Haganai: I Don't Have Many Friends (2021)

[僕は友達が少ない]

Volume 19

Author: Yomi Hirasaka
Artist: Itachi
Publisher: Media Factory Comics

Synopsis:
Yukimura confronts Kodaka after his outburst at the Christmas party.

Story/Characters:
For all intents and purposes, the main story is done and these last two volumes are an extended epilogue to tie up loose ends and put a bow on the experience. We start with Yukimura taking her shot. I like the contrast between her and Rika. Both have feelings for Kodaka, but while Rika is willing to suppress those feelings to hold on to her friendship, Yukimura wants to take her chances, even knowing the odds aren't in her favor. I get Kodaka's response based on his character, but personally, I think he's a putz for not recognizing who the best girl is. That being said, I think Hirasaka wrote her as becoming so self-possessed so the readers won't feel bad for her.

We turn back the clock to see how Kodaka and Kobato's parents met, and you can definitely see that Kobato takes after her mom. This happens to be a double date and the other couple is Pegasus and Stella's mother Noel. We get a better view of what set Pegasus on his current path. This leads us into a flashback for Stella focusing on how she takes care of Sena and we see that she was pulling strings behind the scenes during the pool trip from Volume 2 and the joke ending shows that Kodaka isn't the only putz with no taste. Next is a chapter about a middle schooler acquaintance of Yozora's who consults her for romantic advice, not realizing he picked one of the worst people for the subject, followed by another little side story with Kate and Maria.

We get back to the main storyline with Chapter 87, which covers Kodaka's reservations about returning to the Neighbors Club and his return to school following his suspension. Next we start looking at the future with Kobato stubbornly insisting on sticking with St. Chronica into high school despite her academic struggles, the Neighbors Club making a half-hearted effort to prepare for recruiting for the upcoming school year, and the seniors graduating, which makes our main trio think about their own graduation next year. (Also, Hinata gets held back due to her grades and Yozora isn't too happy at the prospect of having her older sister be a classmate, which is funny.) We then have the gang settling into their senior year before jumping ahead to summer vacation and another beach trip. The main purpose is to give us some closure on Kodaka and Yozora's relationship and it's handled fairly well.

Art:
The art is as strong as ever, though this volume doesn't have the sort of big displays as the previous one. I have to say, Yukimura has grown quite beautiful ever since she embraced her feminine side. The Connect chapter "Stargazer" almost seems like a special edition version of the pool resort episode given how much Itachi's art style has changed over the years. Lastly, Chapter 91 has several really nice two-page spreads to give Yozora her moment in the sun.

Other:
We have a color illustration of Yozora and Sena in Santa outfits and a two-page spread of them in swimsuits (where Yozora no longer feels the need to wear the equivalent of a burqini), an afterword with an illustration of Yozora, and the character commentary.

Conclusion:
There are some nice episodes to be had here, but this feels more like an anthology piece with various odds and ends slapped together rather than an overall coherent story. When we do get back to the main story, we make big jumps in the timeline that really makes it feel like things are mostly inconsequential from this point on. I think most readers will be more or less satisfied with how things are getting tied up, but the material feels weaker and isn't quite as compelling as the stronger points in the story. Give it a read, but I wouldn't rate it a must-have.

Rating:
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