Nisekoi: False Love Volume 10 manga review

Manga
Nisekoi: False Love Volume 10 manga review
By Leroy Douresseaux
July 13, 2015 - 12:03

Viz Media
Writer(s): Naoshi Komi, Camellia Nieh
Penciller(s): Naoshi Komi
Letterer(s): Stephen Dutro
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7690-9
$9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K., 192pp B&W, paperback
Rating: T (Teen)

Nisekoi: False Love Volume 10 cover image

Rated “T” for “Teen”

High school students, Raku Ichijo and Chitoge Kirisaki, don't like each other, but they are dating. That is because the two teens have been forced into a sham relationship. Their fathers are the heads of yakuza syndicates, so in order to keep a gang war from starting, Ichijo and Kirisaki pretend to be a loving teen couple. In fact, Ichijo is also searching for his childhood sweetheart. He wears a pendant lock around his neck as a memento of the promise he made to a mystery girl 10 years ago. Chitoge is one of four young ladies who could be the mystery girl.

As Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 10 (subtitled Shu's Crush – Chapters 81 to 89) opens, Raku is trying to enjoy a nice evening at a public bath – that is until his “girlfriends” decide to do the same thing at the same bath. Then, Raku discovers that his longtime friend, Shu Maiko, has a secret crush. Who is she?

Kosaki Ondera, the girl whom Raku really loves, comes down with a cold. He is told that she has personally asked that he act as her caregiver, but there is more to that story, including Kosaki's younger sister, Haru. Then, it is Raku who gets a big health scare, and everyone is trying to help him – to no avail.

THE LOWDOWN: The Nisekoi: False Love is a manga love story, but done in shonen (boy comics) style. The romance is real, and the series has lots of heart.

Nisekoi: False Love Volume 10, however, is one of those volumes that shows the comic side of this series. I marvel how creator Naoshi Komi is constantly coming up with situations that he effectively turns into single-chapter comedy gold. When I first read this series, I thought that its premise would come across as a short-lived gimmick. Now, I think that it can run for a long time, fueled by genuine love and funny stuff.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE: Readers looking for a shonen manga doing shojo love will want to try Nisekoi: False Love.