MANGA REVIEW | "I Wanna Do Bad Things with You" - Volume Seven [FINALE]
I’ll admit: I was very, very worried where I Wanna Do Bad Things with You was going to go. After all, when you have a lead character with an illness, that certainly would make anyone believe that the story’s ending would end in tragedy. Thank God that wasn’t the case with I Wanna Do Bad Things with You. Not only does the seventh volume end things on a positive note, it does so in the best way possible!
First, let’s start with the love confession between Mamori and Soshi. Our pink-haired heroine has no idea whether or not Soshi truly loves her, which leads her to go out and find out for herself. A second love confession falls out of her mouth, which makes Soshi happy. The feelings are mutual, so that means they’re a couple now, correct? Well…not so fast.
Although Soshi has been brave when it comes to pulling pranks, it’s matters of the heart where he finds his cowardice. When he thinks of the future, Soshi has a mindset where he may not be long for this world. As a result, he can’t picture dating anyone, let alone Mamori. However, there’s just one problem: Mamori is a much braver person now, and Soshi’s only got himself to blame for that.
We finally get a school culture festival moment in I Wanna Do Bad Things with You, as Mamori volunteers herself and Soshi to star in the school play. In a delightful twist, Mamori is the Beast, and Soshi is Belle. On one hand, Soshi is flabbergasted that Mamori did this behind his back. With that being said, he doesn’t exactly hate the idea of being the star of a play. And even when the show ends in an abrupt manner, he and Mamori still find a way to make it entertaining for the audience.
At long last, we also get to see Koichi get his comeuppance. The big surprise is the fact that him playing the villain in this series was his plan all along, as a flashback shows that he never wanted to be the heir in the first place. As a result, Koichi gave Soshi the literal push he needed to fight back for what is rightfully his. And when Soshi and Mamori come face-to-face with the big father figure, it ends on a high, fist-pumping note!
There’s a bit more to what happens in the final volume of I Wanna Do Bad Things with You, but I shan’t spoil it for you. Within these seven volumes is a story of a woman who finds her spine, a boy who reclaims his throne, and the fun, not-so-bad things they do together. New friends are made, enemies become stepping stones, and our two leads become the people they have been striving to be. I Wanna Do Bad Things with You isn’t exactly perfect per se, but it does plenty of good things that make it a high recommendation for any lover of rom-coms. At the very least, it ends on what I'd deem a perfect note.
VOL. 7 RATING:
FINAL GRADE [series]:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
