Gabriel’s sister is coming to Earth! Of course, for the wannabe NEET Gabriel, this is a major issue since her sister is an elite angel who wouldn’t tolerate laziness. So, of course, there’s only one thing this angel can do: lie. And if pulling the wool over Zeruel’s eyes won’t work, Gabriel has a secret weapon up her sleeve…
Zeruel’s visit to Earth takes up most of this very short volume, and the sisters’ reunion is definitely the funniest part. Gabriel decides to use moe, but the look on Zeruel’s face makes Gabriel panic. Readers know the truth however: Zeruel is a bit of a sis-con, and she’s doing everything she can to avoid glomping her little sister. It’s a classic double liars scene, but the expressions (not to mention Gabriel trying to pull out the cute little sister techniques) is hilarious.
But the charade comes to an end, and what happens next is utterly predictable. While Gabriel is forced to undergo some reeducation, Vignette challenges Zeruel to a showdown — a quiz showdown. The final punchline was funny, but the actual face-off was just okay, and, bizarrely, the final chapter was very similar to it. Kurona doesn’t believe Vignette is a demon and forces her to answer questions to prove her demon-ness. Yes, the first game is about Gabriel specifically versus WWDD (what would demons do) questions, but two quiz challenges in a row?
The only other episode is a fun chapter where Kurona tries to work her new smartphone. Her assistant may not have been useful, but it was an adorable cheerleader. It was a cute way to kick off the volume, and it tied into the ending since the freshman trio show up in the final chapter.
They may not have had a huge role in volume 8, but Raphael and Satanya really got pushed to the side here. That was another disappointment. Everyone is stunned by Gabriel’s sudden cheerfulness and helpfulness, but Satanya doesn’t capitalize on this opportunity. Instead, like others, she’s stunned. I expected her to help out, but I did want to see at least a little bit of mischief from her while Gabriel can’t counter. Even though the two girls act as hosts in the game show, Raphael and Satanaya fans will be disappointed here, especially since they had good parts in the previous volume.
As for this one…it was okay. You could do worse for a comedy, and you can do better. Gabriel Dropout fans will probably love the two sisters trying to hide their true selves, but the face-off and a junior version of it weren’t that good.