REVIEW: ‘Love Me, Love Me Not,’ Volume 10

Love Me Love Me Not has pulled off a switch that I usually dislike: switching the main couples in a romance. Now, I know that the crux of the series has always been the parallel journeys for Akari and Yuna, but with over half the series focusing on the latter and her growing self-confidence, it’s safe to say that she and her love interest were the focus of the story. Now, Yuna and Rio are dating officially and doing great. Which allows Akari and her love life to take center stage in Love Me, Love Me Not Volume 10. 

Love Me, Love Me Not Volume 10 is written and illustrated by mangaka Io Sakisaka. The volume is also localized and published in English by VIZ Media’s Shojo Beat imprint and features an adaptation by Nancy Thistlethwaite, translation by JN Productions, with lettering and touch-up art by Sara Linsley. In this volume, Akari and, to a lesser extent, Kazu remain the focus of the story. While Yuna and Rio are doing great, Akaru and Kazu remain platonic but not for lack of emotions.

Last volume, both Akari and Kazu were experiencing problems at home. For Akari, the seemingly impending divorce of her parents may lead her to move away. And for Kazu, he must carry the weight of his family’s future after his brother took off to England and solidified himself as a failure in his parents’ eyes. While this duo have taken the focus of the story, and it is about their path towards each other, Love Me Love Me Not Volume 10 is as much about them growing as individuals as it is growing closer to each other.

For starters, Akari’s ex-boyfriend is still in the picture and making a move to remove the “ex” from his title. Focused on winning her back, he says that Akari’s relationship with Kazu is nothing more than “licking each other’s wounds,” bonding over their pain but not moving past it. This line shakes something loose in Akari, the same way that Kazu being told that he can’t take care of Akari did for him.

Instead of pulling Akari to him, Ryosuke instead pushes Akari down a path of self-reflection. While I enjoyed the start of the series greatly, by diving into Akari as a character, Sakisaka showcases that teenage romance isn’t the only thing at the center of Love Me Love Me Not as a series. Instead, the lesson is that sometimes you really can’t love someone until you’ve done the work to love who you are when you’re alone. And that’s the beauty of the series, and it’s showcased in such a strong way by focusing on Akari instead of the romantic Yuna.

Overall, Love Me Love Me Not Volume 10 is a great volume. It’s filled with angst and drama, but it’s also filled with characters growing and moving forward. The angst isn’t just there to make things messy anymore; it’s there to push characters to grow and learn. That alone makes this series worth picking up.

Love Me Love Me Not Volume 10 is available now wherever books are sold.