Title: Kubo Won’t Let Me Be Invisible Vol. 8
Author: Nene Yukimori
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 169
Genre: Slice-of-Life, Romance, Comedy
Publication Date: July 4, 2023
The Story
Here in Volume 8, everyone is excited for summer break. They work really hard to pass their exams and all of them pass with flying colors… except for Sudo… he got a 0! The smartest of the bunch failed because he simply forgot to write his name on the test! He’s sent to remedial class but since he did score perfectly, he only had to go for the first day as a formality. After that, the Kubos are summoned to the Beach Shack to help out but they are down a male helper. Akina knows just the invisible man for the job!
Of course, this leads to the obligatory beach episode! Swimsuits galore and, yes, cute moments between Kubo and Shiraishi. Once the beach shenanigans are all said and done, it’s time to return back home where we get another sugar injection with Seita. He wants big bwuver to blow bubbles with him but the gang all has plans for the day Seita wants to do it. His cuteness wins and they agree to change their plans to blow bubbles together.
Finally, it’s Kubo’s birthday and Shiraishi wants to give her a gift but doesn’t know what to get her. So… he asks Sudo for help but he’s never given a gift to a girl before, either! Despite that, he lies and says to leave it to him so he and Shiraishi go shopping. Thankfully, they run into Akina and she gives some advice. With gift in hand, the only thing Shiraishi has to do is figure out how to give it to her!
Characters
Just like with the last volume, there wasn’t much in the way of character development unless you want to count Sudo being really dumb and really smart at the same time. I mean, he did forget to write his name on his test and did flex some bravado when Shiraishi asked him for help in picking out a gift when he, himself, had as much experience as the score on his exam.
But outside of that, the Shiraishi x Kubo story nudged them just a little bit closer. I can definitely say that Kubo is getting more and more daring around him. There was a moment at the end of the beach trip where I thought she was going to slip due to um…. “certain influences.” The fact that Shiraishi is actively going shopping for her is another step in the right direction. Plus, Shiraishi isn’t as invisible as he once was. Now that he has friends, he’s beginning to learn the joy of spending time with others… something that wasn’t possible just seven volumes ago. That’s a pretty big step for him!
Final Thoughts
This was another great and cute edition! Usually, beach/camping/hot springs/etc. episodes push a relationship forward but we didn’t get anything more than some cute moments in this one. A bit disappointing but the residual effects felt afterward might have hinted that things did get closer between the two of them under the hot sun and white sands.
Outside of that, this volume took several small stories and made things progress nicely. There wasn’t much of a cliffhanger to be had in this one, though. Shiraishi will give Kubo her gift in the next volume and I’m pretty sure she’ll love it no matter what it is because it came from Shiraishi. The aftermath of receiving the gift; however, that will be the interesting part… or would be, I should say.
After eight volumes, it’s kind of the same formula. Will getting a gift from Shiraishi offer up another cute moment between the two? Sure! Will it really amount to anything and end up with a confession? Probably not; however, I COULD see Kubo losing her composure and offering up an innocent kiss on the cheek. We might get that much out of it… or maybe Kubo is so moved she offers to spend her birthday with Shiraishi and they can go on an unofficial date or something. There are a few ways it could go but the whole “Will she like the gift?” aspect is pretty much decided already thanks to the nature of this series.
The fallout is what I want to see! Bring on Volume 9!
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This item was provided for review by VIZ Media.
