When the two are not together, Kurumi is finding lies to tell and rumors to start to make Kazehaya think Sawako’s not interested, while Sawako pretty much gets walked on like a doormat while simultaneously being praised for being a good athlete. Kurumi continues to talk to Sawako, but it is merely to tell her how Sawako’s feelings for Kazehaya aren’t real, how she should find someone else, and most importantly, to stay away from Kazehaya. Volume 4 starts off with Kurumi and Sawako both confessing to each other that they have a crush on the same boy, thus severing any friendship they may have had in the previous volumes. The pace of the story fluctuates between too slow and too fast, and there seemed to be attempts at humor in the form of Kurumi’s non-existent face lotion, though whenever it was mentioned, it felt more like a forced attempt to gain a laugh than genuine humor.

It’s not over the top with details to the point where you’re wondering where her hair stops and the words start, but it’s also not so plain that you can’t understand how they got published in the first place.

The artwork in Kimi ni todoke, though nothing new or noteworthy, is nice to look at. Kurumi has been in love with Kazehaya since junior high, and she feels threatened by Sawako’s newfound interest in the same boy because, as Kurumi puts it, it’s easy for Sawako to get attention because it’s not difficult for a social reject to gain people’s sympathy, while being popular and pretty makes it so much harder to get even a look from the one boy she wants it from. Sawako is the plain girl, the social outcast, with the not-surprising inner beauty (that apparently becomes a physical beauty once everyone sees how nice looking she is with her hair tied up in a bun) and unintentional knack for getting her love interest’s attention. Kurumi is the popular girl, pretty with her long blonde curls, wide eyes, and a secret agenda to mess with anyone who gets in the way of her goals. Along with these two rivals/friends (no, really) is a cast of boys and girls, and even one that had me confused for a minute, ever ready to attempt to induce more laughter and tears in this high school drama. Sound familiar? Welcome to the plot of nearly every single shojo manga to hit the shelves. Kimi ni todoke is about two girls, Kurumi and Sawako, who both have feelings for the same guy, Kazehaya.

Kimi ni todoke vol 4