Nisekoi: False Love Vol. 21by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 6 Raku decides to turn down Mari's feelings, but before he gets the chance, her sickness hits hard, and she's taken home to wed another and carry out her duties. Chitoge suggests they go fight for Raku against her mother, but the battle will be tougher than they expected.This series is definitely headed towards the finale. Mari has become the second of the harem to get officially weeded out -- a point which I'm glad of, as she always annoyed me. Whatever her medical condition is, is no excuse for behaving the way she does. She may see it as fighting for a chance at love and for a bit of freedom not normally allowed to the heirs in her family, but she comes off as abusive, controlling, and fake (especially that refined nice-girl act she's always putting on). The build-up to revealing her condition is huge in this volume; I'm expecting something astonishing but am prepared for the manga-ka to fail to deliver something fitting enough. I'm glad to see Raku realizing (at least to an extent) that he's in the center of a harem, and he needs to give all these girls an answer to their requests of love. I love that it's Chitoge that leads the charge to help Mari, whom she really doesn't like or get along with. She's matured so much, and the fact that she does this in part to help Raku makes me ship her with him even harder. Chitoge's fighting spirit shines through in this volume as well, and is played for plot convenience and humor at some points. Tsugumi's fight scene with Honda is fantastic! It's over-the-top ninja fighting that's handled and presented seriously. It fits with the scene change as well -- the old samurai mansion full of secret tunnels. Out of all the ridiculous aspects of this series -- including the strong emphasis on powerful families -- Mari's family takes the cake. Her mom is bizarre and disconnected from reality. Her dad is the chief of police, but even though he sides with Mari, he will only do so much to act against the woman he loves, even if that means condemning his own child. Things are left on quite the cliffhanger, exaggerated by the way this particular plot twist became unrealistically over-the-top. I'm curious how this part wraps up, as well as the overall series, and I'm glad to see it weeding out the potential love interests that never really meshed well. Written: April 10, 2017
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