Looks like Akasaka is getting restless. From the fourth-wall breaking admission that Ishigami and Ino's scenes are becoming predictable, to a bizarre meta-commentary on fan-service, to the final swerve into thriller territory(?), Volume 18 paints a picture of a writer that can't let things settle. And that's good! It makes sense that Love is War would settle back into low-key episodic mode now that the two leads are together, but I'm glad that Akasaka isn't letting his series' newfound ambition go to waste. I have *no* idea whether corporate scheming is the most obvious route to go down, but I have to assume that things won't be that simple. I think its telling that the series took the time to paint a picture of how harsh Hayasaka's days are before turning up the narrative heat - hopefully, Akasaka keeps the needs of his core cast at the centre of the action.

3,4 estrelas

4.5*

Gosh, the Love Is War series is easily one of my favourite mangas! I love coming back to it when I need something lighthearted and silly to make me laugh

well, that was a rather ominous ending - not like any of us like Kaguya's family, but this does not bode well for her.

Holy SHIT, this was one rollercoaster of a volume! Seriously, we went from cute and funny, to just funny, to heartbreaking, to ohhhhh shit something's going down soon.

I don't want to discuss too much because of spoilers, but there are two specific chapters I want to talk about: the volleyball chapter and Hayasaka's chapter. What I loved about the volleyball chapter is how it once again proves that you can keep a running gag going for a long time as long as you keep it fresh. There were more twists and turns in this one chapter than in most thriller novels and it was entertaining from start to finish. The Hayasaka chapter just fucking destroyed me. Seriously, this was a heartbreaking chapter purely because readers finally have a full grasp on the burden she's been carrying for 10 years. Part of Hayasaka's arc has been her getting through to Kaguya how much of a burden working for her has been, and now that we as the readers have a clear picture of her life, it's devastating seeing her struggle to maintain her cool demeanor when she's harboring so much pain. On top of that, there's obviously something going on in the background and that cliffhanger ending makes me very uncomfortable and I DON'T LIKE IT.

That's all I want to say for now, but this was another stellar volume in this series. I am so scared yet excited to see what happens next, I can only hope and pray my babies will be okay!!

3.5 stars. The last two volumes have been slower, but it was definitely picking up at the end of this volume!