Kimi Ni Todoke Volume 9 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Sawako Kuronuma has jet black hair and a gloomy attitude, so her classmates call her “Sadako” because Sawako looks strikingly similar to a haunting horror movie character of the same name.  Sawako comes across as someone frightening to her classmates, but this high school student is really a sweet person.  When Shota Kazehaya, the most popular boy in school, starts talking to Sadako… err… I mean Sawako, her life changes.

As Kimi Ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 9 opens, Kento Miura makes his strongest move to turn Sawako away from Kazehaya and towards him.  Then, Kazehaya makes his declaration of not love, but like(!) to Sawaka.  Of course, this only makes everything bad between them.

THE LOWDOWN:  In many ways, Kimi Ni Todoke is the typical shojo high school romantic drama.  It’s full of teen angst and rivalries and also teens dealing with self-confidence and self-loathing.  The depiction of Sawako Kuronuma’s fear of people, her trust issues, and her belief that people feel sorry for her set this drama apart from standard romantic fluff.  Kimi Ni Todoke is good drama, although this volume does overplay the rift between Sawako and Kazehaya.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers looking for shojo romance will like Kimi Ni Todoke: From Me to You.

B+