Kare Kano, Volume 21

The road to the end has been a long and arduous one. Through many twists and turns, through many dramas the reader has traveled. Not all of them are as satisfying as others, but most have been fun. In this final volume we see the reactions of everyone as the school year ends and we discover what everyone is going to do after they graduate. We also learn how everyone reacts to the young parent's pregnancy (some good, some bad, but all love it in the end). I really enjoyed this volume. This is one series I got really attatched to early on & was willing to complete it. It may not be for everyone, but it's worth it.

Well I've just read vol 1 threw vol 21 in just a week and I loved it however the last volume kinda got to me a little. When it goes to sixteen years later and it tells all about what the gang has been up to nothing was brought up about the others having childern which I think some of them should have after all it was 16yrs later. In it's end it left room to start all over again with there daughter being in love with there best friend making me wish that it could keep following them threw each generation.

After having bogged down with Arima-kun's back history concerning his parents and adoptive parents, Tsuda-sensei finally gets back to the good stuff that we love and brings back the main cast and the central supporting characters that we had come to love, but who'd been all but forgotten. Volume 21 begins with one last tale of Asaba-kun and a girl he befriends in his senior year in high school. Then, the story switches to Arima and Yukino telling their friends and family of her pregnancy, then the gang graduating from high school. The manga ends with a super-chapter that takes place 16-years in the future and shows what has happened with all the characters in the meantime. Yeah, Tsuda-sensei ends on a high note for sure. I loved bringing back the old gang (even if mostly they were just cameos). Having an aftermath chapter (70+ pages?) taking place 16-years in the future was a nice touch and the perfect way to wrap up the manga. Tsuda-sensei's commentaries and ending omake is a nice touch as well. Finally, there's TokoyoPop's adaptation of this final volume. For the majority of the series run, they've opted for a more domestic approach that removed the Japanese honorifics. However, this final volume has the honorifics included and that is a welcome thing for this reviewer. Bottom line: A long manga series, one that got bogged down for a while, but Tsuda-sensei breaks free and ends the manga on a high note.

The last volume of this endearing series does not disappoint like a great song or dish that you savor until the end. The warm fuzzies linger after you finish the book. Soichiro and Yukino tell their friends all about the news of the coming baby. They all discuss their plans for the future and as always the emotions of all the characters highlight the story. The epilogue which takes place 16 years in the future is such a wonderful glimpse in how all the characters have grown. Masami is to be congratulated for this wonderful series.