Takane & Hana Vol 3 by Yuki Shiwasu

At the beginning of this volume, Takane is sick, and Hana cares from him as much as she is able to, him being stubborn and, in general, a big baby about his illness.  Hana's test scores are coming back too low, and everyone is blaming Takane for distracting her.  Takane is embarrassed to be involved with someone who can't get good grades, so he decides to tutor her.  Even though he isn't the best tutor, and she sometimes is completely distracted, Hana achieves good scores on her finals, and can enjoy her summer vacation guilt free.  Takane offers to take Hana on a trip with some friends, and they go to the beach.  While there, Hana's friend Okamoto shows interest in Hana, much to Takane's irritation.  Later, Hana and Takane go to a Festival where both wear traditional yukata, and enjoy the fireworks.

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With most of the plot lines in this volume, Takane is proving that he doesn't know how to be 26, and instead asks more like Hana's friends than an adult.  I often forget he is supposed to be much older than her, especially because this novel focused less on his work life and more on hanging out with Hana and her friends.  Still, their complicated romance is endearing, and they complement each other despite their flaws.  The facial expressions continue to be some of the highlights of the artwork for me, as both can have downright comedic faces.

The VIZ rating of Teen continues to be appropriate for this series.

Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 8-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2

Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: June 5, 2018
ISBN: 9781421599021 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 8/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Realistic Fiction, Romance, VIZ Media ​