Tags: Comedy, Romance, Slice-of-Life, School Life

Sub-Tags: Cute, Heartwarming

Solo Adventures on a School Trip!

Solo adventures and group activities mark my first review of the week. Saying one last goodbye to Going Solo, the after story follows Yashiro and his friends on a school field trip to Kamakura. What awaits is heaps of fun both solo and as a group!

Going Solo….or Not

A new volume sees more opportunities for Yashiro and the gang to have fun solo…or maybe not, as the trip to Kamakura turns out to be a great bonding opportunity.

Everyone’s solo activities turn into a great time to spend in pairs. Fate is smiling upon them as their time together leads to forming closer bonds and ensuring that the group has a long-lasting friendship. Yashiro and Ido, Nue and Hanamizawa, and Yuzuki and Yukito’s journeys are particular highlights.

Each pairing serves a great purpose towards the series’ overall character growth. Ido and Yashiro’s time together works well to make sure that Ido moves on from her crush. Meanwhile, Nue and Hanamizawa’s trip together is a way to get them closer together as friends. Nue is difficult to approach and Hanamizawa’s hot springs trip was a good idea to get Nue to open up.

However, the best of the pairings go to Yuzuki and Yukito. Their romance has only just begun and it’s nice to have them have a bit of lovey-dovey time together. Moreover, this section gives great insight into someone who naturally forms as the group’s centre. Their insecurities are just as difficult to deal with as loners, and I wish the story had gone into more detail.

Love and References

Whilst forming friendships and life-long bonds are great, those interested in rom-com elements won’t be disappointed either. There are lots of cute and fluffy moments to be found as this volume makes it clear just how suited Yashiro and Nue are for each other. They are very much in tune and often make references off in their own little world.

On a slightly more negative note, these references are heavy in number and can take you out of the story because they’re highly specific to Japanese culture and so varied in topic. It is only a small thing, but it’s something to note nonetheless.

Overall, Yashiro-kun’s after-story makes for a good conclusion to the series. Every character ends on a good note, and the group as a whole has become stronger due to the events of the field trip. Filled with fluffy moments and good times, Yashiro-kun’s Guide to Going Solo comes highly recommended.