Marmalade Boy, Vol. 2

Soo...apparently Me of a Decade Ago really enjoyed annoying shoujos...which I don't remember that being the case...then again YA not being the juggernaut it is now, I didn't find a lot of these tropes as annoying since I only read the occasional "real" shoujo (I'll contend something like MARS leans more heavily in the josei category after the first couple of volumes since by that point Rei and Kira are trying to build a life and aren't interested in the petty games of HS relationships, but that's a different story). And quite often there was an added magical/fantasy/action aspect that drove me more (Star Blacks, Ageha 100%, Saint Tail, Miracle Girls...). Wait I'm dangerously off topic here.

So volume 2, after Ginta's (not that surprising show more this is shoujo after all) confession to Miki is ALL the awkwardness for everyone but Yuu. Because Yuu is that freaking awesome.

Let me ruminate on Yuu in these early volumes since later it can get distressing to be his fan (from what I remember). He's arrogant, selfish and likes to rile Miki up. He is not however deliberately cruel, two-faced or insensitive. Most of his issues with Miki (which are all HER issues with him, not the other way around) stem from their parents weird relationship and the fact he's the opposite of Ginta in all ways. At one point this occurs:
Ginta: You make me sick to look at you!
Yuu: That's funny, I don't get sick when I look at you :walks away, turns around: But then you're not worth wasting energy on. :leaves:

Miki, who is very direct and open, doesn't really know how to handle someone like Yuu who casually teases her and doesn't push his feelings/thoughts/actions onto her. I should point out that unlike a lot of the shoujo guys I remember reading (or watching) at the time, Yuu doesn't spend half his conversations with or about Miki deriding her or treating her badly then in private agnst'ing his feelings and treatment of her. The occasional inscrutable look, cryptic remark or carefully indifferent 'wanna hang out?' when she's feeling down are pretty much his stock in trade.

Anyhow. I could go on about my love of Yuu for ages.

We also find out what's up with Meiko (which...sigh still not as bad as the romance in CCS of the same nature. At least Meiko is 16...is this like an actual thing that happens in Japan a lot or something? Or did I just gravitate towards all the series where it did?) and oh hey Arimi is back. God I hated her on my first read through (really only Yuu had my approval) but she's not so bad now. She's upfront, honest and tells Miki she'll fight hard. She doesn't go behind Miki's back and slander her or start rumors or treat her badly. In fact they're pretty good friends if you put aside their romance entanglements. show less