Nisekoi: False Love Vol. 20by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 7 Marika kidnaps Raku to a deserted island to watch the year's first sunrise. Then, they all attend a festival where the girls get drunk. Chitoge plans a date that Raku will like, and tries to appear more feminine in an attempt to get him to like her more. Yui turns 20, and Night gives her one week to get Raku for herself or agree to marry another suiter.Marika becomes even more annoying; the whole kidnapping thing is horrible and shows she really doesn't care about anyone but herself -- not even her "darling Raku". Raku, at least, handles it more than admirably. Of course, there's the big elephant in the room -- Marika's health. The hints grow stronger in this volume that she's dying, which excuses her actions to an extent, but makes me mad that she wants to put Raku through that rather than accepting him loving someone else. She does get two (rare) pluses in this volume. First, for her telling Raku how he inspired her to become stronger and do things she didn't think she could because of her health. Second, for her words to Yui. Even though it's obvious from the reader's perspective that Marika doesn't really understand Yui at all, her words come from the heart (expressing her own feelings and desires in the process) and help light a fire under Yui to get her to confess her true feelings to Raku. The festival scene was completely gratuitous. At least it wasn't as bad as the similar scene from their previous year's festival drunkenness. Here it was mostly played for laughs, but it came across as more Raku being uncomfortable. It didn't even have any big confessions or similar this time. Chitoge's date with Raku is so thoughtful, but I'm super glad he tells her it's better when they do things they both enjoy! She tried so hard, but the outcomes were hilariously bad because they didn't mesh well with her. At the same time, she did find happiness in Raku's happiness and enjoyment, which is a positive sign. They are definitely my OTP for this series, and I love that later in this volume Raku begins realizing he may actually like her (finally!). It's only clouded by his attempts to convince himself that he likes Onodera more (he only succeeds in agreeing with himself that he finds her cute). I'm thrilled with this advancement, and I hope things continue down this path. Yui's section is the bulk of this volume, which is okay since it brings her arc to a close. Yui was always an odd pairing with Raku because she's older and she's his teacher. It should be noted that I was under the impression that she was much more than two years older than him (how did she get through school and get her teaching license so young?); at least this volume points out that others are in awe / shock of how young she is for her job as a teacher. Thankfully, we get to see how mature she is through her acceptance of her situation, Raku's decision to only love her as a sister, and the fate Night laid out for her. The end of it all made me really happy -- partially because that's one down and partially because of what Night admits at the end. I'm happy Yui and Raku can still be friends and love each other like siblings. I'm happy for Yui that she can maintain the friendships she has, and that she becomes introduced to new ones. A fairly solid volume. I could have done without the drunk section. I enjoyed the character growth, especially with Raku realizing he has some decisions to make. Written: March 14, 2017
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