I Hate You More Than Anyone 2

There are still things I kind of don’t like about this series.  It’s still got kind of a cluttered layout that makes certain things hard to read (I can’t remember if it was this or Cipher, but one of the two gave me a lot of trouble reading the small aside text even with my [extremely inadequate] glasses on).  I also haven’t really gotten used to the violent over-reactions of the main character.  It’s better in this volume, since it seems like it’s slowly being worked into her character instead of being used solely as a joke (she apologizes and thinks about things she’s done now), but she still hits people and yells at them needlessly quite often.  It’s also got a lot of parts that are self-referential.  This actually isn’t that bad, and is sometimes kind of funny (at one point, either Maki or Kazuha references the name of the series while one is angsting over the other), but it can be a little out of left field.

With that aside, I can’t help but like it.  It’s just really addictive, and it’s one of those shoujo series that reel off one problem after another and get everyone swept up in things.  The pace is what makes something like this, and not lingering overlong on little (but important!) things.

Let’s see… again, I’m surprised by how quickly the main relationship is progressing, given the title of the series.  I like the couple a lot.  Whle Kazuha isn’t my favorite person in the world (she’s a strong character, but I think it’s still her violence that is putting me off), I really like Maki.  Admittely, he’s written to be the kind of guy you’re supposed to like, but he does his job well.  He’s funny, a nice guy, and seems to know how to handle a lot of different situations.  I like the moves he’s putting on Kazuha too, though I’d like to see her respond to his affection a little more first.

The main complication in this volume, aside from Kazuha sorting out her real feelings, is that her best friend is also in love with Maki.  For some reason, everyone’s advice runs contrary to what I would have done in that situation.  I mean… I guess it’s true that Maki doesn’t really like the girl back, but still.  If I were Kazuha, I’d have probably done the same thing.  The last third of the volume was a little weird for me because of this.

The volume ends on kind of a sad note.  It’ll probably be awhile before I can get the next one, but that doesn’t really mean I’m any less addicted to the thing.  Where does it rank in the CMX shoujo I’ve been going through recently?  Well, I probably like it a little better than Venus in Love (though those two are pretty close together), but significantly less than Cipher, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of since Cipher is pretty fantastic.