I”s 15
Posted: October 10, 2009 Filed under: I"s Leave a comment »Masakazu Katsura – Viz – 2007 – 15 volumes
Normally, after finishing a 15-volume series that I liked a lot (and one that took me, like, five years to read), I would have a lot to say. But the final story arc in I”s is much like the rest of the series. It doesn’t feel like much has changed, and what went on in this volume wasn’t too different than what came before. Mostly it just felt like it stopped, and we were promised that nobody would ever do anything bad ever again. The end.
I was furious that the last volume still went around in circles. Ichitaka briefly entertains dating Aiko at the beginning of the volume. He and Iori keep passing like two ships in the night. When he finally does get to see her again, he gets tongue-tied and then decides to break up with her (which was one of the biggest “what?!” moments in the series for me). Then he gets to be a knight in shining armor when a creep begins to stalk Iori. All of this has happened before. I hated that nothing changed and nobody seemed to learn any sort of lesson. I still liked pretty much everything a lot, for some reason, which is the power of I”s.
Something relatively serious and strange did happen, and for a little bit I was concerned that the series was going to end on this bizarre note… then even the bizarre note began chasing itself around in I”s circles where Ichitaka lost his will and couldn’t talk to Iori. And I got even angrier.
But the actual resolution, and Iori’s way of dealing with all the obstacles in her life, was relatively satisfying. The series ends with a drunken party among all the friends, which is very, very important, and one of the things I”s does best (though this party isn’t nearly as spectacular as the ones that have come before). And Teratani came through like a true friend through this entire volume, as always.
I guess, if I take anything away from this series, it will be Teratani. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but he’s one of the greatest characters shounen romance has ever and will ever produce. Rock on, Teratani. Rock on.
