Akari decides a fresh start is what she needs in the third volume of Takako Shimura’s Even Though We’re Adults, but naturally things can’t go that simply. After all, she has to face a significant person from her past, as well as come to terms with the fact that she is now neighbour to someone else she knows very well.
This volume contains chapters eleven through to fifteen.
Akari decides that it is time for a change, so she goes back to being a hairdresser and moves into a new place. However, her plans to start anew backfire as working at the salon means working her ex. Also, upon moving to her new place, she discovers she’s now neighbours with Ayano! Can the two women live side by side without crossing any boundaries, or will their mutual attraction draw them even closer to one another?
Wow, what a coincidence that Akari ends up moving into the house opposite Ayano’s. That sure is convenient for the sake of the plot. I suppose it means that Akari’s attempts at running away from that whole situation have backfire spectacularly. Maybe that will end up proving to be for the best in the end, though.
Besides each other, both Akari and Ayano also have things going on in their respective lives that they need to contend with. Akari’s return to the salon means working with her ex; she seems to be dealing with that fairly well, at least so far.
On Ayano’s side of things, it seems that there is some trouble brewing for two of her students – two girls, no less. The manga hasn’t made it explicit about what is going on between those two girls, but there is plenty there to infer it. Presumably that’s going to tie into Ayano’s feelings for Akari in some way.
Both Akari and Ayano will also be participating in a neighbourhood event, which means both have to spend plenty of time preparing for that.
It seems that with each volume of Even Though We’re Adults, my opinion of Wataru – Ayano’s husband – gets lower and lower. He practically stalks Akari upon discovering she has moved into the neighbourhood, and his motives aren’t exactly clear. His intentions aren’t known at the moment, although I can’t see him doing anything too bad. Just have to wait and see where that particular thread goes.
That awkward behaviour is only exacerbated further when he invites Akari to have dinner at his family’s home – and yes, that does mean that Ayano will be there, too.
Another side character who is becoming more involved in the plot is Eri. She too ends up meeting Akari, and her curiosity actually drives her out of her hikikomori state. Eri is determined to find out what is going on between Akari and Ayano. It’s been pretty interesting to see her break out of her shell ever since she has been introduced. Very curious to see where her research will lead her.
Even Though We’re Adults continues to present some rather interesting content, all centred around the feelings that Akari and Ayano have for each other. Certain characters are behaving oddly, whilst it’s nice to see others starting to contribute more to the plot.
Rory Muses 