It was in March 2020 when I reviewed Watashi no Kobushi wo Uketomete, Volume 3 ( 私の拳をうけとめて). Re-reading that review, honestly, I can add little to it for this review, so I will quote myself liberally. ^_^ My apologies in advance.
In Volume 2, Takebe has hit the end of her rope in trying to be a new person. She’s not feeling the support from Soramori she thought she’d get. For her part, Kirara is half jealous and half frustrated by Takebe’s search to become someone else. They stop speaking, both confused as how to move forward.
As I said in my review of the Japanese Volume 3: The problem is not that they aren’t enjoying each other’s company…Takebe starts to really understand what Soramori means to her when they aren’t hanging out. And it’s not that they are rivals, Soramori, realizes as days go by when they aren’t speaking. But something is off and they both know it. In Catch These Hands, Volume 3, Takebe reaches back into her past to try and create a new future…in the wrongest way possible, by assuming that she can’t move forward until she’s settled the past with KiraraAfter taking to Maria (and training for the confrontation that’s coming,) Takebe calls Soramori to the park to have it out the old-fashioned way. The way they know, the way they met each other. She challenges her former gang-member rival girlfriend to a fight. And fight they do.
And, at last, Soramori understands. THIS is the woman she fell in love with. This is the self she wants to be. And when she beats Takebe into the ground with one final punch, she finds that the two of them really enjoyed beating the heck out of each other.
As the volume comes to a close, they have – as far as they are able – to communicate that they want to continue dating. And now, maybe they can stop worrying about being something they are not.
Ratings:
Art – 7
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Service – 0
Yuri – 5
The team at Yen Press did a great job. Amanda Hadley’s translation of the gang patois works for Takebe. This story is a lot of fun, again. ^_^
Volume 4 is headed our way next spring!
Happy to see that this story isn’t ending where most yuri manga end, where the two protagonists finally beat the tar out of each other. Most stories just end there, but we get to see life after that special moment. Looking forward to it!
^_^
Usually yuri comedy is not my thing, but these series’ delightful quirkiness gives it uniqueness and makes it a blast for me.