Kiss Him, Not Me Volume 12

I don’t have much to say about this volume except to note that, for those hanging on through the series, a major turning point occurs, as Kae finally chooses one of her suitors to focus on in a relationship.

Kiss Him, Not Me volume 12 continues directly with the consequences from the previous book, in which there was a ridiculous, life-threatening fall off a cliff.

I still miss the fannish behavior (and silly humor that results) that drew me to this series. There’s an attempt to blend both here, as Kae tries to incorporate things she’s seen in anime with the vigil she’s keeping over her friend’s hospital bedside. I found it distracting, though, and a misstep in tone.

Then comes a flashback to when Kae originally met Mutsumi in history club. That was more the kind of story I wanted to see, where Kae’s determination and lack of self-awareness seemed both realistic and adorable.

We’re finally back to the balance I prefer in the final chapter, where Kae’s obliviousness translates to her first time dating, when her inability to stop touching her boyfriend makes everyone else uncomfortable in a way that’s cringingly funny. Of course, her fan love winds up causing conflict with the needs of her relationship, in a cliffhanger that promises that the next book will revisit the series’ key premise: that a girl’s true love is her fandom.