Title: My Special One Vol. 2
Author: Momoko Koda
Publisher: Viz Media
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 176
Genre: Shojo, Romance
Publication Date: May 2, 2023
The Story
The sting of rejection… that’s where we left off with the first volume of My Special One. The question of where we should go from here was answered when Sahoko decided to dig herself a basement then dig a sub-basement and hide in there (metaphorically). However, a tabloid article gets published that paints Kouta in a negative light and he is quite literally shoved into Sahoko’s house by Kanato so he can lie low for a bit until the heat blows over.
After taking care of him, Sahoko decides to cheer him on if people heckle him. She does so as he’s leaving a building which causes the two of them to share a cab ride together. There, for some reason, Kouta opens up and we learn a LOT about his past! Then… Kouta disappears because he has the flu. Sahoko decides to take it upon herself to take care of him so she goes over to his apartment to pay him a visit. Good thing because he collapsed shortly after she arrived!
After leaving, she stops at a bridge and contemplates everything. She accidentally drops her phone into the river… RIP phone-kun.
Kouta realizes that his messages aren’t being returned and that’s when Kanato makes his move. Realizing that the signs are there and things between them are closer than Kouta wants to admit, Kanato lies and tells Kouta that Sahoko texted him and said she wants nothing to do with becoming close to him anymore and that she’s going back to being just a regular fan. After his lie, Kanato pats Kouta on the back and congratulates him for getting exactly what he wanted.
Reverse psychology at its finest… and… from there, the volume goes into the ending but I’ll let you see just how well that reverse psychology worked on a crybaby like Kouta.
Characters
The biggest focus here was on Kouta. Mr. Kirigaya (no relation to Kazuto) has quite the past. We learn about his mother as well as a girl that was like family to him. His backstory truly gave him the base for the person (idol) he became today. His reason for making the world a brighter place through his sparkle power is truly justified and not just some lame, embarrassing thing to say in public. Once you read the backstory, you have a newfound appreciation for Kouta as a character; however, with the way the first volume ended, the type of backstory that we received was kind of expected and it would have been run-of-the-mill quality had it not pulled out the wild card twist in it. The 2-for-1 special was strong here and I’ll leave it at that.
Sahoko was all over the place. From “I can’t believe I confessed” to “I still have feelings for him” to “Aw, why am I even doing this?” to “I’ll always be there for him!!” to “Oops, I dropped my phone in the river but I’ll still always be there for him even if he has no idea where I am because I can’t text him but it’s okay because I know where he lives, muah ha ha ha… SUPER STALKER!” Okay… maybe that last one was a bit extreme and parts of that didn’t happen but it sure felt that way. Love does make us do crazy things sometimes but as facetious as my description of Sahoko was, it all boils down to determination.
She refuses to let go of her feelings and is determined to be involved in Kouta’s life in one way or another. Some might read that and think she really is a stalker but it’s actually wholesome. She’s the kind of person that just wants to support someone and after she hears Kouta’s backstory, she can’t help it. That sense of being the one person who will never let him be alone is what is carrying her forward. She is determined to see to it that Kouta is happy and, even though it’s not really stated but strongly hinted, she wants to be the one person that gives Kouta a free pass at being himself once in a while.
Kanato is still a jackass but in a good way. He’s brash, rough around the edges, cocky, and arrogant, but is all that and more in a fun way. He means good with everything he does even if the words he says don’t reflect that on the surface. You can tell he cares about Kouta and wants to see him and Sahoko get together. He’s more of a “shut up and just do it, for crying out loud” type of character, and sometimes, crybabies like Kouta need people like that in their lives.
Final Thoughts
The second volume piled on the interest and entertainment. The slow build of their relationship is really wholesome and is your classic tragic past + resistance type of story. It’s basically another case of one character breaking the social shell of the other and letting themselves in. Sahoko isn’t the kind of character to do it alone, though. She has the determination but she lacks the true will to fully commit and execute. That’s where Kanato comes in with the assist. Indirectly, they make up a great tag team to help break Kouta’s shell… even if their efforts seem in vain from time to time.
I like where this story is headed, although, the ending makes me wonder a few things… things I’ll keep to myself because if the third volume starts off with the way they want readers to think, this may end up being a short series. I’m expecting something to prolong the story a bit longer unless…
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Until then, this is shaping up to be a great romance and if a touch of the roms on your heart is your favorite genre like it is mine, you should give this one a read!
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This item was purchased for review.
