Tags: Comedy, Romance, Harem, Yuri, School Life, Slice-of-Life
Sub-Tags: Absurdism, Misunderstandings, Heartwarming, Cute
Synopsis:
Two crises deep into Yotsuba’s fledgling three-way relationship with Yuna and Rinka, her love life is finally reaching equilibrium. Her girlfriends approve of the unusual arrangement they’ve settled into, her little sisters begrudgingly acknowledge it, and it seems like life couldn’t get any better…which, of course, means it’s time for a new disaster to shake things up all over again! For all the positive traits Yotsuba can’t bring herself to admit that she has, it’s undeniable that she also has a bad memory. Very bad. So bad that she just might’ve forgotten she had a childhood friend way back whenever, then failed to notice as said childhood friend became a nationally renowned pop idol, all to fulfill a promise she made with Yotsuba…which Yotsuba, of course, also forgot about. Their reunion could only possibly be more awkward if, say, Yotsuba’s old friend asked her for help faking a relationship…but what are the odds of that happening? (Source: J-Novel Club)
A Childhood Friend Crisis!
An Idol Issue
The third volume of Yuri Tama sees Yotsuba’s dating dilemmas continue into the second half of summer vacation. Moving on from school idols and sister issues, the latest volume in the series has Yotsuba dig a deep hole for herself when her childhood friend comes back to town.
Having a real, bonafide idol as a childhood friend promised and delivered on a whole new level of chaos for the series. Maki Amagi has come back to fulfil a long-forgotten promise, and she’s not taking no for an answer.
When Three Become Four?
Maki is a tenacious addition to the series, and with Yotsuba holding such a prized place in her heart, she quickly gets to work to make Yotsuba hers. As a result, the plan Maki puts in place has Yotsuba go on a fake date with her to stop the hounding paparazzi. This plan probably would’ve succeeded if Yotsuba hadn’t used her brain for the first time in the series.
Unlike in previous volumes, Yotsuba is quick to realise that Maki’s intentions seem suspect and asks for her girlfriends and Koganzaki’s advice on the matter. The sacrosanct agree to the fake date scenario setting clear boundaries for Yotsuba, but it’s Koganzaki’s reactions that once again need highlighting.
Continuing to be one of the only voices of sanity in the series, Koganzaki’s scenes are still some of the most hilarious in the series. Even after the events between the Sacrosanct and Yotsuba’s sisters, Koganzaki still can’t quite believe that one of the world’s most famous idols would have the hots for Yotsuba.
The climax of the volume sees Maki reveal the truth to Yotsuba about her memories. It’s one of the very few serious moments in the series and shows the effect of Yotsuba’s actions on a young Maki, who was struggling with her parent’s divorce at the time.
Overall, Yuri Tama’s third volume brings all the chaos of its previous volumes and more. Providing the series with a childhood friend character has given plenty of material for the series to run away with, especially with Maki being a proper rival character. With said character now a student at the school, there’ll be more opportunities for relationship development and chaos to erupt.
Yuri Tama Vol. 3
My Rating: 9/10
I hope you enjoyed my review and would love to see what you thought of the volume in the comments! If you like what I do and want to see more, consider supporting me by buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi.
You can read the third volume of this series digitally on the J-Novel Club website.
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