Monday, October 7, 2013

Manga Monday: Complicated families make for complicated emotions

Rin contemplates what it means to be a family in Bunny Drop Volume 8.


Note: Bunny Drop Volume 8 is, of course, part of a series. Check out the review of Volume 1 here, or the review of Volume 7 here. Otherwise, read on!

Rin's mother has had her little girl, and Rin sneaks off to see her. Daikichi's understandably upset, but not for the reasons that Rin thinks. In fact, he's more upset on Rin's behalf than for any other reason. Will Rin be able to put Daikichi's mind at ease?

Things are changing too fast for Kouki as well. His mother's been seeing a new gentleman, and she's finally told him that they plan to marry. Can Kouki learn to see his mother as a woman with her own life, and not just as his mother?

Rin's got more on her plate than just her natal family. As she looks at her future after high school, she's still basing her plans on staying at home to take care of Daikichi. But perhaps it's starting to go farther than that. She still isn't really attracted to any of the guys at school, and the one date that she got roped into going on didn't go so well. Will she be able to keep her feelings secret from everyone, even Kouki?

As the tone of the manga continues to change, the direction that the plot is going is sure to put off some readers. In fact, the way that the manga has gone since the timeskip is so different that perhaps it should have been reflected in a title change. Nevertheless, Yumi Unita still understands what goes through the mind of a confused young adult, and shows it on paper better than many others.

Highs: Daikichi's reaction to Kouki blurting out his mother's plans to remarry is spot-on.

Lows: I still don't really like where the plot is going, but that's a personal preference.

Verdict: A well-written story that won't be a universal pleaser.

Further Reading: Yotsuba&!, Honey and Clover

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