Girlfriend, Girlfriend (2023)

[カノジョも彼女]

Volume 16

Author/Artist: Hiroyuki
Publisher: Kodansha Comics Magazine

Synopsis:
Milika leverages her exploding popularity in a final appeal to Naoya, but will it be enough for him to make her his one and only?

Story/Characters:
Since this is the grand finale, I don't want to spoil too much, though anyone who knows anything about the author's goals for the series and has a handle on how the characters' minds work, there aren't going to be any surprises here. We open with Milika looking at her subscriber count and assuring herself that she's done all she can. Saki, Nagisa and Shino are in a park squaring themselves away with whatever might come, but then Milika comes by to taunt them (in what seems to be a deliberate heel play to dispel any feelings of guilt they might have over winning out). The next day, Naoya heads out to meet Milika and her plan is basically to show off the heights she's reached with a live concert for her fans. She's in the best position she possibly could be to make her move, and how does it go? Well, as I said at the start of this review, you should be able to imagine if you've been reading the series this long. So is this the end? Again, you should know better by this point. (Also, we're only about a third of the way into the volume.)

The rest of the volume is dedicated to the fallout of this encounter and getting to the ending that Hiroyuki promised us from the start. This is all well and good... but it's all about Milika, who was and is my least favorite character, so if you're not a Milika fan, having the majority of the series finale dedicated to her is... well, it's not great. We do get a few funny bits, which is nice, but not enough to close on a truly satisfying note. It is what it is.

Art:
Even if I wasn't all that engaged with the goings-on this volume, I have to give Hiroyuki credit for trying to sell it as best he could with the art. There are some really nice shots here. Saki/Milika fans get a little something extra. I don't know if any of you are out there, but if you are, Hiroyuki has you covered.

Other:
We have a final afterword comic by Hiroyuki thanking the readers and looking forward to some rest. (Whether he'll take a few years off like last time or not remains to be seen.)

Conclusion:
While this is a decent conclusion to the series, its resonance is largely contingent on how much you like Milika. Personally, she never won me over, so this feels like far more effort than what it's worth. Still, if you've been following the series this long, you'll want to see it through. It's far from the best the series has to offer, but now we can bid it a fond farewell.

Rating:
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