A continuous and popular series, Takane & Hana just released its newest volume this June, Volume 17! The new chapters are filled with excitement, tension, and even stunning development, but readers might be a bit disappointed with the latest book. Takane & Hana was first published in 2018 by VIZ Media. Written and designed by Yuki Shiwasu, the series follows the surprising relationship development between Takane, a serious and ambitious business professional, and Hana, a sweet yet stubborn high school student.
Although the two have opposing personalities and family lives, they end up developing feelings for each other. They have to navigate life and love to overcome many challenges thrown their way. Takane & Hana Vol. 17Â brings the main overarching tension to a head as Takane and Hana must face their biggest fear: revealing their relationship. This book will have readers anxiously anticipating the big reveal with both excitement and dread, matching the exact feelings of
Takane and Hana.
As a long-time fan, I’ve followed this series from the very beginning and have eagerly awaited every book. Takane & Hana vol. 17 was no different, and I was excited to see how everything would turn out and push the story further. It turns out I was entirely right about my expectations, but while I should have felt a kind of satisfaction, I ultimately was left feeling… disappointed. I felt this volume was a little more rushed than usual and focused more on progressing the story somewhere new than the wrap-up of previous story arcs. While I enjoyed the development, it just seemed like a huge jump from beginning to end, and I felt like I missed out on the story somewhere.
The rushed feeling even ruined the conclusion to a highly anticipated point of tension. This moment had been building for literally the entire series and was the  sole focus of the last few books. The characters had stressed about it, cried, argued, even physically fought, and it was a constant melody in the background of every chapter thus far. Takane & Hana vol. 17 finally brought it all to a head… and it only warranted 11 pages. Eleven pages covered the final climax that had been building for 16 and a half volumes. The next ten pages were then the introduction of a new point of tension… which was then resolved in the next 20 pages and resulted in a huge relationship development that completely defied the genuine progression thus far. That genuine relationship progression was completely lost in this volume. The acceleration really didn’t match the connection of characters or the displays of affection I was hoping to see. In the last volume, we were starting to enjoy how serious their relationship was getting, and then suddenly, in this volume, we’re at a point that should be much, much farther down the line. It didn’t feel honest, and it just didn’t seem like the characters had realistic feelings about the situation either.
There were some moments of deep feelings between Takane and Hana, a recent development shown in newer volumes that definitely makes me feel happy about their relationship, but they were relatively rare. The romanticism seemed a little shallow, and even in a moment that was supposed to show how deep their relationship was and how much they really cared for each other, I honestly didn’t really feel anything myself. The confession felt forced and lightly spoken, almost like the characters didn’t truly care, I was left disappointed and wished I understood their feelings more.
It seems like this volume was a bit out of character, so to speak. Usually, the series shows character emotions and thoughts much more thoroughly and deeply, to the point where previously I was dying for something to happen. This volume, instead, didn’t give me much insight into the characters, and I felt like I just watched a commercial for a show rather than the show itself.
Hopefully, the next volume will return to the high standard this series has shown so far and bring back its usual depth of story and emotion. I’m left wondering if the sudden shift means big things for Takane and Hana, and I am still eagerly awaiting the next one to find out.
