Shonen Beam

[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]

It’s a little disappointing that Haruto presumably asked Kiyomi to tag along, rather than Kiyomi herself having wanted to have come.

Mishima continues to be amusingly entranced by snow.

That is one characteristic of snow, yes

It’s great to see Akari. She’s been sorely missed throughout the Tokyo arc. Mishima doesn’t seem as happy as I am to see her, though.

Mishima confronts Haruto over the kiss with Akari. Her immediate jealousy is doubly interesting, as it not only clearly shows her feelings for Haruto, but also forces Haruto to consider his ties to Akari.

Wow. Censorship has certainly become increasingly lenient over the years. Hot springs scenes have always been gratuitous, but they haven’t usually featured such depictions of nudity in shonen.

Mishima was most jealous about her comparative breast size? That’s actually a slight relief. While such a silly plot point can be tacky and overused in other, more “harem”-style series, here it’s a nice change of pace from the drama.

Final Flash: Good combination of jealousy and comedy, making for a nice chapter.

[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]

Another fan-colored page. Disappointing.

Kiyomi is back! I’d be very happy if she helped form a new love triangle with Haruto and Mishima. Kiyomi is too interesting of a character to leave out of the picture. (I still wish Nagoshi was involved somehow, though.)

Kiyomi is even intervening on behalf of Mishima. What a great addition to the cast she’s been.

Amazing character evolution shown by Haruto. His serious and mature explanation of his feelings for Eba is an unexpected positive, and a huge one at that.

Fantastic growth

Two fan-colored pages in a row, for the same scene. Red Hawk, this is embarrassing. Leave this stuff in your forums.

Haruto invites Mishima back to his town… but had already asked Kiyomi. Good mix of emotion and comedy.

Final Flash: Superb chapter. This feels much more like the Kimi no Iru Machi of old, before the overwhelming drama.

[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]

Mishima is going to eat at Haruto’s place “again.” Is she now transitioning into a love interest? With Eba obviously out of the picture for a while, Nagoshi sadly relegated to comic relief, and Kiyomi too focused on Kazama, Mishima makes perfect sense. She’s always gotten along well with Haruto, and it wouldn’t be much of a romance series without any active love interests for the protagonist.

Completely undeserving of her secondary role

Mishima reading Magazine feels a little forced. Meta can be fun and cute if it feels natural in the midst of the story, but this just feels like a plug for A-Bout!.

Akari’s phone call makes me nostalgic for the days when this series was set in Haruto’s hometown, and was so much better than it presently is.

Excellent interaction between Haruto and Mishima. The deadpan comedy is funny, the talk about Eba is appropriately serious, and Mishima shifting the focus on the future is promising.

Fantastic two-page confession scene. I do have to express my disappointment in Red Hawk Scanlations for inserting a fan-colored version of the page in question, though. It’s shameful enough to do that at all, but to insert it before the original version destroys the impact of the scene as intended by the author. Fan-colored pages are fine for message boards and icons, but they have absolutely no place in an official chapter release. This is the first time I’ve seen Red Hawk do it, so they’re certainly not the worst offenders (iMangaScans practically have one per Good Ending chapter), but this is too important of a scene to cheapen. Very disappointing.

Final Flash: Really enjoyable chapter. Mishima is such a positive love interest, and all positivity is welcome after recent events.

[scanlation by Red Hawk Scans]

Haruto and Eba back-to-back on the cover. Prepare for more awkwardness.

That’s pretty direct from Eba. Anyone could have delivered Kazama’s helmet to Haruto.

As usual, Haruto is saying and doing all the right things, and Eba is putting him through hell. It’s almost like this series is the antithesis of GE ~ Good Ending. If we could have the love interests (and the awkwardness-relieving humor) from Good Ending, only with Haruto from Kimi no Iru Machi instead of worthless Seiji, we’d have a hell of a series.

What an unusually pleasant outing for these two. The funeral for his rival in love / her boyfriend was yesterday, and she’s leading him to a sightseeing spot? I know Seo well enough to know this isn’t ending well.

There it is, a string of words no person ever wants to hear. “Maybe we shouldn’t see each other anymore.”

There is no appropriate response

Final Flash: Sad chapter, but this was to be expected. Whether or not it’s easy to read, this is ultimately the plot direction that best allows for Eba’s character integrity. It would have cheapened the entire series if she started focusing on Haruto so soon after Kazama’s death. It looks like Seo is going to put us through hell before we arrive at any kind of resolution.

[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]

Great cover page. The colors are vibrant, and it’s nice to see these girls. They’re reminiscent of when the series was just plain enjoyable, without any angst-riddled qualifiers on such a statement.

Kazama’s surgery is already over? That seems incredibly abrupt.

The conversation between Haruto and Mishima seems far too cheerful. I expect a punch in the gut shortly.

Wow.

Seeing that sign made my blood run cold. He’s dead. The surgery was a success, but his body was too weak afterward. This is rather stunning. To be frank, I didn’t think Seo had the courage to kill off Kazama. I mean, I actually don’t prefer this outcome, because not only does “winning” Eba back now lose any meaning, but it also presents the opportunity for even more angst, as Haruto will inevitably second-guess pushing Kazama to have the surgery.

For once, it’s completely appropriate that Haruto and Eba have no interaction. As an unfortunate consequence, Kazama’s death sets unprecedented levels of awkwardness in this series.

Poor Kiyomi. Since her introduction, her honesty and attitude have been a breath of fresh air. It’s terrible to see her in this state.

The reserved space on Kazama’s helmet is no mere punch to the gut; it’s a full-fledged Heartbreak Shot. Through all the twists and developments in their rivalry, Kazama still intended to remain Haruto’s friend for life. While I’m still disappointed that Haruto will now never have the chance to decisively redeem himself and “win” back Eba, this is a powerful tribute to friendship and a genuinely moving scene.

Final Flash: Major credit to Seo for having the conviction to take such a huge step with the story. This is a proper milestone chapter.

[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]

Amusing scene with Haruto choosing pork.

Kiyomi has ended up adding great chemistry to the cast. She’s a good love interest for Kazama, she’s a great rival for Eba, and her own sharp personality is cute.

Great conversation in the kitchen between Haruto and Eba. This is so much better than the bitter, awkward angst the series had fallen into for a while.

Eba has lost herself in the moment and gotten close to Haruto again. That’s an important moment.

Key sign of Eba's true feelings

Wow, Kazama is pretty thick not to notice Kiyomi’s obvious feelings at this point.

… well, Kiyomi has certainly taken care of that. Great declaration from her.

Kazama is trying to hook up Haruto with Kiyomi? That’s actually pretty disappointing. The rivalry between Haruto and Kazama has thus far been fairly respectful and honorable; this feels a little underhanded.

Time for Kazama to undergo surgery. It seems obvious that things will proceed smoothly enough, but Seo could throw a major twist into the story within the next few chapters.

Final Flash: Overall good chapter with a minor note of disappointment. Major plot advancement should be forthcoming.

[scanlation by Red Hawk Scanlations]

Nagoshi is terribly cute in the way she’s completely misunderstanding all of this. Again, it’s such a pity she wasn’t around earlier to be part of the “real” possibilities.

More series should have "big failure" signs

Eba was smiling last chapter because she was talking about Haruto! That’s some fantastic progress.

Excellent two page spread of Kazama announcing his intention to have  the surgery.

This is setting up brilliantly well. My main concern in the entire Tokyo trip has been that Haruto could potentially end up with Eba again without actually “winning her back,” which would completely demean Haruto (and, by association, the entire story).

Final Flash: This chapter is hugely reassuring for the future of the series.