Tsubomi, Volume 17 (つぼみ) was slightly less fun than a barrel of monkeys for me, due to a number of random concerns. Several of the series I have been following kind of grind to a halt or just jump the shark, and for one, external factors have brought it to a (hopefully temporary) hiatus. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t some stories of note or value, just that as a whole, the magazine left me unsatisfied. The cover art was a perfect symbol of the feelings of “meh” this volume induced in me.

Miyauchi Yuka’s “Familia Famila” is a slightly overwrought look at a young woman’s past and present feelings for a neighbor, and the future in being a “family” with her and her son.

In “Eden no Higashitostsuka” Kiku-chan realizes that she’s grown accustomed to Hiyoshi’s presence in her life – but as a result, she becomes jealous when she learns that Hiyoshi has a former “best friend” in her life.

“Candy” by Suzuki Yufuku starts to come to a close, and in this volume sort of treads water a bit, while we wait for the climax to show up. A thoroughly unnecessary plot complication arrives, pandering to…I don’t know whom, and is dismissed almost as soon as it shows up. I can’t imagine what the author was thinking there, unless they really just were page stuffing so there’d be enough content for a second volume.

 And “Hana to Hoshi” continues in the side plot it’s working on, with the Hanaii being forced into competition for Hoshino with the sempai from pingpong club. While Hanaii doesn’t think she wants Hoshino as a prize, she does regain something from the match – it rekindles her love of the game…and she starts to notice that maybe she does actually care about Hoshino, after all.

As always, there are many other stories and as you are not me, you might like them better than I did. ^_^.
I hope you’ll purchase this anthology and take a look for yourself!

 Ratings: Overall – 6