The Quintessential Quintuplets (2019)

[五等分の花嫁]

Volume 11

Author/Artist: Negi Haruba
Publisher: Shounen Magazine Comics

Synopsis:
A look at Yotsuba's past, from that fateful day in Kyoto to present.

Story/Characters:
Last volume's cliffhanger was the reveal that Yotsuba was the girl Fuutarou met in Kyoto all those years ago. We then get to see how things play out from her perspective. Besides giving us some good backstory for Yotsuba and the rest of the girls, we also dramatically recontextualize Yotsuba as a character. In the character poll in Volume 7, I was kinda surprised to see Yotsuba ranked as #2, but I'm totally on board with that now. Honestly, I highly recommend rereading the series up to this point. You'll see Yotsuba and her actions in a whole new light. Haruba clearly had this planned out from the start and there are plenty of subtle hints along the way. It's great.

From there we have a beach episode (minus the quints) followed by a pool episode (with the quints). It's light fun to offset the character drama of the previous section. We then have a Nino chapter that leads us into a section exploring Ichika and her decision to drop out of school (something she's been thinking about for a while now and it's finally come to a head). After the mess of the Sisters War, this helps rehabilitate Ichika's character. She's not going to take back her spot on my list, but I do feel better about her.

Art:
The art continues to satisfy. There are some particularly nice panels to accent the big emotional beats. For your fanservice needs, you've got the pool chapter. The girls' swimsuits have nice designs.

Other:
The bonus comic this time around is about young Yotsuba and Itsuki with their hair decs.

Conclusion:
I was really bowled away with what this volume did for Yotsuba. This really feels like the turning point for the series. I can't recommend it enough.

Rating:
Own It