MANGA REVIEW | "I Wanna Do Bad Things with You" - Volume Six
Boy meets girl, girl becomes boy’s minion, boy and girl commit chaos, and feelings happen. It’s that old storytelling cliché we see in many rom-coms, but I Wanna Do Bad Things with You seems to get a whole lot of it right. And in its sixth volume, some major progress happens, the kind that changes lives and brings the sunshine onto a cloudy day. And it all starts at the tail end of the summer festival.
After Kei gives her a hand at making the perfect summer festival date happen, Mamori finds herself alone with Soshi. The fireworks are happening, and Mamori is feeling tuckered out. It’s a moment that allows Soshi to be her lap pillow, a situation that leaves Mamori flustered. But within all of the noise of the fireworks, Mamori utters something: “I love you, Fuji.”
At long last, the girl’s able to confess! However, her words are drowned out by the booms of the fireworks, resulting in her utter embarrassment. However, as school gets back into the swing of things, Mamori finds herself in the eyes of the popular kids. The reason: an Instagram post, where her looks during the summertime outshine even #1 class beauty Miyu. What could’ve been an attempt at sabotage instead evolves into something grand.
One of the great things about I Wanna Do Bad Things with You is how the plans of the antagonists always blow up in their faces. Miyu’s attempt to “glow up” Mamori instead results in her becoming the talk of the class. Even the popular boy Saeki is looking at her in ways that she can’t comprehend. Considering that Miyu has been trying to get his attention, the fact that he suddenly has eyes for Mamori makes the accidental successful makeover all the more sweet.
That’s when Mamori gets invited to a weekend hangout, something that Soshi doesn’t want to pass up. Tagging along, he sees his minion just being the best girl that she is. Hitting home runs in the batting cage, wowing people with her appetite, and getting a super high score in the arcade punching bag. Mamori isn’t just a butterfly coming out of her cocoon; she’s a damn rock star with a big, beautiful personality.
Soshi should be happy, but for some reason, he becomes a Mister Grumpy Pants. All of these popular people are now talking to Mamori, with even Saeki successfully getting her phone number. But a moment where Soshi swings in to rescue Mamori from karaoke disaster makes him realize why he’s feeling off. And after a dinner with his father and his demonic brother, where he spent all of his time texting Mamori, he finally figures it out.
Yes, ladies and gents, the boy’s in love! And the girl’s in love with the boy too! So that means everything is cotton candy and rainbows, right? Whoa whoa whoa, slow it down a notch! We’ve got one more volume of I Wanna Do Bad Things with You to go. And it ends with some misunderstanding of how Mamori takes Soshi’s actual, clear-as-day confession. In fact, it results in the short king leaving in a huff!
So what now? Will Soshi and Mamori talk it out? Will Mamori finally reveal her mutual feelings to him? On top of that, what of Soshi’s illness? Okay, for the love of all things holy, this manga better not end with Soshi dying from his constant health issues. If that happens, I will punch a hole in my wall. (All right, I won’t. I’d lose the deposit on my apartment.)
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
