We Never Learn (2020)

[ぼくたちは勉強ができない]

Volume 18

Author/Artist: Taishi Tsutsui
Publisher: Jump Comics

Synopsis:
Ogata challenges Yuiga to a game to test their feelings for each other.

Story/Characters:
I would have been happy to close out the series with the previous volume, but since Tsutsui decided to write alternate endings for each of the five main girls, I was interested to see how it played out. As Ogata is my favorite, I was particularly looking forward to this volume. And to tell you the truth, I'm rather disappointed. Now, don't get me wrong. There's good content here, but very little of it is devoted to exploring and resolving Yuiga and Ogata's relationship. The back cover promises that Sekijo will "also" have a big part to play. Actually, this volume is more hers than Ogata's. I like Sekijo and exploring her family situation and helping her work through her issues there is all good stuff, but that could have and should have been done elsewhere. It was also an unexpected choice to bring back Misao the ghost by having Ogata and Sekio move into her apartment when they go off to college. While there's good comedy there, once again, it's ultimately a distraction from what should be the focus. If you would hold up this to the previous volume, they're not even remotely in the same ballpark.

While I complain about Ogata not getting the attention she deserves, I'm also not happy about the other girls being completely sidelined, taking away any potential for conflict. Takemoto chickens out and gives up without a fight. While not inconsistent with her character, compare that with Takemoto's ending where Furuhashi and Ogata never really gave up on Yuiga. It's almost as if Tsutsui didn't want to think about how someone like Ogata would actually deal with romantic rivalry, which could have been quite interesting. There's a lot of potential that was lost here in exchange for a safe, generally pleasant yet ultimately underwhelming story.

Art:
With the story coming up short, at least the art delivers. If you want Rizurin fanservice, you'll get plenty, to include the return of Maid Rizurin (with Maid Sawako for good measure). We also get some good visual comedy courtesy of Misao.

Conclusion:
Perhaps my problem was that I came into this with expectation that were too high. The previous volume showed that Tsutsui can deliver some serious emotional punch when he puts his mind to it, but that same level of writing may not be in the cards for these parallel stories. We still get an enjoyable light reading and that may be enough for most fans of the series. This is as close as we get to a Sekijo route, so fans of hers will probably be happier with this volume than Ogata fans. Temper your expectations and give it a read at least.

Rating:
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