A hot spring, the girl he loves…for Kai, it’s a picture-perfect moment. Except for the fact that this party of two is actually a party of four!
After Riko proves the concept of hot guys surpass gender, she’s flustered when she learns Kai had been wanting to take her on a trip. But she’s not ready for an overnight trip yet. Although Ayumi tries to reassure her, Riko is about to decline in embarrassment…until she wins another pair of tickets to the hot spring! (Can Ayumi and Riko play the lottery for me? I need a vacation!) So Kai, Riko, Taka, and Ayumi all end up going even though the latter aren’t a couple. (Miki is a bit depressed by this, but Kiyo consoles him by pointing out Ayumi won the first pair of tickets.) But when Riko starts avoiding Kai and Ayumi being as free-spirited as ever, instead of getting closer to the girls they love, will the guys end up having a miserable time?
After that, the manga covers two holidays, New Year’s and Valentine’s, and then closes with Taka checking up on a sick Ayumi.
The word “fun” may be overused, but honestly, I can’t find a better word to describe Hatsu*Haru volume 10. The manga may rely on a few stereotypical situations (the innocent girlfriend nervous about being alone with her more experienced boyfriend, for instance), but it puts its own spin on them. How many times have you seen the main girl and maybe her friends try to make some chocolate? Well, here, Kai and the guys decide to have a reverse Valentine’s. Taka’s visit to Ayumi’s house includes a fun twist on the parents-showing-up situation. Fujisawa doesn’t go overboard by focusing on slapstick or exaggerated comedy (like blowing up a kitchen), and she peppers the main story with little moments to make you smile. Nothing like Kai’s crab-eating skills getting shown up by Riko naturally ripping the crustacean in half or Tora unsure if he needs to add the most important ingredient in baking if he’s just giving it to his dad.
Still, this volume isn’t all just laughs. Unfortunately, Tora and Kagura’s relationship is still barely worth a mention outside of some tsundere-ness, and Miki and Kiyo get one short (but cute) scene. This is another volume where after Kai and Riko’s relationship and Taka and Ayumi’s relationship are both heavy favorites. At this point, I’m sure most readers have come to expect this, but the quiet young man and his outgoing photographer crush may be making progress. Taka is a bit upset while they’re at the inn, but he feels like he understands her better once he drops by her house. We learn that she may have inherited her father’s “behind the lens” gene, which is why she tends to view herself as an outsider. But she also started taking pictures and the newspaper club as a way to get closer to people. (Which is how she became friends with Riko and the others in the first place.) But these are almost opposing motivations, which is interesting. Maybe that’s why I like her so much.
…Well, that and who else could plot to get Kai and Riko alone and then compare herself to a carp?
So romantic comedy fans will once again enjoy the latest volume of Hatsu*Haru. Volume 10 may not have too many key moments, but the series is actually better served by sweet and lighthearted volumes like this.