A strong-willed high school girl and a hot, young scion of a business empire can’t help wanting to outwit each other every chance they get… But could these opposites be conning themselves out of the perfect match?!

After her older sister refuses to go to an arranged marriage meeting with Takane Saibara, the heir to a vast business fortune, high schooler Hana Nonomura agrees to be her stand-in to save face for the family. But when these two utter opposites pair up, get ready for some sparks to fly!

Takane is suddenly confronted with a major crisis when his grandfather, the chairman of the Takaba Group, strips him of his wealth! When Takane instantly goes from being super rich to penniless, how will Hana deal with a dejected Takane who has lost everything?

Review:

The volume starts normal, with Christmas and then some friend drama. Of course, Takane goes over the top for Christmas, because he wants it to be special for Hana. And then we see how Nicola's flirty personality affects one of Hana's friends not-quite-as-intended.

But then, in the latter half of the volume, Takane has to see his family for a get-together, which leads to a surprise turn of events for Takane. He gets thrown a curve-ball, in which he's going to have to experience life like a normal, poor person. My main issue with this idea, is that all of Takane's money and everything goes away, even what he has worked for himself. He wasn't given everything, he did actually do an important job for the company. But, I see the reason behind it—and, I do love seeing it humble Takane. It's a big difference to what he's used to, and despite how Hana has always reacted to his money and actions, he doesn't think she'll be okay with this version of himself.

The facial expressions in this series are kind of epic. They're ridiculous, and often for humor, but done so well and so purposely, that I love them. The reactions between Hana and Takane, too, are great. They work to surprise each other, to pretend they don't feel as strongly as they do, but sometimes the surprises are just natural, like when they're honest with each other, as they are at the end of this volume.

I'm really enjoying this series. It's grown on my to where I look forward to each volume, and I'm really interested to see what happens next with Takane.