I’m back with another book review, and this time I’m concluding the “Kase-San” series with “Kase-san and Cherry Blossoms” by Hiromi Takashima! I’ve read the first four books in the series, and loved it, and I’m so glad I got the chance to read the finale. Here’s a summary so we know what it’s about:
“It’s time for Yamada’s university entrance exams, and she’s super nervous! All her hard work is about to be put to the test. Will she get to follow her dreams and join Kase-san in Tokyo come spring?”
What I really love is how Kase and Yamada both continue to be supportive girlfriends with each other, and we get to witness many cute moments as they near the end of highschool, before it time-jumps to the two of them, and their friend Mika, in Tokyo. I like how this last volume shows that there are friends that are supportive of Kase and Yamada together, so not only do we get the canon lesbian relationship between Kase and Yamada, but we also have some cute friendship moments between Yamada and Mika.
I also enjoyed the fact that though this volume is not as hugely plot driven as the rest of the series was, it did allow for the relationship between Yamada and Kase to blossom and strengthen as they continue learning to be supportive of each other, and even reach deeper levels of intimacy with each other (which, yes, includes a brief sex scene close to the end of this volume as a result).
Though there isn’t a lot of external conflict the same way one might be jealous of an ex (or not actually an ex, as we discovered in the past two volumes), there is a lot more conflict internally surrounding how these two will continue their relationship, and trying to make decisions such as whether they’d live together, or even end up in the same area together. Though this was touched upon particularly in last volume, I’m glad to see an expansion of that in this volume as well.
What I enjoyed most was that the volume ended with the two of them discussing the future. From what it looks like, Yamada and Kase will be together forever, which is honestly quite sweet of them. I also like the last line referencing the flowers featured in past volumes of the series as well. It was a fitting way to end it.
Overall, 5 out of 5 stars! As for the whole series itself, I also overall rate it a 5 out of 5! This is a very short but sweet series, and definitely worth checking out. Speaking of this series, apparently there is a sequel series entitled “Yamada to Kase-San” that focuses on their university life. I have yet to see if any volumes are out yet as of writing this review, but I do hope I get the chance to read them in the future.