Volume 6 starts off with Momo still discombobulated because of the video Sae sent where Kairi wondered aloud to Misao about why she didn’t choose him. Sae also sees Misao as a threat to her relationship with Toji. As Misao makes a decision about her future, will either of the two other women get their happily-ever-after? Or, in Momo’s case, I guess the better question is will Momo get her happily-ever-after with Kairi…or Toji?
Here we go again.
Peach Girl NEXT has teased a bit about love triangle shenanigans. Momo and Kairi have had some heated discussions about Toji’s and Misao’s roles in their lives, but despite their insecurities, the couple has been mostly happy and aiming for a spring wedding. Now, though, it is possible that their relationship has run its course, and Toji may be ready to pick up the pieces of Momo’s broken heart.
From a pragmatic standpoint, I still don’t think an author would write a sequel to an award-winning romance story where the protagonist ends up with the other love interest. But Ueda sure is trying to test my theory. It’s not just the fact that Momo’s friends encourage her to dump Kairi, who has Misao on the brain, for the nice guy Toji. The actual events here — which I won’t spoil — strongly indicate that, at least for now, the main couple is no longer the main couple and that a Toji x Momo ending has a fighting chance.
Of course, it’s possible that volume 7 will pull a, “Psyche! Got you!” on readers. After all, it’s not like Kairi and Momo suddenly hate each other or anything, and the ending could possibly be an accident. But you know the saying, “If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck!”? Yeah, if it looks like a breakup and characters act like a breakup, it’s a breakup. In Peach Girl, I didn’t have strong feelings about whom Momo should have ended up with because they both were good guys with their own flaws and strengths. But even if you were a Toji fan, I can’t imagine being happy with them getting together only after 10 years and right after he acts as a counselor/mediator to Momo (and Kairi). Kairi fans, meanwhile, are probably punching the wall. Really, who is Peach Girl NEXT‘s target audience?
But while I don’t like the direction the manga is going, from a literary standpoint, this is one of the best volumes of the series. The balloons, an innocuous item from the previous volume, act as both a plot device and a metaphor for Momo’s feelings. Even Momo is impressed when Sae makes an offer to Misao (although very reluctantly). This is the Sae I want to see more: self-centered but not cruel. Watching Misao’s grandmother’s condition deteriorate even more breaks my heart, and it provides a perfect parallel to Momo and Kairi’s relationship.
While all this symbolism is great, it’s not what people are going to remember about volume 6. Ueda is toying with her characters, and to an extent, her readers. It’s a way to get fans talking, but I’m sure most of them are going to sound like Yosemite Sam muttering under his breath rather than having a spirited analysis about the manga.