Yakumo-san wa Ezuke ga Shitai (2018)

[八雲さんは餌づけがしたい]

Volume 5

Author/Artist: Satomi U
Publisher: Square Enix

Synopsis:
Yamato-kun deals with the blowback from a recent loss and Yakumo-san wonders how she can support him.

Story/Characters:
I've heard that in Japanese sports fiction, the protagonists are more likely to lose than win because of the value the Japanese place on how people deal with failure. Regardless, I like that the author throws some roadblocks in Yamato-kun's way so things aren't too easy for him. He's built up as a rather talented player, but if there are no challenges along the way, his character arc won't be very interesting. I continue to wonder if we're really going to be moving the plot in a romantic direction or not. Sure, there's teasing and innuendo and there is definite chemistry between Yamato-kun and Yakumo-san, but we continue to dance in the safe zone. It's probably just as well, but seeing as how there's a promo for another series by Satomi U that's specifically about May-December romance, I get the feeling we're going to continue to steadily nudge in that direction. This may or may not be a problem for you, but we're not stuck in comic book time, so at this pace, we may well be out of the woods before it becomes a concern. Still, the night pool episode teases you hard. Speaking of which, we get Rui's sister Ran featured prominently. She's pretty much a troll like Yuri, which is exactly the sort of character who can have fun with an ambiguous couple like our protagonists. The last chapter deals with Yakumo-san having to replace a bowl that belonged to her late husband. It's pretty sweet.

Art:
I didn't spend a lot of time examining the previous volumes to confirm this, but it feels like the art is a little more rushed in this volume, with the proportions seeming off in a number of places. There are still some very well-made panels, but maybe because the good is very good, the parts where it doesn't feel like 100% was given stands out more. It's not a big problem, but it was something that stood out to me. By and large, the art continues to appeal and you may or may not welcome more fanservicey segments like the night pool episode.

Other:
As a bonus, we get the pilot for the manga, a little 6-page promo that pretty well establishes what kind of story this is. All I had to go off originally was the cover, but if I was a publisher, this certainly would have been enough for me to say to Satomi U, "Tell me more."

Conclusion:
If you've been enjoying the story and characters so far, there's plenty more to appreciate here. I know I said the art seems to have taken a bit of a ding in places, but don't let that discourage you. Fans will want to have this.

Rating:
Own It