Title: Komomo Confiserie Vol. 5
Author: Maki Minami
Publisher: VIZ Media
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Page Count: 200
Genre: Shojo, Romance
Publication Date: September 6, 2016
The Story
Here we are at the fifth and final volume of Komomo Confiserie. The story picks up with Komomo questioning whether or not she actually loves Natsu, thanks to the efforts of Mitsuru. Had it not been for the small curveball thrown in, this entire volume would have just been Komomo and Natsu wondering if they loved each other. The curveball that was tossed in was the fact that Komomo’s father straightened out his business and he was having Komomo move back home. Mitsuru’s father also played a role in this as well as he set up an arranged marriage between Mitsuru and Komomo.
Now, here is where the volume became a little confusing. During this story arc, it appears that there was a bet made between Komomo’s and Mitsuru’s fathers and Natsu played the role of cultivating Komomo so that she could understand how the real world works in order to prepare for this arranged marriage. Because of this storyline, I’m left wondering if there was any trouble with Komomo’s father’s business to begin with. It seems like everything was just one big ploy between two fathers, but for what reason? The whole thing just seemed rather awkward to me. I liked the drama of having Komomo move back home, but it got resolved within a matter of a few chapters. In fact, the entire final volume looked like it was rushed. Minami-sensei tried to fit in an abundance of story into such a small amount of space that the impact of the story didn’t really have time to sink in. It was just one event after another.
I get that life can often be a whirlwind and things can happen that quickly, but it didn’t really give the reader enough time to absorb themselves into the story. The entire moving back home scenario could have been an entire volume on its own. Even the arranged marriage situation could have been played out a little bit more, too.
As a series overall, the story has been rather run-of-the-mill which I have stated in my previous reviews. It is through the characters that make this series shine!
The Characters
Natsu and Komomo get the majority of the development while Mitsuru continues to be the supporting character. While he does have a change in personality, one has to wonder if he’s only doing it to get Komomo to realize that she loves Natsu. It is a bit confusing because at the beginning, that was his primary goal, but then when he sees Natsu, supposedly, throw Komomo away, he decides to confess his love to her and it almost seems genuine, but towards the end when Komomo finally realizes that she loves Natsu, it doesn’t really seem to bother Mitsuru at all. The way Minami-sensei handled Mitsuru was kind of odd and he was pretty hard to read as a result.
Komomo’s character development simply reached an apex. We were treated to flashbacks that really portrayed the Komomo of yesterday and the Komomo of today. She even stands up to her father and tells him that the one thing she learned was how to take care of herself and how she can make her own decisions in life. She has really come into her own and really learned the value of life. It just shows how people can be so blinded to the world and when they finally experience it for themselves, they begin to realize what the world truly is and Komomo is the perfect embodiment of all that. I really enjoyed her character development throughout the series and it’s good to see the character have a definitive beginning and ending to their development cycle.
Natsu did as well, but it came out of left field. Throughout the entire series, Natsu has hidden the fact that he loves Komono. Even when people pressured him into professing his love for her, he simply denied it or danced around the question. It was only when Natsu saw Komomo cry and run off that he let his guard down and told Mitsuru how he really felt. Why go through so much effort to hide it only to express your feelings rather nonchalantly? I would have thought that Mitsuru would have backed Natsu into a corner and pressured him into unveiling his true feelings, but alas, it wasn’t anything like that. He simply asked and Natsu answered without any concrete reason for doing so. It really felt anti-climatic and could have been handled better, but at least Natsu finally admitted his feelings.
Final Thoughts
From beginning to end, Komomo Confiserie was a pretty decent series. While the love story isn’t really anything new, I grew attached to the characters more than anything. The fact that it was all centered around pastry was also a pretty unique aspect as well as it had me Googling some of the desserts Natsu was creating just to see what they were. I would say that this manga is more about the journey of Komomo through the real world after being sheltered by a luxurious life. She learns about the world and finds true love for the first time. If you look at this manga in such a light then I believe you will enjoy it immensely, but if you’re going to look at this manga for a well-thought out love story, then you may have your hopes lowered just a bit.
That’s not to say that the series isn’t enjoyable. Just for the character development alone, I give this my recommendation. I still think many people will enjoy this series.
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**This item was provided for review by Viz Media
