Last time I wrote about the war between the older and newer type of shojo manga romantic heroes in this series, but now I want to focus more on Ryu and Asuka’s relationship. Ryu is more evolved than the old “alpha male” type, but his expectations and complacency are, I think, his fatal flaws.

Asuka is putting her desire for marriage on hold for now, but there is much more she is conceding, and Ryu is pretty oblivious to it. She’s dating a star, so she can’t talk about him with her family or friends (except Rio).

Asuka even questions whether it’s okay to envision the future she wants with Ryu.

Asuka isn’t a weak heroine. She says what’s on her mind and is willing to compromise. Our couple gets along so well that they don't often fight, but they do end up fighting in this volume. Ryu seems to need more than a logical discussion to bring him out of his complacency.