33 – Appreciation
The subplot that began
back in Chapter 31 finally comes to close here.
It’s your typical save of the day by Rito. No idea why he has to be the one that dives
into Rin’s consciousness to break her free of the sword’s curse. Of course, the ecchi is abundant here but
it’s not as bold as it could have been (that, or the constant exposure to it is
starting to dull your senses). There are
some cheesy dialogue and themes that have been explored to death (Rin’s
devotion to protecting Saki, Rito being super dependable in these situations,
Mea admiring Rito’s heroism etc), it’s getting sickening.
There are a few random pages tacked on the
end that takes place after the whole fiasco has ended, which seems to serve no
apparent purpose. It’s during normal
school time, and shows a lot of side characters (it makes you realise how many
characters have not appeared nor have a decent speaking role in a while). We’re only given the hint that Lala may make
a move to further her relationship with Rito which isn’t exactly the most exciting
of plotlines.
34 – When Talking
Lala starts to make
her move (with some misguidance by Momo) and by the end of the chapter, Lala
proposes something to Rito. Take in mind
that there were some very dubious suggestion by Momo and with all the ecchi situations
that Rito had gotten himself into, you can’t help yourself but think what Lala
wants to do with Rito... (don’t worry, it’s nothing that needs to be
censored). There is a lot of fan service here, and Lala’s the
star. We haven’t seen Lala take on such
a big role in a while and the author barely gets the events interesting enough
to keep going. There was a funny section
at the beginning of the chapter with Yami, but that’s basically the highlight
of the chapter. It wasn’t noticeable,
but Lala’s actions had changed a lot since To Love-Ru (in Darkness, she is less
energetic and spontaneous).
35 – Kiss
Direct continuance
from Chapter 34, Lala tries to kiss Rito and the whole chapter revolves around
that. We get the well-worn path of Rito
reflecting over his mixed feelings with so many characters. It gets a little bit boring as the pacing
falls to a complete stop. There’s some
pointless fan service which feels awkward and forced into the chapter. It tries to be deep but it washes over your
head because the same message has been said before already, multiple
times. As per usual, the art is nice.
36 – Real Intention
It starts off with the
same stuff and doesn’t deviate. It seems
to promise you more things, to dive in deeply but it only scratches the surface
and you don’t get to learn anything new.
And that’s not even before the fan service starts hitting you smack bang
in the face.
Lala’s invention is the
plot device again and looks like it will carry over to the next chapter. It’s unoriginal and once Lala’s invention
pops out, you know the exact thing that is going to happen. It’s easy to forget Oshizu is a ghost but no
worries, this chapter will remind you of it.
The prank Mea played on Oshizu is fairly funny though.
Extra – Suddenly
An average extra, the events are very normal though, which is good coz the last few chapters have been a bit farfetched. Mikan’s school friends come over unexpectedly and Mikan worries that something weird is going to happen (and it will). There is a bit of an awkward moment at the end (somewhat disturbing at the direction this is going). Fairly boring and uneventful, it felt like filler more than anything (and there weren’t any funny parts either). And guess what? Two extra characters now know the existence of aliens!
Extra – Ghost Story
Nemesis pops into Rito’s room (seriously, how does that guy get enough sleep with people coming into his room all the time?) and Momo joins in. A ghost story is told but of course, it will turn into a sexually suggestive scene (and it won’t be complete until Mikan comes into the room and smashes them after taking in what she saw). This extra is a bit too suggestive and bold in its fan service.
Overall
A bit of a downer
volume since there doesn’t appear to be anything worthwhile contained in these
chapters. They are unoriginal and you
can easily guess the plot developments a few pages before they start
happening. It gets you wishing that
something more refreshing as a plot device would appear.