MANGA REVIEW | "I Wanna Do Bad Things with You" - Volume Five
At long last, Soshi Fuji puts one over his little brother Koichi. It’s a moment readers of I Wanna Do Bad Things with You have long been waiting for. Alas, the celebration is short-lived, as Volume Five truly shows what kind of a prick Koichi really is. And it all starts with the sight of the recent exam scores.
Although Mamori doesn’t do as great of a job as Soshi, what matters most is that the older brother ranked Number One. He’s joyful, to the point of almost crying, but he hides his true emotions behind a snarky mask. However, as he and Mamori are celebrating, Koichi confronts Soshi and says he cheated. Worse, somehow the answer sheets were placed in Soshi’s bag, with the culprit being the last person they’d expect: Kei.
From there, Soshi’s celebration is cut off, dragged into the teacher’s room, and has his top score erased. It’s a painful sight, especially when readers know that he topped the exam with his hard work. It then leads to Mamori to confront Koichi, as she thinks he did something to Kei to make her do what she did. After he denies all blame, Mamori goes on an emotional chase towards Kei.
This running sequence shows how much Mamori has grown throughout I Wanna Do Bad Things with You. The former quiet student is now the one chasing after someone whom she trusted, and — to an extent — still does. All it takes for Kei to stop is to pull a trick from Soshi’s book, leading towards Mamori confronting Kei over the situation. At this point, readers can clearly see she’s no longer a pushover; she’s in charge of the situation!
Kei confesses to the crime, with Mamori and even Soshi quickly forgiving her. Her reasons are understandable, but it’s watching her call her drunken father and giving him a piece of his mind that’s a true highlight of the chapter. Koichi is also taken aback by all of this, who seems to have something of a change of heart over the whole situation. However, that doesn’t mean he tells the truth about the test to the teachers, which keeps him being labeled an asshat.
And then, it’s summer festival time. With the aid of Kei, Soshi and Mamori take on a Japanese tradition. Things are a little shaky at first, whether it’s an attempt at holding hands or making the most simple of compliments. But as the day goes on, the two loosen up and have fun. It’s also a moment where it’s apparent that they’re on the verge of becoming more than just friends. (Hell, even Soshi’s fiancée, Ichika, is kind of rooting for them!)
Volume Five of I Wanna Do Bad Things with You has waves of positivity and negativity. Soshi won cleanly, but Koichi had to play dirty. However, it doesn’t stop Soshi, Mamori, and even Kei from enjoying life. Maybe before this series ends, Koichi will finally let his older brother gain a victory. But until then, there’s still a good amount of I Wanna Do Bad Things with You left for us all to revel in!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
