Maid Sama!: Volume 8

by Hiro Fujiwara, 192 pages

Student Council elections are coming up and Misaki takes them more seriously than one might expect, even going so far as to encourage her competition. She doesn't want to lose, but she wants the students to care enough to get involved, even if that means letting them conscript a first-year shrinking violet to be her rival.

At heart, Misaki is a protector, even of the oh-so-teenaged schoolboys she's determined to whip into shape--not that they see it that way, of course (they do call her the Demon President, after all). She makes them leave their porn at home, keep the locker room clean, and behave in the halls--what kind of monster is she?! Poor Kanou, hoody-shrouded recovering misogynist that he is, would rather just watch the world from the sidelines, but he can't say "no thank you" loud enough for his fired-up supporters to notice. Surprised but thrilled by their exuberance, Misaki accepts the challenge.

And speaking of challenges, Usui and Hinata seem to be taking one another pretty seriously, too. They actually bark at each other. Hee! When they face off, the others have to blink back visions of them as a fluffy shiba inu (Hinata) and a toned Doberman (Usui). The former's earnestness demands sympathy--how can you not like such a sweet thing? But even Dobermans can make puppy dog eyes that tug at your heartstrings.

Last but not least, another challenge gives the Idiot Trio (a formerly delinquent threesome who stumbled upon Misaki's secret and are now her most loyal maid café fanboys) the chance to finally get some love and respect from the author, who for once condescends to draw them realistically instead of in their perpetual chibi (super cutesy abstract) forms and gives them a sweet story of tough-boy bonding. She still makes fun of them--otherwise they wouldn't be the Idiot Trio--but she does so with affection. How much you wanna bet there'll be shouts of vindication from the character sidebars in the next volume? :P