Title: Mint Chocolate Vol. 5
Author: Mami Orikasa
Publisher: Yen Press
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 160
Genre: Slice of Life, Romance, Comedy
Publication Date: March 22, 2022
The Story
Volume five of Mint Chocolate centers around Nanami’s aunt and cousin coming to visit. It has been a long while since she saw them and when they arrive, she can’t believe how big Subaru has gotten. Last she saw him, he was a little kid and now he’s fifteen and starting high school!
The problem is that her aunt, Takako, automatically suspects that Nanami and Kyouhei are dating so she decided that instead of just stopping by and saying hi, she’s going to stay for a while and drill them with questions! She doesn’t let her foot off the gas and questions every little thing that they do. She even interrogates Kyouhei about his past relationships!
Meanwhile, Subaru overhears the two of them talking about hiding their relationship. He later goes on to tell Nanami that he knows everything but he’s not going to tell Takako because if the two of them end up getting married, it would be better for him that way… which is a rather odd thing to say. Then, there was the big plot twist when it comes to Subaru which caused everything to make sense!
The volume comes to an end with Subaru’s last night visiting in which he has a special request that he would like to make!
Characters
Nanami and Kyouhei took a backseat in the development department as Takako and Subaru took center stage.
Subaru was the best character in this volume, hands-down. Despite being fifteen, he still talked to Nanami as if he were that little kid… calling her big-sis… even asking if they could bathe together! He has a chipper and upbeat attitude but something seemed off about him… at least at first. Once the plot twist is revealed, everything made sense and that mischievous attitude turned into pure comedy! He really made this volume and I can’t wait to see if his special request gets granted!
Takako, on the other hand, is a stern, cold-hearted, take-no-prisoners woman! She looks like the kind of mid-life woman who can never be happy with anything. It was even stated that she constantly nags and harps on her poor husband. She was even glad to have stayed longer because she didn’t have to look at her husband’s face! (how did someone like Subaru get raised by someone like her!?)
If there ever was a character that perfectly illustrated the sound of nails on a chalkboard, it’s Takako. The fact that she tried her darndest to pry into Nanami and Kyouhei’s life was unbearable to read. I don’t mean that as it was bad writing but I, myself, found myself boiling just reading her dialogue. If the goal was to make you want to read through the pages and tell her to shut up, then Mami Orikasa did her job well!
Final Word
This was a pretty fun volume. Nanami and Kyouhei didn’t really do a good job of keeping their secret. If they did, then this volume wouldn’t have been as entertaining as it had been. Plus, with Subaru finding out and being on their side, it brought a sense of relief to the tension… but when you find out why he was rooting for them, it adds to the hilarity!
It’s a shame that Subaru is only hanging around for a little bit. He brought a bit of fresh air into this series that it has been needing for a while. There’s only so much that you can do with the whole forbidden love angle before things become stale and this series seemed to be heading that direction. The only issue is that Subaru is most likely leaving next volume but because of the attention he commanded, it will be a special occasion when we see him again!
It makes me wonder where the series is going to go from here once this little mini-arc wraps up? Again, there’s only so much you can do with the forbidden love aspect so something is going to have to give sooner or later. Maybe before Takako leaves, she wishes the two of them happiness or something which sparks questions with Nanami’s parents? I don’t know… but I can’t see them just going back to the formula they’ve followed up until this point. I hope whatever comes adds something interesting so that this wave of freshness can continue!
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This item was provided for review by Yen Press
