Issho ni Kurashite Ii desu ka? Vol 3,4 - Wait really Chika? That takes some courage...

Volumes 3 and 4 of Issho ni Kurashite Ii desu ka? continue right where we left off, with Mio's struggle against a mysterious stalker planning to attack her. This culminates in a scene allowing Hiromi to jump in at the exact right moment, saving her from a bomb and soaking up all the praise.

It honestly felt way too cheesy, right down to Mio confessing the truth to her fans and everyone clapping for her afterward, to the point that I wondered if the whole sequence was intended as a gag. Am I just being insensitive, or is this writing simply way too on the nose? I understand trying to channel an old-school type of narrative, but come on...

Having all five of them appearing in the cover in different situations is always nice, seems like Lily is less prominent in these.

She was at the center of the first two volumes cover, but now the others are getting some time in the spotlight too.

That was only the beginning, and I was already on the fence, but things got even worse when his ex-girlfriend, Chika, reappeared in his life on a rainy day (just to dial up the melodrama). Her new boyfriend decided to dump her, as he never had any intention of marrying her anyway, leaving her completely on her own.

I cannot fathom the sheer audacity Chika had to try getting back together with Hiromi, nor can I understand what baffling mindset possessed Hiromi to actually take her back for a few days. Remember, she's the one who dumped him for another guy, called him a worthless loser, and kicked him out onto the street at his most vulnerable moment right after he lost his job.

Cats are nice too! Though admittedly she has other way bigger problems than that...

I never really understood the whole sauna thing, but it's always nice to see them in skimpy clothes?

Then, the second the other guy breaks things off, she thinks, "Oh, time to go crawling back to my second choice"? Girl, this isn't an Argentine telenovela; just move on and learn from your mistakes. And Hiromi, what kind of complete doormat are you to actually go along with it for several days?

It honestly irritated me far more than I thought it would. It made me realize just how much I dislike this type of protagonist, even more than your run-of-the-mill dense lead, and it really broke the spell of the series for me. Sure, the heroines are still solid, but the general tone hasn't done much to revive my interest in the story as a whole.

Mio continues to be total comedy, how can you use face wash for cleaning your teeth?!

Lily is turning out to be a big push for the series, she did feel like a main heroine in the previous volumes, but still a bit too fast...

I'll check out the next volume to see how things develop regarding Lily catching feelings. It seems way too early for them to become an official couple, so trouble is bound to erupt between them, but I fear the ensuing drama will be just as contrived as what I've just read...