We pick up at the exact moment that volume five ended, with Nakatsu kissing Ashiya. Except, of course, he didn't kiss her - just came very, very close. Manga writers love to do these fake outs! Still, I understand that Sano is the only one who can be kissing Ashiya; also, the moment is packed with angst, as Nakatsu rushes away, trying to understand himself and what he is doing. His analysis propels him to find the girl that had a crush on him, and get a girlfriend that will take his mind off Mizuki. Meanwhile, Sano has noticed how Nakatsu feels, and Ashiya is typically clueless. In the midst of this relationship drama, the reporter that is far too obsessed with Sano is still lurking around, but I found that plot line very dull. The best part about it was the way Umeda horrified her, and the vague insinuations about what he did to traumatize her. I love Umeda. Meanwhile, Nakatsu continues to struggle, still attracted to Ashiya despite his wonderful girlfriend, and eventually he does the right thing - breaks up, and declares his love for Ashiya in front of the whole school. That completely surprised me, but I liked it. Sano's irritation and Ashiya's perplexity were hilarious, and Nakatsu is so sweet and earnest that I almost want to root for him, but I like Sano too much. Into this charged situation explodes Julia, Mizuki's friend from America, who surprises her with the knowledge that she is a transfer student to Japan. Also, in the middle of this volume was another extra, one of Nakajo's short stories, but this one was about Nanba and his first love, and was by far the best one to this point. Possibly because it was about a character we know. Overall, this was another fun volume, and the pointless reporter thread wasn't enough to weigh down all the great things happening between the three main characters, Ashiya and Sano and Nakatsu. ( )

Lots of fun with quite a few laugh-out-loud moments! Mizuki is just too cute, and Sano is very awesome. Nakatsu is always good for some comic relief and Umeda is without a doubt very cool.

And I love how the plot actually -moves-. Too many shoujo stories just amble along and make no progress, but Hana-Kimi is actually moving forward!

Second time reading: Nakatsu's whole storyline is cute, and it's nice to see some progress. Of course, I'm curious as to how it will get resolved... and it better get resolved. Karasuma also adds an interesting mix. Julia's presence seems likely to move things along as well, though I must admit I'm not her biggest fan.

Also, I wasn't overjoyed with Nanba's backstory. He's not my favorite character and I don't really care for those kinds of stories... but I guess that's just a personal preference. ( )