Seiho Boys’ High School 6

Kaneyoshi Izumi – Viz – 2011 – 8 volumes

I feel like I’ve already talked about this series’ good points a thousand times, but they bear repeating, because every volume is just as funny and sweet as the last one. I loved the first two chapters in this volume (well, two chapters, and two short bonus stories), as they were about super-jerk Nogami and how much he really cares for his girlfriend. The two of them were having issues, but their relationship was never really in any danger, and it was wonderful to see Nogami so completely at a loss and asking for help.

And did I mention that this took place during the school festival? One where Nogami suggested crossdressing as a theme, and everyone was depressed because they made such ugly girls? Oh yeah, that was gold. It goes right along with the comments I made about the humor in Goong, about how I love comic creators who can utterly humiliate their characters for maximum laughs. You have to have really strong characters to be able to pull that off, and Seiho Boys’ High School definitely succeeds in that.

The next story was pure comedy, about a gigantic box of “blue ribbon” pornography being passed from room to room, the story of how and why it was making its move around the dorm, and what happened during a dorm inspection. But even during pure comedy, Maki paused for a moment to reflect on graduation and what his time in high school might mean several years down the road. It was a nice pause, and the bittersweetness mixed well with the comedy.

The final story… the final story was about Takano and Maki. These stories are always a little bit about the two of them getting closer as a couple. But this story was also about how Maki is apparently the only virgin among his group of friends. Many things happen in this story. One of them is this.

(an image, sorta NSFW, but not really dirty… mostly just funny)

That benevolent nun.  The horrified faces below.  Over the next few pages, the nun gives them condoms, and tells them that they should be safe and remember that God is always watching over them.  At school, Maki’s friends tell him that such a comment would make even the most virile gentlemen weak at the wrong time.

And that is exactly why this series is everything I love about shoujo manga. There’s still not a whole lot of ongoing plot, but I love it just the way it is. I feel like I could read short stories about these characters forever.

This was a review copy provided by Viz.