In romances, particularly shoujo manga, it’s fairly common with a love square to have the rivals of the main/end couple end up together. In some cases, the pairing makes sense. But often I find it a lazy way for authors to give all their characters a happy ending. Peach Girl avoided that, and Sae’s Story provided a path for Sae to obtain her own Prince Charming after all the frogs.
Now, though, the Momo x Kairi, Sae x Toji ending is a real possibility as Sae discovers he has feelings for her old blackmailed boyfriend, and this change causes a lot of friction among the gang. Toji is still reeling from the death of his wife and his role as an absent father, but he still wants Momo, Sae, and Kairi to all obtain the happiness that has been taken away from him. His actions awaken something in Sae. Momo finds this hard to believe and tries to distance Toji from Sae, which makes Kairi uneasy.
In the last volume, I complained a lot about Sae going back to her jealous high school days and the lack of information about what’s happened since then. Well, all NEXT says is that Momo “cuts [Sae] out of [Momo’s] life”, which still is hard to believe considering Sae’s elite snooping (read: stalking) skills. What’s even more shocking is that in 10 years, Momo never brought up to Kairi the fact that Sae was blackmailing Toji with pictures. I know both Toji and Gigolo would be touchy subjects for Momo, but to never have laid out the full story? Am I the only one who finds that weird?
Regardless, volume 2 follows Sae as she finds herself attracted to Toji, so readers know this isn’t just another scheme. That being said, her actions in Peach Girl NEXT alone would disqualify her as a potential girlfriend for a friend in most people’s eyes. So it’s understandable why Momo would be against the two of them dating, but she hurts Kairi in the process. He also correctly points out that Toji is an adult, a man who grew up and found someone to marry; it’s not any of Momo’s business to be deciding whom he can and cannot date, even though she believes she has his best interest at heart. (As a friend, fortunately. Ueda provides several sweet Momo x Kairi moments.)
I do wish that Peach Girl NEXT would focus on some other issues besides Momo vs Sae. While it’s most likely just a lie, Kairi realizes it might not be so easy to have a family. Combined with Toji’s situation, Peach Girl NEXT has some opportunities to explore problems not often seen in manga. In fact, the best part of the story is Toji, who adds some much needed depth to the manga. I can’t help but feel for him as he tries (sometimes unsuccessfully) to move forward. Even Kairi is struck by his former rival’s situation, and the two have a moment to at least forge some neighborly bonds. With the relationship between Sae and Momo rather bleak, I have a feeling the guys are going to be necessary if the women are ever going to fully reconcile.
Which I’m hoping this happens sooner rather than later, as otherwise, this is going to be Peach Girl Redux. The characters — particularly Toji — don’t deserve that.