Tags: Comedy, Romance, Drama, Harem, Slice of Life, School Life
Sub-Tags: Introverts, Misunderstandings, Fake Lovers, Gyaru
Synopsis:
After the events that unfold with Makiri-sensei, my summer vacations aren’t over just yet. Normally I’d stay in my own home enjoying the AC, like I usually do every other year. However, this year, I find myself accompanying Ike Haruma, the protagonist of my story, as his loyal sidekick on a trip to the beach. Funnily enough, we end up stumbling our paths with Touka, Kana, and Tatsumiya over there. It all feels like the ideal summer experience, but do I really have the right to enjoy something like this? I’m just a side character, after all.
As the summer draws to a close, time passes swiftly, and the relationship between me and the other girls changes slowly but surely. (Source: Tentai Books)
A Side Character and Summer Vacation!
Beach Trips and Movie Dates
Patching things up with his father and earning Makiri-sensei’s affection along the way, the fourth instalment of this side-character rom-com sees Yuuji enjoy time on summer vacation.
The fourth tale in the series has less of a running narrative than in previous volumes. It finds Yuuji splitting his last two weeks off from school between dates with the three heroines and spending quality time with the boys.
Whether it be going on a movie date with Kana, picking out Yukatas with Touka, or going on a surprise camping trip with Makiri-sensei, the author’s goal with this volume is clear – make romantic progress. The more episodic nature of this volume happens to be a boon in achieving this goal.
Without the need to solve one of the main heroine’s dilemmas, the story becomes more relaxed and settled. This, in turn, allows for more time to be spent with each of the heroines, inching progress with all three in preparation for the all-important next stage in the rom-com cycle.
As the volume ends on a three-way festival date, it is very likely in the near future that Yuuji’ll be looking at several confessions!
Progress Beyond Romance
Romantic progression isn’t all that’s on offer in this volume. Due to Yuuji’s reputation, it wasn’t just a potential girlfriend that he was scaring off, but friends and a proper relationship with his father as well. The latest volume in the series shows just how far he’s come to mitigate this problem.
In previous volumes, the relationship between Yuuji and his father can best be described as non-existent. Whilst the third volume went some way in fixing their relationship, the fruit of their labour comes to fruition here as they go on a father-son bonding trip. Fraught with misunderstandings, at least there’s some palpable healing taking place.
Progress can also be seen on the friend front. Spending most of his last summer vacation alone, he’ll have no such luck this year as the new group of friends he’s made are more than willing to spend quality time together.
Overall, Side Character’s latest outing proves that the series can still work even without the central narrative of introducing the three main heroines. Progress can be felt throughout the volume with each of the romance-able cast, but more importantly with the supporting character as well. The highlight of the volume comes as Yuuji and his father attempt to heal their relationship and come to an understanding with one another.
Side Character Vol. 4
My Rating: 8/10
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 fourth volume of this series digitally through the Tentai Books website or through a list of their distributors.
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