Vol. 5
(by Hiro Fujiwara, Tokyopop, $10.99)
FROM THE BACK COVER:
"Misaki gets involved in Sakura's love life when she's invited along to meet Sakura's favorite band. But when Sakura's crush is more interested in everyone's favorite maid-in-hiding than Sakura herself, it's up to Usui to intervene! And when the heir to a restaurant conglomerate makes an offer to buy the café, how far will Misaki go to save Café Latte?!"
EVIDENCE FOR: I believe that all Maid Sama! fans, deep in their hearts, secretly wish that Misaki and Usui never get together. Why? Because they are so awesome when they're at odds at each other. (Of course, that doesn't stop us from enjoying moments of tenderness between them, like when Usui falls ill.) The chemistry between the two has been so perfected that Hiro Fujiwara no longer even needs to be explicit about the tug-of-war relationship between them: she just sets up a hilariously convoluted scenario, like Misaki's cross-dressing scheme to prevent the Butler Café takeover, and then lets the situation speak for itself when Usui and Misaki cross paths. Truly, this is the pinnacle of character-driven comedy: that it's already funny before you even deliver the punchline. This volume also does a great job of bringing other characters into the fray during the Butler arc, whether it's screwball schoolmates or wacky co-workers from the café. As always, the visuals flow smoothly from scene to madcap scene, but they're at their absolute best when the panels open up wide, capturing those big heart-stopping moments between Misaki and Usui. It's romantic, and comedic, and does both well—truly a rare quality.
EVIDENCE AGAINST:
The first chapter of this volume is everything that's wrong with Maid Sama!: too much dialogue, a poorly developed supporting cast, and a plotline that really doesn't bring anything new to the table. It may seem tolerable at first—oh, Sakura and Misaki hang out with some cute rocker guys, things turn sour, Usui comes to the rescue—but its weaknesses soon become evident when placed in the shadow of the much more ambitious Butler Café arc. Cutesy little one-off chapters with generic high school drama just don't cut it when this series has proven in the past that it's capable of much more. Meanwhile, the continuing overuse of dialogue is one of the major stumbling blocks throughout this volume; the action in the middle chapters never really takes off because people are always too busy talking. Even when the main characters are doing something that requires little to no dialogue (like getting dressed?), someone off to the side still has to be making comments. The series also continues to suffer from unimaginative character designs—seriously, with all the random-faced bishounen milling about as side characters, they could start an entire boy band already.
FINAL VERDICT:
Although not perfectly crafted, this volume still takes readers on one delightful ride through the whole Butler Café dilemma. Factor in the heart-tugging Misaki-Usui moments as well and it's enough to earn a B.
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