The Wallflower: Volume 29

by Tomoyo Hayakawa, 154

First, Sunako is forced to go on a no-chocolate diet, with predictably unpredictable and disastrous results.  Next, Kyohei throws the world off-balance when he lets a little responsibility go to his head.  Then frugal Sunako refuses to turn on the air conditioner at the height of summer--and gets a houseful of unrepentant nudists in retaliation.  And lastly, Sunako has a little Twilight Zone-ish experience with what appears to be Kyohei when he was just a little boy.

*pffft*  This volume is sadly shorter than normal, but the stupid humor is returning to its usual caliber of snorts and guffaws.  And Hayakawa even manages to stick in a semi-serious warm-fuzzy chapter, a feat which she seems as surprised and amused by as the reader.  :P

The Wallflower: Volume 28

by Tomoko Hayakawa, 156 pages

The local market is in danger of closing down due to competition from a shiny new grocery store, Kyôhei suffers the attentions of a pitiful young man who says he reminds him of the girl who stole his heart, and a what-if? chapter relates the exploits of an Edo-era thief helping the downtrodden in a silly period piece cast with the series's characters.

This is not one of my favorite volumes of this series, sadly.  The first story is too similar to plots that have come before and the last one is just too silly and random (and that's saying something for a series founded on silliness and randomness).  I must admit, though, that the middle story with put-upon Kyôhei as romantic proxy made me snicker.  If only the rest of the volume had done the same.  Hopefully, things will return to fun form in the next one.

The Wallflower: Volume 27

by Tomoko Hayakawa, 162 pages

Embarrassed by the weakness she showed in front of Kyôhei at the end of last volume, Sunako freaks out and runs away to avoid having to see his sparkly person...and ends up working at a maid café filled with otaku. Also this time around, Sunako's susceptibility to spirit possession takes a new twist when her new tenant turns out to be a nicer person than she is; Sunako learns that eating nothing but ice cream all day while sitting on a huge block of ice is probably not the best way to deal with the sweltering weather; and playboy Ranmaru and innocent bystander Sunako get kidnapped by ransom- and revenge-seeking followers of one of his many, many exes. You know, just the usual.

Hee hee. Kyôhei and Sunako have had a lot more awkward moments lately, which makes me snicker. They may or may not ever get together, but either way I'm happy watching the silliness--whatever works for them works for me. And, yay, Princess (Ranmaru's open-hearted, intrepid fiancée) gets some acknowledgement from the one she loves. He always puts her off because he doesn't think he deserves her, but she's a stubborn girl. It also amuses me how helpless the boys are (or think they are, the spoiled whiners) when the girls are absent. But watching Kyôhei nearly take himself and half the kitchen out when he's so desperate for fried shrimp that he risks trying to make it himself and causes an exploding grease fire?--pretty priceless. :P

The Wallflower: Volume 26

by Tomoko Hayakawa, 163 pages

When Sunako's unusually cheery behavior leads the boys to think she might have fallen in love--thus proving she has become a "lady" and thereby granting them their free rent deal with the landlady--they're all for it. Until, that is, they suspect the object of her affection is her married science teacher. Caught between morals and financial freedom, Kyohei finds himself the appointed agent of intervention. Also this volume, the right to enjoy hot springs in peace, appreciating the value of a good woman (whether or not she can cook), and pushy parental influence at school.

Tee hee! Kyohei is uncharacteristically supportive this volume without losing his selfish, sarcastic edge. And Sunako gets to punch out a jerk while defending her auntie's honor--take that! :D

The Wallflower: Volume 25

by Tomoko Hayakawa, 161 pages

Despite Kyohei's exasperated explanations of the panicked, social-situation-rescue smooch he landed on her at the end of the previous volume, angry Sunako is convinced he was just harassing her and puts all her negative energy into casting a powerful curse on him. Non-believer Kyohei just sighs at her over-reaction to the misunderstanding and goes about his day. But it's not long before the boys are wondering if there might not be something to Sunako's black magic skills, after all. Even Sunako, at first quite thrilled with her success, starts to worry it may have gotten a little out of hand...or even a lot. But will she be able to undo her own handiwork before it's too late?

Poor Kyohei really takes a beating this time and Sunako takes the biggest step yet toward normalizing her human relations. Pity no one else knows about it. :) Also in this volume, the specialness of handmade gifts, the lengths Sunako will go for something she really wants, and the dangers of carelessness while mushroom hunting. Silly, as always, and sweet. Could there actually be some teeny, tiny, giggle-inducing plot development in the romance department?! :D

The Wallflower: Volume 22-23-24

by Tomoko Hayakawa, 474 pages

Auntie Nakahara approaches four gorgeous young men with a proposition. If they can turn her niece Sunako into a proper "lady", they can live in her fabulous mansion rent-free. Piece of cake! Or not....

Wallflower cracks me up.

Sunako loves the dark. Seriously. Her "best friends" are a pair of discarded anatomical models (one missing its insides) and a lab skeleton (whom she dresses in a hat and boa and to whose skull she gives a separate identity when detached). She drools over antique torture devices, gets giddy at the telling of gruesome ghost stories, and holes up under a blanket in her pitch black room watching slasher films. Her fabulously wealthy, globe-trotting aunt sincerely loves her, but would also like to be able to take her into high society without inviting disaster. And since Sunako has a pathological fear of all things bright and beautiful--and tends to scare the living daylights out of everyone she meets--that's not going to be easy.

Enter four pretty rich boys itching for independence. There's Ranmaru, the suave seducer; Takenaga, the sensitive intellectual; Yuki, the sweet innocent. And then there's Kyohei--who loves fried shrimp and having his own way. They know they've gotten in over their heads the first time Sunako screams "creatures of the light!" and flees to the safety of her cave. But seeing how none of the four is in any hurry to move back in with his parents, they decide to stick it out.

Through hauntings, stalkers, parental pressure, unemployment, spirit possession, photo shoots, masquerades, high-class parties, home renovations, and countless other crises, the five learn to live together, grow up just a little, and think of one another as friends--even if they have to hide their perpetual failure from Auntie every time she visits.

In this 3-in-1 omnibus installment, the gang has to deal with Christmas Eve plans, a possibly real vampire, Ranmaru's overly active social life, an angry cat spirit, and a classy wedding reception.

If it all sounds very silly, that's because it is. And I love it! Sunako's passions are the author's, and as much as Hayakawa makes us laugh at her, she never condemns her for being herself. And that same gentle treatment is extended to the other principals. As for the visuals, the graceful linework lends itself equally well to hilarity and sobriety, though the latter doesn't see nearly as much use as the former. The hijinks are many and there's just enough could-it-be-romance to keep us saps happy and giggling...and hungry for fried shrimp.